A Civil Protection Order can be issued by a judge to protect a person from harm, including domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and harassment. These protection orders are requested by an individual, called the Petitioner, and seek protection from another individual, called the Respondent.
What a Civil Protection Order Can Do:
- Prohibit Contact: Restrain the Respondent from contacting you or coming near you or your home, work, school, vehicle, etc.
- Remove From Residence: If a Petitioner and Respondent share a home, the Respondent can be forced to leave the shared home immediately.
- Affect Child Custody: Grant temporary full custody of children to the Petitioner and establish safe visitation parameters.
- Remove Firearms: Order the immediate surrender of firearms and any concealed weapons licenses to law enforcement.
- Order Treatment: The Respondent may be required to participate in state-certified treatment programs, including domestic violence intervention or mental health evaluations.
- Protect Vulnerable Adults: Provide specific protections against abandonment, neglect, or financial exploitation.
Types of Civil Protection Orders:
- Domestic Violence Protection Order: Protects against harm from an intimate partner or family/household member. This includes physical violence, stalking, and "coercive control"—a pattern of behavior used to dominate or isolate a victim.
- Anti-Harassment Protection Order: Protects against conduct that seriously alarms or annoys a person and serves no legitimate purpose. This can now be triggered by a single act of violence or a specific threat of violence.
- Stalking Protection Order: Protects against a pattern of conduct that causes a victim to feel intimidated or threatened, including "cyberstalking" via electronic or online means.
- Sexual Assault Protection Order: Provides protection for victims of nonconsensual sexual conduct or penetration. A single incident is sufficient to seek this order.
- Vulnerable Adult Protection Order: Protects adults (typically 60+ or those with disabilities) who are at risk of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.
- Extreme Risk Protection Order: Filed when a Respondent poses a significant danger of injury to themselves or others by having access to a firearm.
Are you the Petitioner or Victim?
If you are seeking protection, filing for an order can be a daunting and frightening task. It requires thoroughly completing complex legal forms, gathering evidence, and representing yourself in multiple hearings. Washington law now allows petitioners aged 15 and older to file on their own behalf.
Alternatively, the attorneys at SQ Attorneys can facilitate this time-consuming process for you, relieving stress and working to ensure a protection order is effectively secured against your abuser.
Are you the Respondent or Alleged Abuser?
If a protection order has been filed against you, you MUST defend yourself. You are required to submit a written response to the court and provide evidence to counter the claims. Above all, you must immediately comply with all terms of the temporary order. Even a minor technical violation can lead to immediate arrest and criminal charges.
Defending against a civil protection order is a high-stakes experience. The attorneys at SQ Attorneys can help protect your rights, represent you at the hearing, and handle the rigorous legal work involved in your defense.
