There are thousands of protective orders issued each year in the state of Indiana. But what do you do when you are the recipient of a protective order?
If a protective order is issued “Exparte”, this means that the Court has issued a Protective Order (“PO”) without a hearing. This means that the protective order is in effect from the time of service of the PO and you have notice of it. Contact with a person that is prohibited by an Exparte PO could result in your arrest. Therefore, understanding what you can and cannot do, or where you cannot go, such as a place of employment, is critical.
What you should do:
- Read the entire Protective Order to determine who you are restricted from contact with, or places you are restricted from, such as a residence, a school, a place of employment.
- Take the Protective Order seriously.
- Check to see if a hearing has been set on the Protective Order.
- Check to see how long the Protective Order lasts.
- If No hearing has been set, you must seek a hearing within 30 days or the PO will remain for the entire period until it expires.
- Gather witnesses or evidence of the alleged incidents in the Petition for the Protective Order.
- Contact Legal Counsel.
A protective order could interfere with your employment, especially if after a hearing your right to carry a weapon is revoked.
We hope you find this information useful in understanding the basics of protective order matters. This blog post is written by attorneys at Dixon & Moseley, P.C. and is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, or solicitation for legal services. Dixon & Moseley, P.C. attorneys handle civil and criminal matters and appeals from all Indiana state trial courts.