Violation of Restraining/Protection Order

Violation of Restraining Order/Protection Order (VRO/VPO)

Courts enter Protections orders routinely during domestic violence cases, and protection orders are one of the few legal actions that can be done ex parte, or with only one of the parties being present. Violating that protection order can have very severe consequences. It does not take much to violate a restraining order and many cases are filed with only the word of the protected party that it was violated.

If you have been charged with violating a protection order you should contact our attorneys immediately. These offenses are generally a class one misdemeanor and can be used as leverage by the prosecution if there is a pending case. Also, judges tend to treat these cases very harshly because they do not like to see individuals disregarding a court order.

However, there are many defenses to these charges. There could be inadvertent contact in a public place, or there could be a pattern of contact since both parties to the order have chosen to disregard it. Many times, the "protected party" will contact the "restrained party" and invite contact. These situations are not a defense, but can mitigate the case in your favor.

Our attorneys will also determine if the Order of Protection can be vacated prior to the court date for the criminal violation. While this will not save the case, it will certainly show the District Attorney that the Protection Order was not necessary and may lead to a more favorable result in your case.