What NOT to Do When You Have A Protection From Abuse Order Against You

If you are reading this, you are a defendant in a Protection From Abuse Order (“PFA”).  While your attorney can explain your legal next steps and prepare you for court proceedings, you should keep in mind that your actions during this time will make a huge difference in the outcome of your case.  Acting out of emotion or anger can result in jail time, while staying calm and listening to your attorney’s advice can help ensure this unfortunate situation is over as soon as possible.  Whether or not you think the PFA was legitimate or deserved, here are some tips to make sure that you do not make matters worse.

What NOT to Do:

1. Do not contact the plaintiff under any circumstances (including text, phone call, social media, or any other means of communication). Do not respond to their attempts to contact you.
2. Do not contact the plaintiff’s friends, family members, or coworkers.
3. Do not drive by the plaintiff’s home or place of work.
4. If you have minor children with the plaintiff, the PFA will tell you whether you are still allowed to exercise your custody time. If you must communicate with the Plaintiff about the minor children, keep communication short and matter-of-fact, ideally over OurFamilyWizard or your court-ordered communication app.  Do not speak with your children about the PFA or say anything disparaging about the plaintiff to your children.
5. Do not post about the plaintiff or the PFA on social media. Ideally, the plaintiff will be blocked and deleted from your social media, and you will not view or interact with any of their posts, either. 
6. If you see the plaintiff in public, do not approach them or interact with them. Keep your distance and leave the location if possible. 

When in doubt, err on the side of caution and do not interact with the plaintiff in any way.  If you have specific questions about these ground rules or your situation, please contact us!

The information contained in this publication should not be construed as legal advice, is not a substitute for legal counsel, and should not be relied on as such. For legal advice or answers to specific questions, please contact one of our attorneys.