TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER VS. PROTECTIVE ORDER…WHICH DO I NEED?
For years the only legal recourse for the battered, abused or harassed was the good old “Restraining Order”. The TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER (T.R.O.) is nothing more than a paper which is prepared by an attorney at your expense which tells the abuser to stop doing whatever he/she is doing to offend you. This order carries NO provision for immediate enforcement by police. Therefore if the offender violates the order, your only recourse is to go back to your attorney and ask him/her to request a contempt of court citation, which the judge may or may not grant after a hearing. Inadequate as it may seem, this order may be your only choice if the offender is not related to you or has not committed any criminal offense against you. The PROTECTIVE ORDER, on the other hand, is intended to protect family members from abuse by other family members, and it can be effective for up to one year from the date of issue. If the abuser has assaulted you or any family member (or anyone living under the s
