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Written by Canterbury Law Group

Obtaining a Restraining Order in Arizona

The Scottsdale family law attorneys at Canterbury Law Group have expertise on Arizona protective orders. According to our state law, protective orders can be issued against a person for reasons including making repeated unwanted phone calls, emails, texts, physically injuring a person, threatening physical injury, trespassing on a person’s property or sending a person unsolicited and constant messages.

If you are in need of a restraining order, call us immediately.  If someone you know may need protective help, here is some information to consider:

  • Restraining orders are often issued to abusers that have recently lived in the household of another or who have lived in the same household as the victim in the past. Household members could be but are not necessarily limited to ex-spouses, ex-partners, past boyfriends or girlfriends, siblings, children or parents.
  • There is a legal procedure for obtaining a restraining order in the state of Arizona including requiring the victim to complete legal forms. Canterbury Law Group helps clients navigate these often- tedious legal forms. Afterwards, a hearing is conducted to determine if a restraining order is indeed necessary.
  • Arizona restraining order laws cover a wide variety of issues. Some are more temporary than others, and the exact length of time of each order which is granted depends upon the severity of the facts of the case.
  • According to Arizona restraining order laws, it is possible for another person to file a restraining order on a victim’s behalf. This can be done if the victim is incapacitated as a result of injury not necessarily directly related to the abuse and/or if the victim is a minor and the parent or guardian wishes to file. A person can file for another person if the person desiring the order is in some other way temporarily or permanently unable to file for the order.

If you are dealing with a restraining order or are thinking of filing for one, contact Canterbury Law Group today. Our dedicated litigation attorneys in Scottsdale will ensure thorough preparation for your restraining order and help you navigate the legal issues that arise.  If you seek to quash an order issued against you, the firm is equally well versed in defending protective orders.

Emergency Protection Order, Injunction Against Harassment, Order of Protection, orders of protection, Restraining Order, Scottsdale Attorneys, Scottsdale Legal Help
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Campus Dating Violence and Orders of Protection

During the school season, many college co-eds, and parents of college-age kids, have questions about dating violence on campus. Dating violence is emotional, psychological, physical, sexual or financial abuse (or, sometimes, a combination of these) perpetrated over a sustained period of time in order to gain and/or maintain power and control in a dating relationship.

In an effort to negate dating violence, schools should maintain a robust dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault prevention program for all incoming students and staff, with continuing education for older students throughout their time at the university.

The family law attorneys at Canterbury Law Group in Scottsdale, AZ. help victims of domestic violence secure legal protection against further abuse, whether on campus or off. If you’re looking to determine your legal options, the family law attorneys at Canterbury Law Group have extensive knowledge on orders of protection. Here are some quick facts:

  • A victim of domestic abuse means a person protected by the law and shall include any person who has been subjected to domestic abuse by a spouse, or any other person who is a present or former household member and where the victim is 18 years of age or older or who is an emancipated minor.
  • An order of protection is a court order intended to protect you from further harm from someone who has hurt you; to keep the abuser away from you, or to stop harassing you, or keep the abuser from the scene of the violence, which may include your home, place of work, or apartment. It is a civil order and it does not give the abuser a criminal record. An order of protection can prohibit third parties from constantly texting you or emailing you without consent.
  • If you are a victim of violence, a judge can sign an order that requires the abuser to obey the court. The protective order is very specific in as far as what the abuser can and can’t do, including having no contact in person or by phone, at home, work, or almost anywhere you ask the court to put in the order.

The family law team at Canterbury Law Group will help you and your loved ones stay safe. Call us today to schedule your consultation. 480-744-7711

Dating Violence, domestic violence, Order of Protection, orders of protection, Restraining Order, Scottsdale Attorneys, Scottsdale Legal Help
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Johnny Depp Hearings Shine Spotlight on Abuse

The legal problems between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard over her claims of spousal abuse have been making international headlines. The two sides are due to face off as Heard pursues an extension of a domestic violence restraining order that was granted last month. The court set a status conference for August and the judge extended the temporary restraining order that bars Depp from going within 100 yards of Heard.

This celebrity case has raised the importance of protection against domestic violence. At Canterbury Law Group, we know first hand that there are many misconceptions on abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, here are some answers to common questions:

1. What is Domestic Violence? When you are in a relationship with someone who uses threats, harasses, molests, stalks, attacks, batters or strikes you, your family or your children, that person is committing Domestic Violence. If you are experiencing Domestic Violence, you have a legal right to seek relief from the courts by procuring a protective order.

In the State of Arizona, Domestic Violence includes a variety of abusive acts. You must be able to show the court that the person from whom you want protection has committed or may commit an act of Domestic Violence. You do not have to be physically injured or hurt to be a victim of Domestic Violence. Domestic violence occurs if the other person has done or attempts to:

  • endanger you threaten, intimidate, or harass you interfere with the custody of your children;
  • trespass on or damage your property;
  • restrain you, kidnap, or hold you prisoner;
  • assault you with his/her body or with a weapon;
  • display a deadly weapon or threaten you with a deadly weapon;
  • surreptitiously (without your knowledge) photograph, videotape, film or record you.

2. What types of protective orders are available in Arizona? A Protective Order is a document obtained from a court, to order the abusive person not to contact you and to prevent future abusive behavior. In Arizona there are five types of protective orders:

  • Order of Protection – An Order of Protection is a legal restraint used to prohibit a person from committing acts of domestic violence or from contacting people protected by the order. It also provides several kinds of protective relief, such as removing firearms from the home, adding other people to the protective order, and exclusive use of the home.
  • Emergency Order of Protection – An Emergency Order of Protection is also a legal restraint to prevent domestic violence. An Emergency Order may be granted by an authorized judicial officer in writing, verbally or by telephone for the protection of a person in “imminent and present danger of domestic violence.”
  • Release Order – In rural counties where it is not required that a judicial officer be designated to issue Emergency Orders when the courts are closed, emergency protection is available through a registered Release Order. Arizona law provides that, when a person arrested for an act of domestic violence is released from custody, any Release Order shall include pretrial release conditions necessary to protect the alleged victim and other specifically designated persons.
  • Injunction Against Harassment – The Injunction Against Harassment orders a person to stop harassing, annoying or alarming another person. Injunctions can be used for disputes against neighbors, strangers, and people who were not dating.
  • Injunction Against Workplace Harassment – The Injunction Against Workplace Harassment is the newest protective order available in Arizona. It allows an employer or an agent of an employer to file for relief on behalf of all employees at the workplace, against any person who enters the employer’s property and any person who is performing official work duties.

3. How and where can I get an Order of Protection or an Injunction Against Harassment? You may file a petition for an Order of Protection or Injunction Against Harassment in any superior, municipal or justice court regardless of where you live in Arizona. When you enter the court, go to the Clerk of the Court’s counter, Self Service Center, or protection order window and tell the clerk you are requesting an Order of Protection or an Injunction Against Harassment. The clerk will give you the proper Petition forms. Plan on being at the court house for several hours.

If you’re experiencing domestic violence, hiring a family law attorney can be critical to your future. Call the Scottsdale layers at Canterbury Law Group today to schedule you consultation. 480-744-7711.

civil domestic violence, domestic violence, Emergency Protection Order, Family Law Attorney, Order of Protection, orders of protection, Scottsdale Attorneys
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Order of Protection Used to Stop Domestic Violence

The Scottsdale attorneys at Canterbury Law Group help survivors of domestic violence utilize legal protection options to defend themselves from further abuse, including obtaining an order of protection. An order of protection is long term, typically for one to five years, and in extreme circumstances, for up to a lifetime. A victim can also renew the order of protection if he or she still feels threatened by his or her abuser.

An order of protection may include many different provisions, including:

  • No Contact Provision – Prohibiting the abuser from calling, texting, emailing, stalking, attacking, hitting, or disturbing the victim
  • Peaceful Contact Provision – Permitting the abuser to peacefully communicate with the victim for limited reasons, including care and transfer for visitation of their child
  • No Contact Provision – Prohibiting the abuser from calling, texting, emailing, stalking, attacking, hitting, or disturbing the victim
  • Stay Away Provision – Ordering the abuser to stay at least a certain number of yards or feet away from the victim, his or her home, job, school, and car. The stay-away distance can vary by state, judge or the lethality of the situation, but is often at least 100 yards or 300 feet
  • Move Out Provision – Requiring the abuser to move out of a home shared with the victim
  • Firearms Provision – Requiring the abuser to surrender any guns he or she possesses (about 2/3rds of states) and/or prohibiting the abuser from purchasing a firearm
  • Counseling Provision – Ordering the abuser to attend counseling, such as batterer’s intervention or anger management

Order of protections may also include children, other family members, roommates or current romantic partners of the victim. This means the same no contact and stay away rules apply to any other listed individual, even if the direct harm was to the victim. Some states allow pets to be protected by the same order, as abusers may harm pets to torment their victims.

If you’re in need of protection, call us today to start the process of filing for an order or protection. Or if you have been recently served with an order of protection, and you feel wrongfully accused, you need to speak to a lawyer immediately. Delaying your response to an order of protection only makes it more challenging to have it quashed by a judge in court later. 480—240-0040. www.canterburylawgroup.com

civil domestic violence, Dating Violence, domestic violence, Family Law, Family Law Attorney, Order of Protection, orders of protection, Restraining Order, Scottsdale Attorneys, Scottsdale family attorneys, Scottsdale Legal Help
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Requirements for Obtaining a Restraining Order

The Scottsdale divorce attorneys at Canterbury Law Group frequently represent clients when obtaining or defending restraining orders. If you are contemplating obtaining a restraining order, your situation must fit the criteria listed below. It is also important to note that a judge cannot give you a restraining order solely for threats, rude behavior, verbal or emotional abuse or damaged property unless you were in fear that you were about to be physically injured.

  • Age. You are at least 18 years old, or you are younger than 18 but the person who abused you is 18 or older. You are (or were) married to that person, or 2) you have been in a sexual relationship with that person. If you are over 18 and were protected by a restraining order as a child and that order is still in effect, you may ask the court to continue that order even if the person who asked for it does not want it extended.
  • Relationship. The person who abused you is: 1) your husband, wife or domestic partner; or 2) your former husband, wife or domestic partner; or 3) an adult with whom you are living (or did live) in a sexual relationship; or 4) an adult with whom you have been in a sexual relationship in the last two years; or 5) an adult related to you by blood, marriage (caution: legal marriage in this context is distinct from co-habitation) or adoption; or 6) the parent of your child.
  • What is meant by “abuse”? If in the last 180 days, the person you wish to restrain has: physically injured you; or tried to physically injure you; or made you afraid that he or she was about to physically injure you or made you have sexual relations against your wishes by using force or threats of force. (Note that any time period in which the person who abused you was in jail or lived more than 100 miles from your home does not count as part of the 180-day period. This means you may still be able to get a restraining order even if it has been more than 180 days since you were abused.)
  • Ongoing Danger. You are in danger of more abuse very soon, and the person who abused you is a threat to the physical safety of you or your children.

The legal team at Canterbury Law Group can help you navigate the legal procedures for your restraining order. Alternatively, if you have been served with a restraining order against you, we can help you invoke your right to an evidentiary hearing to have the order quashed. Contact us today to schedule your consultation. 480-744-7711.

Order of Protection, Restraining Order, Scottsdale Legal Help
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Common Questions After Getting a Restraining Order

The Scottsdale divorce attorneys at Canterbury Law Group receive many questions about restraining orders. Here are common questions that accumulate after a restraining order is obtained.

How long does a restraining order last?

A restraining order lasts for one year from the date the judge signed it or until it is quashed by a judge. If the judge believes you are still in danger, the restraining order can be renewed for one year at a time. To renew the order, you must file the court paperwork before the initial order expires.

What can I do if the restraining order is violated?

You can call the police. The officer must arrest the respondent if there is a good reason to believe a violation has happened. The respondent can be charged with contempt of court. If the respondent is found guilty of violating a restraining order, he / she can be fined, placed on probation or put in jail.

What if I want to cancel the restraining order?

You must file legal paperwork at the courthouse to ask the judge to drop the order. The order remains in effect until the judge dismisses it, which may take a few days or weeks. Sometimes, the parties may agree to dismiss the restraining order and enter into a limited no-contact agreement to facilitate communication between the parties with respect to children and parenting time only. This should only be done if it is safe and through legal counsel.

Can the restraining order be changed once it’s in effect?

Only some parts of a restraining order can be changed, except at a hearing to contest the order that is requested by the person being restrained.
If you are dealing with a restraining order or are thinking of filing for one, contact Canterbury Law Group today. Our dedicated litigation attorneys in Scottsdale will ensure thorough preparation for your restraining order, or defense from same, and help you navigate the legal issues that inevitably arise.

Emergency Protection Order, Order of Protection, Restraining Order
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