What Does a Restraining Order do?

If you are a victim of domestic violence, get in touch with a Los Angeles family lawyer and learn how you can get a domestic violence restraining order in to help protect you and your family.

A restraining order is a legal court decree that will order the other person to stay away from you and your children. Under the order, the person can no longer make any contact with you or your children, your relatives or anybody else who lives in your family. He must stay away from your home, your workplace, and even your children’s school. He might even have to move out of your house.

There are several other restrictions that a domestic violence restraining order will place on the other person. He must, for instance, not possess a gun, must comply with child custody orders, and must continue to pay child support or spousal support. Under the terms of the restraining decree, the other person is also not allowed to make any changes to insurance policies, or assets, or incur large expenses that affect your financial health.

However, the one thing that a restraining decree will not do is end your marriage. Just because you have applied for and got a restraining order against your spouse does not mean that your marriage has effectively ended, or that divorce is the next step. Speak to our Los Angeles family attorneys about how you can file for divorce in a domestic violence situation.

Remember, the restraining order is often the very first step that people take before they make a final decision about their marriage. If you are currently in a domestic violence situation, it’s important to get legal help, and also take the right kind of steps to keep yourself safe.