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How to Ask for a Protective Order

  1. Go to the Clerk of Court at the courthouse and ask for a form called Complaint and Motion for Domestic Violence Protective Order. Fill out the form carefully. (See also, Instructions For Domestic Violence Form).
    • You will be the plaintiff (the person making the complaint), and your husband or boyfriend will be the defendant (the person accused of abuse).
    • Write your husband or boyfriend's full name and home and work addresses in the box asking for "Name and Address of Defendant." If possible give a phone number.
    • After you fill out the form, bring it to the court clerk and sign it with them watching.
  2. Fill out the top part of the Civil Summons.
    • Write your name and a safe mailing address and phone number where someone can reach you. If you are staying at a shelter or another secret place, do not write the actual street address.
    • Write the defendant's name, home and work addresses, and phone number, if possible. Write directions on the summons if the defendant's address is hard to find.
  3. File the Complaint with the Clerk of Court.
    • There is a filing and service of process fee. If you cannot afford these fees, you may be able to file without paying. Ask the clerk for a form called Petition to Sue As An Indigent. (An indigent is a poor person.) You will have to sign this form in front of a notary public or the clerk.
  4. Ask the clerk for the date and time of the hearing.
    • If you have asked for an emergency/temporary (an ex parte) order let the clerk know this. The clerk must set a date and time for you to meet with the judge, or should take your Complaint to the judge at the time. Whether or not you asked for an emergency order, you will have a hearing for a Domestic Violence Protective Order. This hearing will be held within a week to ten days.