This article tells you how to get a protective order and what protections it may be able to provide to you. This article was written by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid [2].
If you have been a victim of violence, stalking or sexual abuse, you can apply for a court order to keep your abuser away from you. This order is called a Protective Order (“PO”). There are different kinds of PO’s for victims of domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.
A PO orders an abuser:
The judge can also:
There are several ways to apply:
What you must show depends on the type of protective order.
For a family violence protective order, you must be able to show that violence has occurred and it is likely that violence will continue in the future.
For stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking protective orders, you must be able to show the abuser committed either stalking, sexual assault, or trafficking.
Some considerations:
It depends on the type of abuse (stalking, dating violence, sexual assault, family violence); the seriousness of the harm, if children were present, if an arrest was made, past violence, the likelihood of future violence, and other factors. PO’s for family violence usually last two years, but can be for any duration, including for life. Sexual assault and stalking PO’s can last for life.
If the abuser violates a PO, he or she can be arrested and charged with a crime. Multiple violations can result in felony charges.
© TexasLawHelp.org - Source URL: https://texaslawhelp.org/article/protective-order-fact-sheet
Links
[1] https://texaslawhelp.org/directory/legal-resource/texas-riogrande-legal-aid-austin-office
[2] https://www.trla.org
[3] https://texaslawhelp.org/toolkit/i-need-protective-order