A no-contact order is known more commonly throughout the country as a restraining order. It is an official court document put in place to protect one person from another. There are usually two stages to issuing a no-contact order, and both can usually happen within a month of the first petition. In some cases, no-contact orders automatically go into effect with certain types of actions and crimes.
The Specifics Of A No-Contact Order
A no-contact order specifies a distance, usually in feet or yards, that an aggressor must keep away from the petitioner. The aggressor cannot contact the petitioner at work, cannot contact the petitioner at school, and they cannot contact the petitioner at home. The no-contact order is comprehensive, but it comes with a time limit. Once the order is getting ready to expire, the petitioner can ask to have the order renewed.
The Process To Getting A No-Contact Order
In most cases, a petition for a no-contact order is sent to a court and an emergency no-contact order is issued if the courts feel it is warranted. The temporary no-contact order is very detailed in its conditions, and it is immediately put into effect. The court will then hold a hearing within 30 days to determine whether or not the order should stay in effect, and for how long.
When Is The No-Contact Order Used?
A no-contact order is often used when a divorce is not amicable, or when a plaintiff wins a stalking case and wants the defendant to keep their distance. In some states, charges of domestic violence automatically come with a no-contact order while the situation is sorted out in the courts.
Violating A No-Contact Order
The potential punishments for violating a no-contact order include fines and/or jail time. Each no-contact order tends to be different, so the punishments for violating them can vary as well.
Extending A No-Contact Order
As the deadline for the no-contact order approaches, then petitioner can ask the court to extend the order for the petitioner’s safety. The court will take all of the evidence into account before rendering a decision. If the no-contact order is dropped, the petitioner can gather more evidence to try and get a new one put in place.
Relationships often go sour and the bonds that were once made of love suddenly disappear. When that happens, it is not unusual for one party to decide to stalk and terrorize the other. When this happens, the person getting terrorized can petition the courts for a no-contact order. This order mandates that the defendant must maintain a certain distance away from the petitioner, and the defendant must immediately cease all contact with the petitioner as well.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!