Respond to a Protection Order
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If you’re served with a Protection Order, you must obey it or you might be arrested. Read the Protection Order carefully to understand what you can and can’t do. Also read the Petition to understand what the other person is asking for, and why.
If you disagree with the Protection Order, you must respond in writing and go to any hearing that’s scheduled. If you don’t respond on time, a Temporary Protection Order will probably be made permanent for a year or more.
1. Fast facts
Why was I served protection order papers?
If you receive a Petition for Protection Order, it’s because the person who filed it (the Protected Person) claims that they’ve experienced domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault, or stalking by you against them.
If you also received a Temporary Protection Order, it’s because the Petition had enough evidence for the judge to take immediate action before the hearing. Read it carefully to understand its restrictions. If you don’t obey a Temporary Protection Order, whether on purpose or by accident, you could face consequences including contempt of court and criminal charges.
Warning! You can be arrested and charged with a crime even if the Protected Person invites or allows you to violate the order.
Do I have to respond to a protection order petition?
The court wants people to always respond in writing, especially if you’re fighting (contesting) the Protection Order. If you don’t respond on time, the other person will probably get what they’re asking for.
if you’re facing criminal charges that are directly related to the allegations in the Petition, you don’t need to respond, due to your constitutional right against self-incrimination.
What if I’m the one the order should protect?
You can say that and explain why in your written response. Also, file your own Petition for Protection Order.
If you don’t have time to do this before the hearing on the protection order against you, you can ask the judge for a Temporary Protection Order protecting you at that hearing. This is called “re-aligning the parties” — switching places so the person who was originally protected is now restrained. You’ll still have to file your own Petition to get a permanent order.
社区组织可以提供帮助！如果您曾遭受家庭暴力、骚扰、跟踪或性侵犯，或者受到任何相关威胁，请向当地家庭暴力庇护所或性侵犯援助中心寻求帮助。庇护所为您提供安全规划、临时庇护所、法律支持、咨询以及其他服务。
访问网站Washington State Domestic Violence Information & Referral（Washington州家庭暴力信息与转介），按县搜索地方性计划，或者文化/社区特定性或部落计划。
您可以通过电话、短信或在线聊天从以下热线获得全天24小时/每周7天的支持服务：
- 全国家庭暴力援助热线 1-800-799-7233
- 全国性侵犯援助热线 1-800-656-4673
- StrongHearts原住民帮助热线（全国家庭暴力援助热线的同行支持服务），1-844-762-8483