A Protective Order deals with the civil version of the crime of Domestic Violence. To obtain a PO you can go to City, Justice or Superior Court or, if you live outside of Tucson, to your local Court. To obtain a PO two conditions must exist. The first is the relationship between the parties. The second is the commission of a criminal act.

The most common relationships are married or formerly married, living together or formerly living together, being related by blood and a past or present boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. There are others. The most common crimes in these cases are assault, disorderly conduct and crimianl damage. There are a dozen or so more. The Clerk of the Court will ask you to fill out a Petition, stating the actions that support your request for the PO. You will then be taken before a Judge you will ask you questions concerning the allegations in your Petition. In most cases, an Order based upon the Petition will be granted. It will not apply to the Defendant/Respondent until he or she is served. The Order is good for one year and at any time during that year the Defendant/Respondent mat request a hearing to dispute the Order, asking that it be dismissed or amended. I have handled a great many of these cases over the years, representing both Petitioners and Respondents. If there is going to be a hearing to contest the Order I strongly suggest that you retain the servies of counsel.