If a disability means you depend on the person you fear for rides, medication, money, or daily care in Jefferson, leaving can feel impossible, because they hold the very help you need to get through a day. You deserve safety and that help both. We offer clear, private information about protective orders, with care for what protection looks like when you rely on the person hurting you.
Daniels & Taylor serves Jefferson families from our office in Lawrenceville.
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When the person you fear is also the one who drives you, fills your prescriptions, or manages your care, fear and need are knotted together in a way that is hard to explain to anyone. You may wonder who would help you if they were ordered away. Can a protective order account for the care you depend on? Can the court address support so you are not left without help? We listen, then connect each legal question to keeping you both safe and cared for.
You are not alone. Georgia's statewide domestic violence
hotline is 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836),
free, 24/7, and confidential.
What most people pay for a case evaluation to learn
A Georgia protective order can do more than tell someone to stay away. In a
family violence case the judge may grant exclusive use of the home, temporary
custody of the children, temporary support, and can even include the family pet
(O.C.G.A. 19-13-4).
You do not need a police report or a criminal charge to ask for one. It is a
civil petition you file yourself, and the court can issue a same day ex parte
order to protect you right away, followed by a hearing (O.C.G.A. 19-13-3).
Family violence is broader than physical harm. It covers acts like stalking
and criminal trespass between people in the same household, former spouses,
parents of the same child, and others living or formerly living together
(O.C.G.A. 19-13-1). If you were in a dating relationship but never lived together
and share no child, your path is a separate stalking protective order (O.C.G.A.
16-5-94).
How a Georgia family violence protective order works
You file a civil petition, with no police report required, and the court can
grant a temporary ex parte order the same day, then set a hearing (O.C.G.A.
19-13-3). The order can reach beyond no contact to the home, custody, and support
(O.C.G.A. 19-13-4). You file in the superior court of the county where the
respondent lives (O.C.G.A. 19-13-2).
Common questions about protective orders in Jefferson
I rely on them for care, can a court still protect me?
Yes. Your need for help does not lower your right to safety. A protective order can also address support and arrangements. We explain how.
Who helps me if they are ordered to leave?
We can talk through resources and what the court can address for your care and support, so protection does not mean being left without help.
What if they say no one else will put up with me?
That is control talking, not truth. You have a right to safety and to support that does not come with fear. We help you see your options.
You can ask about your options without committing to file or to hire anyone, and without them knowing. We will keep your care needs at the center. Reach out from a safe device when you are able.
Call (770) 285-1673 for a free case evaluation.
If an order was filed against you and you provided care for the person who filed, the conditions may feel especially tangled. Until the hearing, follow the order exactly as written, even where you believe it is unfair, including staying away despite past caregiving. We help you understand what it requires and how to bring your side the right way.
If a protective order has been filed against you
Nothing lasting happens without a hearing. An ex parte order is temporary, and
the court sets a hearing, usually within about 30 days, where the petitioner has
to prove family violence by a preponderance of the evidence, and that burden is on
them (O.C.G.A. 19-13-3(b), (c)).
A final order can require no contact, order you to leave a shared home, and set
temporary custody or support; it can last up to one year and may be extended to
three years or made permanent (O.C.G.A. 19-13-4). Knowingly violating a protective
order is a separate crime (O.C.G.A. 16-5-95). A family violence finding can also be
weighed in a later custody case (O.C.G.A. 19-9-3(a)(3)(P), (a)(4)). If the petition
comes from a dating relationship, it may fall under the stalking statute instead
(O.C.G.A. 16-5-94).
Until the hearing, follow the order exactly as
entered, even if you believe it is unfair. The time to be heard is at the hearing,
not by contacting the petitioner.
Common questions if an order was filed against you
I was the one caring for them, why am I barred?
Follow the order regardless, including no contact, and raise the caregiving history at the hearing. That is where a judge weighs it. We help you prepare.
Can I check on them to make sure they are okay?
No. Even a welfare check can violate the order and hurt your case. Any needed care can be arranged through the court, not by you. Bring it to the hearing.
What happens next?
A judge reviews the evidence and decides what, if anything, continues. A free case evaluation helps you understand the order and get ready.
Have the order and the hearing date in hand. A free case evaluation can help you sort what to do first and what to avoid.
Call (770) 285-1673 for a free case evaluation.