Sandersville Family Violence Protective Order Lawyer
If the person you fear in Sandersville uses your own children to watch you, carry messages, or report back on you, it can feel like there is no part of your life that is yours. Pulling your kids into his control is its own harm, to you and to them. We offer clear, private information about protective orders so you can take a safe step and stop the children from being used against you.
Daniels & Taylor serves Sandersville families from our office in Lawrenceville.
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When he sends the kids to ask where you have been, or has them relay his threats, your children become both messengers and eyes you cannot escape. You may worry about what it does to them, and about whether you can ever speak freely. Can a protective order stop him from using the children this way? Can it protect them too? We listen, then connect each legal question to shielding you and your kids from being turned into tools.
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 Sandersville
He uses our children to control me, can a court address that?
Yes. Using children to monitor, threaten, or relay can be part of what a protective order addresses, including custody and contact terms. Tell us your situation.
Can an order protect the children too?
A protective order can include the children and set terms that keep them out of the middle. We explain how that can work for you.
What if he says he is just talking to his kids?
There is a line between parenting and using children as tools of control. We help you understand how the law sees it.
You can ask about your options without committing to file or to hire anyone, and without him knowing. Your kids should not be his eyes. 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 it sets terms about the children and contact, that can be the hardest part. Until the hearing, follow the order exactly as written, even where you believe it is unfair, including any term about the kids. We help you understand what it requires and how to respond 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
Can I talk to my kids or send a message through them?
Only as the order allows. If it bars contact, do not use the children to reach her, that can violate it. Bring your concerns to the hearing.
The custody terms feel unfair, what do I do?
Follow them exactly anyway, and raise your side at the hearing. That is where a judge decides. We help you prepare.
What happens next?
A judge reviews the evidence and decides what, if anything, continues, including custody terms. A free case evaluation helps you get ready.
Have the order and the hearing date in hand. A free case evaluation can help you sort what to do first, especially anything about the children, and what to avoid.
Call (770) 285-1673 for a free case evaluation.