Baltimore Protective Order Lawyer
Keeping yourself and your family safe is more important than anything. When a threat to your safety comes from within the family itself, you may feel especially vulnerable and not know where to turn. Fortunately, immediate help is available in the form of protective orders from the court, which force an abuser to keep away from you or face criminal penalties such as jail for violating a protective order. A Baltimore protective order lawyer at the Law Office of Hasson D. Barnes can help you get a protective order in the case of domestic violence in Maryland.
Protective Orders and Maryland Laws on Domestic Violence
Maryland’s laws on domestic violence allow you to go to court and obtain a protective order against a family member accused of domestic violence against you or your children (if the abuser is not a family member, you should seek a peace order rather than a protective order). Actual acts of violence are not required to get a protective order; the threat of violence can be enough.
A protective order can require a person to have no contact with you. This means not speaking to you in person, calling you on the phone or texting you. It can also order them not to frequent places you are likely to be such as your school or place of employment, and order them to stay a certain distance away from you if the two of you do happen to be at the same place at the same time. Persons subject to a protective order are subject to immediate arrest if they violate the order. We can help you complete a petition for a protective order, file it in the correct location, and represent you at any hearing for a long-term order.
Defense against Protective Orders Unfairly Used
Issues of domestic violence may be present in a hostile divorce or bitter custody battle. When emotions get out of control, it is even possible for one party to make false accusations against another, whether intentionally or due to a misunderstanding in the heat of the moment. The courts will err on the side of caution to protect family members and will issue a temporary protective when presented with an accusation or complaint. This order can keep you out of your own home and away from your own personal property; it can even prevent you from seeing your own kids.
Before a long-term protective order can be put in place, you have a right to appear at a hearing and defend yourself by challenging the propriety of such an order. Hasson D. Barnes is an experienced Baltimore criminal defense attorney as well as a skilled and knowledgeable family law attorney. He understands these issues and can represent you when you are being unfairly targeted for a peace order or protective order in the Baltimore courts.
Get Immediate Assistance with Protective Orders in Baltimore
If you feel you are in immediate danger of domestic violence, get to a safe place and call the National Domestic Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or call 911 in an emergency. For help with a protective order in Baltimore, call the Law Office of Hasson D. Barnes at 443-423-0548.
