Restraints Under Darien Protective Orders

After a domestic violence incident, courts will issue a protective order against the party accused of a crime. The protective order will remain in place as long as the criminal case is ongoing, and it will forbid the defendant from engaging in certain communication or behaviors. The specific restraints under Darien protective orders depend on the type of order involved.

If you are a party in a protective order, you could benefit from the advice of a qualified attorney. A lawyer could explain what behaviors are restricted under your protective order so that you do not risk a violation. An attorney could also work on your behalf to resolve any criminal charges against you.

Residential Stay-Away Orders

A common type of protective order in Darien is a residential stay-away order. This type of protective order restrains a defendant from going back to their home or the premise where the other person lives. The defendant may not go home for the entirety of their case. They have to move out and find a new place to stay in the interim.

Full No-Contact Protective Orders

In a full no-contact protective order, the court restrains the defendant from having any contact with the plaintiff. Any time the court decides to issue a full no-contact protective order, the parties should not be in communication with one another and should not be able to see one another. If the defendant reaches out to the plaintiff in any manner, they would be considered violating the order.

How do Darien Courts Interpret Contact?

Darien courts interpret contact as any physical contact or communication. Communication could be text messaging, phone calls, or anything else. Contact is as broad as possible. It even prohibits a person from seeing the other party.

Social media is considered contact under protective orders in Connecticut, even though many people would not commonly see it as such. Reaching out to someone on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter is forbidden under a full no-contact protective order. One of the most commonly overlooked forms of contact is third-party contact. This means someone may not reach out to a third party to send a message to the alleged victim. It is considered a violation of the protective order.

Permissible Contact

A permissible contact is any contact specifically allowed by the court. For example, the court often specifies allowable contact if the two parties share children. The court might keep the full no-contact protective order in place but make a note on the protective order that allows the parties to communicate via text message only regarding the children.

Permissible contact stipulations can also be included in residential stay-away orders and partial protective orders. For example, contact outside of the other party’s home could be allowed in a residential stay-away order, or any contact that does not violate the law could be allowed if there is a partial protective order in place.

Get in Touch with a Top Attorney in Darien

If you have concerns about your protective order, get in touch with a top criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. The best CT lawyers understand how disruptive to your life the restraints under Darien protective orders can be. They could stand by you throughout the process and work towards a quick resolution of your case.