In the District of Columbia, a civil protection order (“CPO”) requires that the person who is subject to the order (the respondent) stay away from the petitioner – the person requesting protection. A protection order is issued by the court and directs the respondent to refrain from abusing, harassing, threatening, committing a crime, or having […]

A year ago, you were brought to court by an ex spouse or significant other, or perhaps a family member. Maybe you consented to the entry of a Civil Protection Order (CPO), or maybe the judge entered an order after a hearing.  One year has almost passed, and you’ve done everything the order required. You […]

Civil Protection Orders (CPO) can cause the recipient many headaches, but perhaps nothing hits closer to home than being banned from your own house or apartment. While this is a common condition of a CPO issued in Washington, D.C. or Virginia, it is most commonly seen in cases where the petitioner and respondent are actually […]

If a judge finds that there is “good cause,” to believe that a person (the respondent) has committed or threatened to commit a crime against another (the petitioner), a judge may issue a Civil Protection Order against that person. D.C. Code 16-1005(c) Most often issued in the context of a domestic violence situation, a Protection Order […]