PERSONAL PROTECTION ORDER (PPO)
A Personal Protection Order (PPO) is a Circuit Court injunctive order that protects victims of Domestic Violence or Stalking. A PPO is filed by a Petitioner against a Respondent to stop or restrain a Respondent from:
- Contacting the Petitioner through any means (in person, by phone, by mail or email, etc.)
- Entering the Petitioner’s residence property or work place
- Assaulting, attacking, beating, molesting, or wounding the Petitioner
- Harassing, stalking or threatening the Petitioner
- Removing minor children from petitioner who has legal custody, except as allowed by custody or parenting-time order provided removal of the children does not violate other conditions of the order
- Interfering with the Petitioner’s efforts to remove his or her children or property
- Purchasing or possessing a firearm
- Interfering with or engaging in conduct that impairs the Petitioner’s employment or educational environment
- Having access to information in records concerning a minor child of petitioner and respondent that will reveal petitioner’s address, telephone number, or employment address or that will reveal the child’s address or telephone number
- Any other specific act that interferes with the Petitioner’s personal liberty or causes a reasonable fear of violence
A PPO cannot:
- Evict a person in a landlord/tenant relationship or spousal relationship
- Establish custody or parenting time
- Protect personal property from damage
- Mediate neighbor disputes
- Stop a person from being rude or spreading rumors
What to do if there is a violation of the PPO:
- Call the local police IMMEDIATELY
- When the police arrive, they may arrest the Respondent for violating the PPO
- If the Respondent is not at the scene, give the police a statement. The police may request the Prosecutor’s office to issue a show cause order, which will trigger a contempt of court proceeding in Circuit or Family Court.