Family & Safety

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Emergency [no-lexicon] Order of Protection [/no-lexicon]

An Emergency Order of Protection (EOP) is a court order that protects its holder - called the petitioner- from harm by a person named in the order - called the respondent. An EOP takes effect as soon as the judge approves it.

Because of the risk of harm, the law does not require the respondent to know about the hearing. This is known as an 'ex parte' hearing.

Because of this, an Emergency Order only lasts for 14 to 21 days. When the court issues an EOP, it sets a hearing date for a Plenary Order.

[no-lexicon] Plenary Order of Protection [/no-lexicon]

A Plenary Order is issued by a judge after a hearing with both the petitioner - the person seeking safety - and the respondent - the person accused of abuse. The petitioner must be present in court to get the order.

Although the person accused of the abuse must be notified about the hearing, they may choose not to show up. However, if the person accused of abuse does not show up to court, the Plenary Order will be granted.

When a Plenary Order is granted, it lasts for up to 2 years.

[no-lexicon] Interim Order [/no-lexicon] of Protection

The judge may grant a petitioner an Interim Order after a respondent has been served. This order may last up to 30 days.