Filing Steps - LPOR - Louisiana Supreme Court

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<div><p><strong>These are the steps a petitioner takes to get a restraining order:</strong></p><ol><li><a class="anchorLink" href="#S1">INTRODUCTION TO FILING</a></li><li><a href="#S2">DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY</a></li><li><a class="anchorLink" href="#S3">FILL OUT FORMS</a></li><li><a class="anchorLink" href="#S4">FILE PETITION</a></li></ol> <p>&nbsp;</p></div><div><div><p>&nbsp;</p><h3><a id="S1" name="S1"></a>STEP ONE: INTRODUCTION TO FILING</h3><h4>Useful definitions</h4><p>A person seeking protection may ask the court for protection by filing a&nbsp;<strong>petition</strong>&nbsp;for a restraining order.</p><p>The person in need of protection is the&nbsp;<strong>petitioner&nbsp;</strong>, the person against whom the petition is filed (the abusive person) is the&nbsp;<strong>defendant&nbsp;</strong>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Costs&nbsp;</h4><p>There are no filing fees and court costs for this process.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Representation</h4><p>It is not necessary to have an attorney to file the petition or to represent the petitioner at court. Petitioners may get forms and assistance from this website, from the parish Clerk of Court's office, or from victim advocates at the&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://www.lcadv.org/programs.html" target="_blank">local battered women's program</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lafasa.org/main/home" target="_blank">local sexual assault program</a></strong>&nbsp;or district attorney's victim assistance program.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Interpreter/Language Services:&nbsp;</h4><p>Under federal law and state policy, you are entitled to language assistance including an interpreter or translation services if you cannot speak or understand English.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a class="anchorTop" href="" title="top">&nbsp;&uarr;&nbsp;Go to Top&nbsp;</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div><div><p>&nbsp;</p><h3><a id="S2" name="S2"></a>STEP TWO: DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY</h3><h4>Eligibility</h4><p>Eligibility for the two most commonly used statutes differs. Read each carefully to decide which one to use.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Domestic Abuse Assistance Act&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />La. R.S. 46:2131, et seq.</h4><p>Can be filed by or on behalf of a person who has experienced&nbsp;<strong>domestic abuse</strong>.</p><p>The relationship between the abuser and the person asking for protection must be one of the following:</p><ul><li>family member (spouses, former spouses, parent/child, stepparent/stepchild, grandparent/grandchild, or other ascendant or descendant)</li><li>household member (any person presently or formerly living in the same residence with the offender and who is involved or has been involved in a sexual or intimate relationship with the offender)</li><li>child currently or formerly living with the defendant</li><li>parent, adult household member, or district attorney on behalf of minor child(ren) or an adult who is incompetent to act in his/her own behalf</li></ul><p>This statute may provide more opportunities for protection than the "generic" restraining order (for example, in addition to prohibiting any contact by the abuser, this order may also include ordering temporary child custody, financial support, and use of property to the victim in order to ensure safety).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Protection from Dating Violence Act<br />La. R.S. 46:2151</h4><p>Extends the same protections as the Domestic Abuse Assistance Act to dating partners. Dating partners may be people who have not lived together.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Protection from Stalking Act<br />La. R.S. 46:2171, et seq.</h4><p>Can be filed by a person who is being stalked by a stranger or acquaintance. (Victims of stalking by a current or former intimate partner can file under the statutes listed previously.)</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Protection for Victims of Sexual Assault Act<br />La. R.S. 46:2181, et seq.</h4><p>Can be filed by a person who has been sexually assaulted by a stranger or acquaintance. (Victims of sexual assault by a current or former intimate partner can file under the statutes listed previously.)</p><p><a class="anchorTop" href="" title="top">&nbsp;&uarr;&nbsp;Go to Top&nbsp;</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div><div><p>&nbsp;</p><h3><a id="S3" name="S3"></a>STEP THREE: FILL OUT FORMS</h3><p>Fill out the necessary forms.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>There is a section of the petition where you will swear to the truthfulness of the information you have provided.&nbsp;You will also need to have a witness sign this verification page as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>For persons who cannot speak or understand English, you are entitled to language assistance if you cannot understand or fill-out the forms.&nbsp; Some forms on this website may be translated for your understanding, but you will still need assistance to file the forms in English.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>PETITIONS</h4><p>If you want to file a petition under the Domestic Abuse Assistance Act (La. R.S. 46:2131, et seq.), you will use&nbsp;<strong>Petition LPOR B</strong>.</p><p>If you want to file a petition under the Children's Code (La. Ch. C. Art. 1564, et seq.), you will use&nbsp;<strong>Petition LPOR C</strong>.</p><p><strong>BUT!</strong>&nbsp;If you are filing a petition against your spouse under this statute, and your spouse has already filed for a legal action which has not yet been finalized (such as a divorce or a protective order against you, or other legal actions), you will use&nbsp;<strong>Petition LPOR BR</strong>, or&nbsp;<strong>Petition LPOR CR</strong>&nbsp;instead of LPOR B or LPOR C. This circumstance is called filing in reconvention.</p><p><strong>NOTE:&nbsp;</strong>If you filed the legal action, such as a divorce, you can use Petition LPOR B or LPOR C - only use Petition LPOR BR or LPOR CR if the person you are filing against was the one who filed the legal action.</p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong><em>TIP:</em></strong><em>&nbsp;To help you fill out Petition LPOR B, Petition LPOR BR, Petition C. or Petition CR print out&nbsp;<strong><a href="/court_managed_prog/LPOR/LPOR_forms/Lpor_A.pdf">LPOR A- Instructions</a></strong><a href="/court_managed_prog/LPOR/LPOR_forms/Lpor_A.pdf">.</a></em></p><p>If you want to file for an order of protection against a stranger or acquaintance who has been stalking or sexually assaulting you, you will use&nbsp;<strong>Petition Form LPOR D.</strong></p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong><em>TIP:</em></strong>&nbsp;<em>To help you fill out LPOR D, print out&nbsp;<strong>LPOR Y &ndash; Instructions</strong></em>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><em>&nbsp;</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>OTHER FORMS</h4><p>In addition to filling out a petition, there are several supplemental forms you can fill out as well.</p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong>LPOR H - Information for Service of Process Form</strong></p><p style="margin-left:30px;">The abuser must be served by the sheriff&rsquo;s office with a certified copy of the order and notice to come to court on the assigned day of the hearing. To assist the sheriff&rsquo;s office in locating the defendant, fill out this form as completely as possible.&nbsp;<strong>This form can be used with any of the petitions.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong>LPOR F - Confidential Address Form</strong></p><p style="margin-left:30px;">Your address will be kept private by the court and the abuser will not receive notice of where you are currently living if you submit this form with your petition.&nbsp;<strong>Use this form only with LPOR B, LPOR C, or LPOR D.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left:30px;"><strong>LPOR FR - Confidential Address Form (In Reconvention)</strong></p><p style="margin-left:30px;">Use this form when the abuser is your spouse and has filed a legal action that has not yet been finalized. Your address will be kept private by the court and the abuser will not receive notice of where you are currently living if you submit this form with your petition.&nbsp;<strong>Use this form only with LPOR BR, or LPOR CR.</strong></p><p><a class="anchorTop" href="" title="top">&nbsp;&uarr;&nbsp;Go to Top&nbsp;</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div><div><p>&nbsp;</p><h3><a id="S4" name="S4"></a>STEP FOUR: FILE PETITION</h3><p>The petition and accompanying forms are filed in the Clerk of Court's office. The Clerk will present the forms to the judge for review. If the judge agrees that immediate court protection is necessary, s/he will grant a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) with a date to come back to court for a hearing. The TRO will contain some or all of the requests made in the petition, and will be in effect until the date of the court hearing, up to 20 days if filing for protection using petitions LPOR B, B-R, C, C-R or D.</p><p>The clerk should provide the petitioner with a copy of the petition, a certified copy of the TRO, and the date and time of the court hearing. The clerk will also give a copy of the petition and TRO to the sheriff's office to serve to the defendant. The defendant will be notified to be present at court on the date of the hearing.</p><p>NOTE: The petitioner should keep a copy of the TRO at all times. The petitioner may also want to make copies of the TRO to be kept in the car, at work, with a friend or other safe place, at children's daycare or school, or other places it may be needed.</p><p>The petitioner should call law enforcement if the defendant violates the terms of the order.</p><p><a class="anchorTop" href="" title="top">&nbsp;&uarr;&nbsp;Go to Top&nbsp;</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div><p><a id="translations" name="translations"></a><strong>A translation of this document is available in pdf format in the following languages:</strong></p><ul><li><strong></strong><a href="/court_managed_prog/lpor/FilingSteps(Spanish).pdf" target="_blank">Spanish (en espa&ntilde;ol)</a></li><li><a href="/court_managed_prog/lpor/FilingSteps(Vietnamese).pdf" target="_blank">Vietnamese (bằng tiếng việt)</a><br /><a href="/court_managed_prog/lpor/FilingSteps(Arabic).pdf" target="_blank"></a></li><li><a href="/court_managed_prog/lpor/FilingSteps(Arabic).pdf" target="_blank">Arabic (بالعربية)</a><br /><a href="/court_managed_prog/lpor/FilingSteps(MandarinChinese).pdf" target="_blank"></a></li><li><a href="/court_managed_prog/lpor/FilingSteps(MandarinChinese).pdf" target="_blank">Mandarin (用普通话)</a></li></ul><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div class="footer">The Louisiana Protective Order Registry is a project&nbsp; of the Office of the Judicial Administrator, Supreme Court of Louisiana</div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
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