A California DVRO does not end just because the protected person changes their mind. Here is who can ask the court to drop or change it, what the judge considers, and the forms involved.

A false or exaggerated domestic violence accusation sets off a criminal case, a protective order, and often a custody fight at once. Here is how these cases are investigated and defended, the evidence that matters, and the mistakes that turn a defensible case into a conviction.

A California restraining order can be changed or ended early, but only by a judge. Here is who can ask, how to file DV-300, and what the court weighs.

A California domestic violence conviction triggers a state firearm ban of ten years or life under Penal Code 29805 and 29800 and a lifetime federal ban under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9), and a restraining order or criminal protective order bans guns while it lasts. This guide explains each rule, the relinquishment process, what expungement and a 17(b) reduction do and do not fix, and how to get guns back after a dismissal.

Only the prosecutor can dismiss a domestic violence case in California. Here is what happens when the alleged victim wants the charges dropped, recants, or refuses to testify, and what the accused must never do.

After a domestic violence arrest in California, police usually obtain an emergency protective order the same night. Here is what the EPO does, how long it lasts, what replaces it in criminal and family court, and the mistakes in the first week that turn a defensible case into a conviction.

Anyone placed on probation for a domestic violence offense in California must complete a 52-week batterer intervention program under Penal Code section 1203.097. Here is what the statute requires, how the program works, what happens if you miss sessions, and how the plea can be structured to avoid it.

What the prosecutor must prove for stalking under Penal Code section 646.9, the defenses that work, misdemeanor versus felony penalties, and how a stalking charge interacts with restraining orders, custody, and firearms.

A criminal protective order under Penal Code section 136.2 is issued by the criminal judge in a domestic violence or witness case, usually at arraignment. Learn what it prohibits, how it differs from a family court restraining order, how firearm surrender works, how to ask for a modification, and what happens if you violate it.

Which restraining order fits: a DVRO under the Family Code or a civil harassment order under CCP 527.6? The relationship decides it. Here is how each works.

A step-by-step guide to getting a domestic violence restraining order in Hemet and the rest of Riverside County, from the DV-100 to the hearing at the Southwest Justice Center.

A domestic violence arrest in California starts a criminal case and often a custody fight at the same time. Learn how the emergency protective order, the criminal protective order, and the Family Code section 3044 presumption affect your children, and what to do in the first two weeks in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles County.

What the prosecutor must prove for a Penal Code 273.6 violation, when a violation becomes a felony, how criminal protective order violations are charged under Penal Code 166, the defenses that work, and what a violation does to a pending DVRO or custody case.

A California domestic violence restraining order lasts up to five years, three years if the order is silent, and can be renewed for five more years or permanently without new abuse. Here is how each stage works.

A practical guide to domestic violence charges in Orange County: the arrest, the emergency protective order, arraignment at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, the criminal protective order, batterer's program terms, firearm and custody consequences, and the defenses that actually work.

Supervised visitation is ordered when a judge finds that unsupervised contact would risk the child's safety. Here is what triggers it, who supervises, what it costs, how to request it, and how to get it lifted.

A step-by-step guide to getting a domestic violence restraining order in Orange County, from the DV-100 packet and the temporary order to service and the hearing at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange.

A temporary restraining order can issue the same day you file in San Bernardino County, and the hearing on a five-year order is usually set within about three weeks. Here is the full timeline.

A DVRO can be granted on your testimony alone, but judges want more. Here is what evidence family courts in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Orange County actually rely on, how to authenticate it, and the mistakes that sink petitions.

Served with a DVRO in California? What the temporary order means, how to respond with the DV-120, what happens at the hearing, and how it affects custody, firearms, and any criminal case.