Q: For 17 years harassment from my next-door neighbor. I would like to stop it.
My next-door neighbor moved in in 2001. Since then his whole families were like an organized crime family constantly harassing my mother and me. With my mother's passing last July, I have my first marriage with an adult stepdaughter. This neighbor continues to harass us. I have been treated by the county mental services since 1998. I have tried to get back to work but failed. Would you help me with my miserable life by stopping all these harassments? I have a temporary restraining order against this neighbor. The court date was June 25 2018. Because he secretly took a picture of my wife and stepdaughter(who are on the protected person list) while we were waiting for the courtroom to open. The court date postponed to July 2 2018. With all his lies in the courtroom. The Judge set another court date for this issue. That is Oct. 1 2018. I have set up a surveillance system, thanks to this neighbor. Before Oct. 1 I have been busy documenting the neighbor's constant harassing behaviors.
A: You have done the right thing in filing a temporary restraining order. Unfortunately, the offending person or persons on the TRO (known as the Respondent) will usually lie in Court. At the hearing on the temporary restraining order, the Judge (or a Commissioner) will have each party testify. You should probably bring to Court any witnesses and evidence that you have, and let the Court know this at least 15 to 30 days in advance by filing a Notice of Witnesses with their names and addresses on it, and preparing a short written brief for the Judge to read. You don't need an attorney to do this. If the Court feels that the behavior of the Respondent(s) is bad enough, the Judge/Commissioner should order that the TRO become a permanent Restraining Order. Courts can be unpredictable, so be prepared for anything. And, if the Respondent(s) violate the terms of the Restraining Order once it goes into effect, don't hesitate to call law enforcement people out to your home and/or have them make a Report. That's their job. Good Luck.
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