For imminent help call here. Domestic Violence Crisis Line (866) 223-1111. Moving forward consider call one of us. Limited-scope representation is when you and a lawyer agree that the lawyer will handle some parts of your case and you will handle others. This is different from more traditional... View More

There is no form for this. You can certainly submit a letter to the Court asking for the DANCO to be modified or cancelled. The decision of whether that occurs is ultimately up to the judge who is assigned to handle the case. It is unlikely that the DANCO will be modified or cancelled if the... View More

There is no form or petition for this. A DANCO can only be lifted by a judge.

If you wish to have the DANCO lifted or modified, I would start by reaching out to the victim's advocate assigned to the defendant's case. In almost all domestic violence cases, there is a... View More

Fighting charges successfully almost always requires hiring a skilled criminal lawyer. You need to also be able to provide witnesses and documentary evidence that supports your version of the truth. WIthout that you will have to rely on the cross examination of the prosecution witnesses and you... View More

Asking someone to give you "odds" on the likelihood that a DANCO will be dismissed/cancelled in these circumstances is unrealistic. That depends on a number of factors such as where the offense occurred; whether there is any prior criminal history; what the exact allegations in this case... View More

When a court issues a "No Contact" Order or condition to a defendant, it does not apply to the defendant's attorney (who is an officer of the court). In fact, the defense has a constitutional right to contact any and all; potential witnesses in the case. It's important that... View More

Your attorney is allowed to speak with the alleged victim's family. The alleged victim's family does not have to speak with your attorney, but the prosecutor prevent them from doing so if they wish to. The same goes for any other potential witness with pertinent information; the... View More

In my experience, prosecutors rarely dismiss a domestic assault charge before the trial date. And when they done so on the trial date, often a big reason was the prosecutor's victim refused to cooperate by showing up. On the other hand, when it comes to the pre-trial No-Contact Orders... View More

No one on this website can give you "odds" that the case is going to be dismissed. We don't have access to the police reports and the other evidence in the case. But you don't have "veto" power over the case. The fact that you want the case dismissed is important,... View More

Yes, you can rescind a no-contact order if both parties consent to future contact. To drop it, would need to go back to the court that issued the no-contact order and file a motion to dismiss the order. The motion should include an explanation about why you want to drop the restraining order.... View More

A judge cannot order a relationship to end, at least not in those terms, per se. But courts often order "no contact" in a few contexts, including an "Order for Protection (OFP)" via family court, or a "Domestic Abuse No Contact Order (DANCO)" in criminal court. The... View More

You can certainly recant your statement, but that is not a silver bullet in terms of resulting in an automatic dismissal. You might also expose yourself to criminal liability for filing a false police report. I would recommend that you get legal representation prior to contacting law enforcement... View More

A Domestic Abuse No Contact Order ("DANCO") is a protective order issues by a judge in a criminal court file. As a result, any change prior to its expiration would have to be made by a judge. A "protected person" can ask the prosecutor to support ending or changing the terms... View More

You could certainly contact law enforcement. You could apply for an OFP against your brother on behalf of your child. You could choose to keep your child away from your mother and brother. You have a multitude of options here. You just need to decide how you want to approach this situation.

A HRO typically would not affect someone's firearms rights. A HRO does not have the same effect as an OFP in that regard.

Violation of a Harassment Restraining Order is a crime and he will likely be charged if the evidence is sufficient to establish probable cause. You've done what you can. Continue reporting violations to law enforcement.

That would arguably be ineffective assistance of counsel. But you should speak with an attorney directly about this issue to figure out next steps.

A subpoena is a court order which requires you to appear for testimony. A warrant could be issued if you fail to appear in court if subpoenaed. You could be held in contempt if you show up and refuse to testify. You should consult with an attorney if either of these is a possibility.

Assuming a lawful stop of an Uber driver, can police lawfully ask a passenger for identification information? Generally, yes - unless the detention was unreasonably prolonged or intensified. Can the passenger refuse to provide that information? Generally yes. However, in my experience at least... View More

Depending on the age of the child, it would be difficult to prove that the parent "forced" the child to lie to law enforcement. This would a very fact specific situation and oftentimes there are two very different perspectives to what occurred in a situation. Additionally, private... View More