Your former spouse may have reasons for wanting to cut off communication with you throughout your divorce proceedings, whether they be sensible or not. This may prompt them to file a petition for a restraining order with the New Jersey family court. Continue reading to learn why a restraining order might be enforced in your divorce case and how an experienced Morris County divorce lawyer at Graves Andrews, LLC can help you protest against this.
Why might the New Jersey family court enforce a restraining order in my divorce case?
Most commonly, the New Jersey family court enforces a restraining order in a divorce case if there is an underlying issue of domestic violence. So throughout your proceedings, you may have a temporary restraining order placed against you. And after your proceedings, the court may decide to turn this into a final restraining order. Ultimately, this order may negatively influence their decision on certain divorce-related terms. For example, it may affect your chances of getting child custody rights, restrain you from entering your family home, strip your ownership over certain property, and more.
But even if domestic violence is not at play, your former spouse may still petition for a civil restraining order. They may do so to protect themselves from the burden of potential harassment or otherwise hostile contact throughout the divorce case. Of note, a violation of your civil restraining order may be considered a civil offense, which is associated with civil penalties.
What other temporary orders might the court enforce?
Aside from a restraining order, there are other temporary orders that the New Jersey family court has the authority to enforce. The court’s reasoning behind this is that an issue may be too pressing and therefore cannot wait for the conclusion of your divorce case. After all, your case may take anywhere from several months to several years to be finalized. Without further ado, examples of temporary orders are as follows:
- A temporary custody order: this may be enforced if your former spouse accuses you of neglecting your child in the past, and further claims that you are parentally unfit.
- A temporary support order: this may be enforced if your former spouse is financially dependent on you, and therefore still needs assistance with household expenses or even attorney fees.
- A temporary marital residence order: this may be enforced if you and your former spouse cannot agree on who is to use the family home during the proceedings, and ultimately refuse to reside there together.
With all the potential orders that may be placed against you in your divorce proceedings, you must not wait too long to retain the services of a skilled Morristown family law attorney. So please call Graves Andrews, LLC at your earliest possible convenience.