Peace Order & Protective Order

For a party seeking a Protective Order or a Peace Order in Maryland, the process can seem complicated and difficult. The process of obtaining a Protective Order or a Peace Order in Maryland involves filing a Petition from the court, seeking a Temporary Order, and then seeking a Final Order. The litigation attorneys at Longman & Van Grack have experience in seeking and obtaining Protective Orders and Peace Orders for clients in Maryland District Court and Maryland Circuit Court. Similarly, being faced with a Protective Order or a Peace Order in Maryland can be traumatizing and stressful. While many parties seeking a Protective Order or a Peace Order in Maryland have meritorious claims, sometimes the party seeking such an order is not doing so in good faith. The litigation attorneys at Longman & Van Grack have experience in defending Protective Orders and Peace Orders in Maryland District Court and Maryland Circuit Court. A Maryland Protective Order is a court order which can be obtained by a party to keep a relative from contacting them or interacting with them in any way. (See Maryland Code, Family Law, Title 4, Subtitle 5, Part II). Specifically, a Protective Order in Maryland is only available to: a person related by blood, marriage, or adoption; Spouses (current and former); a parent, stepparent, or stepchild; Cohabitants for 90 days in the last year; a person who has had a child with the respondent; a person who has had a sexual relationship with the respondent within one year before filing the petition. A Protective Order, in Maryland, is available to anyone who qualifies under the relationships above and has suffered from “abuse” at any time prior to seeking the Protective Order. Abuse, for a Protective Order, is defined under the Maryland Code as the following: (a) an act that causes serious bodily harm; (b) an act that places the petitioner in fear of imminent serious bodily harm; (c) assault (any degree); (d) a sexual offense or rape (as defined in the Maryland Code, Criminal Law Article); (e) false imprisonment; (f) stalking (as defined in Maryland Code, Criminal Law Article § 3-802); or (g) revenge porn (as defined in Maryland Code, Criminal Law Article § 3-809).