What happens after a violation of a California restraining order?

When someone takes out a restraining order against you in California, you need to take care not to do anything that authorities could potentially view as a violation of the terms of the order. In the event that authorities do suspect you violated the terms of the protective order taken out against you, serious consequences may follow.

Per the California Courts, a restraining order limits one party’s ability to communicate with another party under certain terms. The exact terms of a restraining order may vary from one to the next, but they may set limits with regard to where you may go and with whom you may communicate, among other possible restrictions. If authorities find you to be in violation of the restraining order, you may face the following possible consequences.

Arrest

Violating a judge’s orders outlined in a restraining order is a criminal offense. Those who do so may face fines or time behind bars.

Criminal charges

The district attorney may also decide to file criminal charges against you for violating a California restraining order. If the court finds that you did violate the restraining order, you may face steep fines, time behind bars and probation requirements, among other possible forms of recourse.

Civil contempt actions

The party who took out the restraining order against you may also decide to ask the judge on your case to find you in contempt of court. In this scenario, you may have to serve up to five days behind bars per restraining order violation.

While the repercussions associated with violating a California restraining order are serious, they become even more so with each additional violation.