In Pennsylvania, Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders are meant to support victims of stalking, assault, or sexual violence. The intent is noble, but it can have a disproportionate impact on the recipients, whether they're innocent or guilty.
Have you been informed about a PFA order against you? The sooner you start addressing it, the more you can minimize the damage it can cause to your career, housing, and social life. Get help from the LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team right away by calling 888-535-3686 or filling out their confidential consultation form.
What Happens When Someone Files a PFA Order Against You?
PFA orders aren't just pieces of paper. They imply that you've been criminally abusive or invasive in some way and impose requirements that you must uphold to avoid additional penalties. These are the most common conditions of a PFA order:
Loss of Child Custody
If the petitioner has any children with you, the PFA order might force you to relinquish custody. Luckily, it's only temporary, but if the court rules against your favor in the formal hearing (which they must hold ten business days after the PFA order was filed), it could lead to a permanent change in child custody arrangements.
Monetary Obligations
Despite losing custody of your child(ren), the PFA order could demand that you pay for child support. Depending on the situation, you might also have to provide spousal support and/or cover legal or medical expenses related to the charges that come from the PFA order.
Eviction
You have to give up any residence(s) you've shared with the petitioner. There are no statewide programs for helping PFA order recipients find new housing, so if you don't have anywhere else to live, you might have to go to a homeless shelter until the court address the PFA order with you.
No Contact
It may come as no surprise that a PFA order demands that you refrain from contacting the petitioner who filed it. However, you must also agree not to contact any third parties who are connected to the petitioner, including:
- Their family members, whether they're related by blood, marriage, or adoption
- Their friends
- Any children you share
- Current and former spouses or sexual partners
Suspension of Second Amendment Rights
If the PFA order comes with accusations of felonious physical or sexual abuse, there's a strong chance that the second amendment will stop applying to you. Law enforcement would confiscate your firearms, ammo, and other weapons to reduce the likelihood that you could hurt someone again.
Can a PFA Order Affect Other Aspects of Your Life?
The legal consequences of a PFA order are not the only ones that should earn your concern. You'll find that it overshadows almost everything else that might be important to you, such as:
Relationships
Even if you don't inform anyone about a PFA order against you, word has a way of getting around, and they're public record anyway. Friends, family, significant others, acquaintances, and co-workers may all pull away and question whether you're a safe or trustworthy person to be around. Some relationships might never recover from the strain, which is sure to be devastating.
Career Opportunities
Do you want to apply for promotions or new jobs? Your prospective employer may order a criminal history background check on you, which could reveal the PFA order and/or the charges associated with it. With crimes like that on your record, your employer may be hesitant to approve you for work, stunting your career or causing you to be fired altogether.
Housing Options
Since a PFA order will probably force your eviction, you'll need to find new housing. Unfortunately, many landlords—who also tend to run criminal background checks—are apprehensive about leasing to people facing PFA orders and abuse charges. It can make you look unreliable and/or like a magnet for trouble.
Even Treatment from Law Enforcement
Everybody has to deal with police officers from time to time, at least for small infractions or traffic violations. However, with a PFA order against you, even the most minor interaction with law enforcement could become a major issue because they'll get more scrutiny and suspicion than before. Plus, if you're found guilty of a crime, the penalties might be harsher than they would be if you weren't the target of a PFA order.
The Consequences of Violating a PFA Order
Under Pennsylvania law, violating a PFA order is a crime. Law enforcement can arrest you without a warrant, and then you're presented before a judge for indirect criminal contempt of court, a second-degree misdemeanor. If the judge rules that you're guilty, they might have you complete rehabilitative programs, anger management courses, domestic violence counseling, and/or a period of probation. These penalties are possible as well:
- Up to $1,000 in fines per violation.
- Up to six months in prison per count.
- Rearrangements of child custody and visitation schedules.
Violations that include stalking, harassment, bullying, threats, intimidation, assault, theft, or other crimes might compel the court to file a new case against you. They're often graded as third-degree felonies at that point, so if you're convicted, the penalties will be more severe than before.
What Can You Do to Defend Yourself?
Knowing how a PFA order can alter your entire life, it's crucial that you prepare to defend yourself against one. Your attorney will guide you in crafting a powerful and comprehensive defense strategy, but here are some effective ideas to consider.
Look for Witnesses and Experts
At the preliminary hearing for your PFA order, you'll get a glimpse of how the prosecution plans to convince the court of your guilt. This could include calling witnesses and experts to testify against you. To challenge their credibility, contact your own witnesses and experts to advocate for your side of the story.
Organize Evidence
The prosecution may also mention the evidence they have to support your conviction at the preliminary hearing. Use that opportunity to learn what evidence would best serve to exonerate you. Gather all the documents, recordings, communications, video footage, photographs, and other relevant items and go over them with your legal team.
Request Modifications
If the judge refuses to dismiss the PFA order, you could at least try to reduce its sting. Negotiate or explain context and mitigating factors to eliminate some of the order's conditions or move up its expiration date.
Demonstrate Self-Development
If the petitioner's claims against you are legitimate, be proactive about addressing them. Participate in courses, support groups, therapy sessions, or rehabilitation programs to show your commitment to self-improvement and development. The judge is more likely to dismiss or minimize a PFA order if they can see that you're capable of change.
Why Hire the LLF Law Firm?
It's understandable to be upset about a PFA order, but it's often a delicate and complex matter to resolve, so you need the best legal team available to help you. That's what the LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team is here to do. Here's what they offer:
Observations Turned into Actions
The LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team takes pride in how closely it listens to its clients and examines their cases in depth. They'll pay close attention to every detail of your story and turn what they learn into strong, impactful, and personalized action to defend you in court.
Clear Legal Advice
The slightest violation of a PFA order can further complicate your situation, even if it's an accident. To guarantee you a fighting chance in court, the LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team will review the order with you, answer your questions, and make sure you fully understand it so that you can comply without issues.
Commitment to Going Above and Beyond
Your problems don't end with the PFA order. It usually sets off a chain of legal events that you'll have to face, such as a criminal trial, civil hearings, child custody hearings, and more. Plus, a PFA order can stay on your record even after it's expired.
The LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team will be at your side for all these legal events. When those are done, the team will even see about getting the order expunged if possible so that you can completely bring this stressful chapter to a close.
Don't Tackle a PFA Order Alone
No matter what might have happened to cause another person to file a PFA order against you, never assume that there's a simple solution you can work out by yourself. Your best chance at overcoming these accusations and moving forward with your life is to partner with the highest quality legal team available to Beaver County. To learn more, contact the LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or fill out their confidential consultation form.
