Defensa de Órdenes de Protección en CaliforniaCódigo Penal de California § 273.6California Penal Code § 136.2 & § 273.6
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California Violencia Doméstica Laws
Existen diferentes tipos de órdenes de protección en California: orden de emergencia (EPO) emitida por la policía, orden temporal de restricción (TRO) emitida por el tribunal, y orden de restricción permanente después de una audiencia.
What is a orden de protección in California?
Si le han emitido una orden de protección, es importante entender exactamente qué le prohíbe hacer. Cualquier contacto con la persona protegida, incluyendo mensajes de texto o redes sociales, puede constituir una violación.
En Virtuoso Law, podemos representarle en audiencias de órdenes de protección y ayudarle a entender sus opciones legales. Contáctenos para una consulta gratuita.
- Entering your own or the alleged victim’s property
- Contacting them, directly or indirectly
- Seeing them in any private or public place.
Generally, protective orders in violencia doméstica cases fall into two (2) different categories:
- Emergency Protective Orders
- Criminal Protective Orders
• Do Not Harm, Annoy, or Molest Order (“NO-HAM”)
Both are serious because they can restrict your freedoms in important ways. For instance, it is not uncommon for the defendant and complainant in a violencia doméstica case to live together, so a orden de protección might force you out of your own house. A orden de protección can also prohibit you from having any communication with the other party, even through intermediaries (a third party).
Emergency Orden de Protección (“EPO”)
An emergency orden de protección is a orden de protección that is meant to be issued quickly and often after a violencia doméstica arrest or investigation. This type of orden de protección can be issued whether or not court is in session, and although judges are disponible las 24/7 to issue EPO’s, an EPO can only be issued based on an application by law enforcement — the complaining witness cannot get one themselves.An EPO can be just as restrictive as any other orden de protección, but it is supposed to last for a short period of time, five (5) business days or seven (7) calendar days, whichever is shorter.
When is an EPO issued?
Notice that in some cases, an EPO can be based on an allegation that violence occurred, or that it will occur. A judge does not need proof of both in order to issue an EPO in a violencia doméstica case.
If you are facing violencia doméstica charges or if you have been arrested for violencia doméstica, you might already have an EPO issued against you. You should consult an attorney as soon as possible to discuss your options, as the allegations leading to an EPO could lead to a criminal orden de protección (“CPO”).
Criminal Protective Orders
A Criminal Protective order (“CPO”) is an extended orden de protección.A CPO can be just as restrictive as an EPO, but it can last much longer. Under a CPO, a judge can order you to refrain from harming, threatening, or even contacting or coming within a certain distance of the alleged victim in a violencia doméstica case.
Código Penal de California Section 136.2 allows a judge to issue a CPO based on a good finding of “good cause”, such as when, “harm to or dissuasion or intimidation of a victim or witness has occurred or is likely to occur.” Notice again, that the judge does not need to be convinced that you are CURRENTLY a threat to the alleged victim or that you plan to dissuade or intimidate them. A “good cause” belief that you previously harmed or threatened the alleged victim (which usually forms the basis for a violencia doméstica charge itself) can form the basis of a CPO.
A CPO can last upto ten (10) years. They can even last after the case is resolved and you have completed a sentencia. Since CPOs are so frequent in violencia doméstica cases, and because the Penal Code requires judges to at least entertain the possibility of issuing them at various stages of a violencia doméstica case, it becomes crucial to figure out ways to challenge a CPO throughout the case and find ways to make it less restrictive.
A do not harm, annoy, or molest order that is commonly called a “NO-HAM” is the least restrictive kind of CPO. It allows you to contact and remain in contact with the alleged victim, so long as all contact remains peaceful and you do not “harm, annoy, or molest” them. If a CPO looks inevitable in your case, getting it downgraded to a “NO-HAM” is usually a good result.
What if the other party does not want a restraining order?
The court can still issue one anyway. California law says that, at various stages of a violencia doméstica case, the court “shall” consider issuing a orden de protección “on its own motion”. This means that the court, not the alleged victim, decides whether a orden de protección shall be in place.While the alleged victim does have the right to be heard on this issue, the court does not necessarily have to abide by their wishes.
The other party does not want to press charges. Will my case be dismissed?
Unfortunately, not always. Similar to protective orders, the alleged victim does not get the “final say” on whether charges go forward. A criminal case is not like a civil case where private parties bring claims against each other in court. A criminal case is brought when the district attorney or prosecutor, a public employee, decides to bring charges based on information that they receive. The DA decides whether charges will be brought—not the alleged victim.
Although the alleged victim in a violencia doméstica case has the right to refuse to testify, this can cause some problems with the prosecution’s case, but it does not necessarily lead to a desestimación. Sometimes, the prosecutor could still try to prove the charges against you without live testimony from the alleged victim.
Some examples include:
However, an uncooperative complainant might tend to make the case against you weaker, so you and your attorney should explore these issues thoroughly to see just exactly HOW the government might try to mount their case against you.
Consequencesof violating a Orden de Protección in California
A violation of a orden de protección while your violencia doméstica case is pending could be punished separately as contempt of court, or as a violation of Código Penal de California section 273.6.Also if you are alleged to haveviolated a protective orderwhile your violencia doméstica case is pending, the court might consider revoking your fianza and ordering you to stay in custody while your case continues. When facing violencia doméstica charges or violation of of a orden de protección in California, be sure to discuss all possible consequences of a condena with your attorney.
Clips of Counsel: Watch and Learn
DV Defense
What is an Emergency Orden de Protección?
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Episode 03
Expert Strategies for Violencia Doméstica Defense
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