Obtaining a Personal Protection Order (PPO)
- You can apply for a Personal Protection Order (PPO) at the Family Justice Courts on your own and without engaging a lawyer.
- You must understand and fulfil the formal requirements of conducting the case on your own (e.g. file or submit documents to Court the correct format, pay filing or administrative fees, speaking and providing information in Court)
- As the Family Justice Courts won’t provide you with any advice on what you should do, you must consult a qualified lawyer if you want to get legal advice on the strengths and weaknesses of your case. The lawyer can also help by preparing the needed documents on and appearing in Court on your behalf.
- A Personal Protection Order (PPO)is obtained by formally submitting documents and information to the Family Justice Court to address the following issues:
- Proving that family violence has been committed or is likely to be committed against you
- o Proving that the PPO is needed to protect you
- The Family Justice Court has the discretion to decide on how long a Personal Protection Order (PPO) should last
- The Personal Protection Order (PPO) will last for an indefinite period (i.e. without an expiration date) if the Family Justice Court doesn’t specify a particular period of duration.
- The offender (or respondent) against whom a Personal Protection Order (PPO) has been issued can apply to the Family Justice Court to review the terms of the PPO or to revoke (i.e. cancel) the PPO.
