As we shelter-in-place in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, the threat of harm for victims of domestic violence has increased as many are being forced to stay at home with their abusers.
We are all living under stressful conditions. You or a loved one may have lost their job, or may have had their hours cut and you are feeling financial pressure. Household members may be anxious about the future. You and your partner may be getting on each other's nerves, living under stressful conditions in close quarters.
If domestic violence was a problem before, it is only heightened due to the condition in which we find ourselves.
First and foremost, you do not have to live in fear. There are remedies available if you are currently in danger in your own home.
Even though courts in Miami-Dade and Broward are closed for regular business, applying for a domestic violence restraining order is considered an emergency. The courts are open for you to apply for your restraining order, or Injunction.
If the restraining order is issued (a temporary may be issued pending a final hearing), the respondent, or recipient of the Injunction, can be made to leave your home.
Injunctions (also known as restraining orders, as the terms can be used interchangeably) can be issued for stalking, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and repeat violence.
Police are actively responding to domestic violence calls. If you are a victim of domestic violence, call the police. The abusive partner or household member will be arrested and taken to jail, and will be issued a stay-away order (precluding the offender from returning to the home and having any contact whatsoever with the victim).
We are all having to adjust to life amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But nobody should be in harm's way in their own home.
If you are experiencing domestic violence issues at home, contact me to discuss your legal options.