You might know a little about intervention orders. However, you don’t know many details that go along with them. If you get an intervention order against someone, you probably have several crucial questions.
You might reach out to Melbourne intervention order lawyers. We’ll also answer a few of the most fundamental questions you may have in the following article.
What is an Intervention Order?
First, we should define this term. An intervention order stipulates that the courts prevent someone from acting in a certain way. The way this person has acted or has threatened to act usually has directly harmed or threatened to harm another individual.
Intervention orders can be enacted by a court to prevent someone from perpetrating physical violence against someone else. They are also sometimes ordered if a person has launched a campaign of verbal harassment or emotional abuse against a particular target.
How Long Do They Last?
There’s no limit to how long an intervention order can last. A judge will review the facts of a case and determine an appropriate length of time. That could be weeks, months, or years.
Sometimes, when someone has acted egregiously regarding another person, a judge might put a permanent intervention order in place. The individual who is subject to the order should have a chance to appeal the decision at a later date, but for the moment, that order can be in place indefinitely.
What if the Defendant Doesn’t Show Up in the Courtroom?
In intervention order cases, the person getting the order placed against them is called the defendant. You might wonder what happens if the harassed, threatened, or injured person shows up with their lawyer for a court date but the defendant does not.
The judge has the option of making a summary judgment against the absent person. They don’t need to be physically present for the judge to put the intervention order in place, but they must still abide by it. Absence from the courtroom does not stop the order from going into effect.
Do I Need Proof of My Claim to Get an Intervention Order?
In these cases, the judge is given a lot of latitude. They will always make a decision based on the evidence that both sides present, though.
The more evidence you can present that the defendant harmed you or has threatened to harm you, the more likely you will successfully get the order put in place. If you can present physical scars or bruising, eyewitness testimony, or other compelling evidence, that can only strengthen your case.
Can the Person with the Intervention Order Make Contact with Me?
If a judge puts an intervention order in place, that usually means the person with the judgment against them must keep a set amount of physical distance from the person they harmed or threatened to harm. They must also not text them, call them, or make contact in any other way.
Usually, intervention orders provide an effective way to end threats, intimidation, or harassment.
