Domestic Violence: A domestic violence Order for Protection is a court order which is signed by a judge and tells your abuser to stop the abuse or face serious legal consequences, including arrest and jail. It offers civil legal protection from domestic violence to both women and men victims. You are eligible to file for a Domestic Violence Order for Protection if you or your minor child has been abused by: 1) your spouse or former spouse, 2) someone you have a child in common with, 3) adult persons related to you by blood or marriage, 4) adult persons residing with you now or who have resided with you in the past, 5) someone who you live with or used to live with AND that you have or had a dating relationship with. You both must be over 16 years old, 6) someone you are having or had a dating relationship with. You must both be over 16 years old, 7) someone who has a biological or legal parent-child relationship with you, including step-parents and step-children and grandparents and grandchildren.

Anti-Harassment: If your relationship does not meet the requirements to obtain an Order for Protection, you may be able to file for an Anti-Harassment Order. This order is intended to protect you if your abuser is NOT related or married to you - for example, in disputes between neighbors, and stalking (stranger-stranger) situations. This order is also helpful if you are being harassed but have not been assaulted or threatened with physical harm. To get a Civil Anti-Harassment Order, you must show that the defendant has harassed you. The law defines "harassment" as a series of acts that: 1) Must seriously alarm, annoy, or harass the victim without serving a legitimate purpose; AND 2) Must be such as would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress. You must be specific about how the defendant has harassed you. Just because the defendant annoyed or alarmed you does not mean you have been harassed in the legal sense. According to the law, harassment must involve a series of acts. A single incident, no matter how much it may bother you, does not constitute legal harassment.