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Who will serve the order of protection? At the courthouse, you can arrange for a police officer or sheriff to help. You can also have a friend do it, or, better still, bring the order of protection with a photograph of your spouse to a licensed process server who makes a living by serving court papers. Process servers often have offices near the courthouse, or you can locate one in the Yellow Pages. Even if the police where you live will not serve the order of protection for you, you should still bring or send a copy to your local precinct so that the police have it on record. |
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The person who serves the order of protection must sign a sworn statement telling when and where he served the order and how he knew the person who received the order was your spouse. You or your attorney will then bring that sworn statement to court on the day you are due to be in court, thus documenting to the judge that your spouse received notification of the court date. |
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Limits of the Law: When an Order of Protection May Do Little Good. |
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An order of protection is good 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether you are at home or at work. If you work in a state other than the one in which the order was issued, of course, that state may not be obligated to enforce the order. Depending on where you live, if your spouse violates the order of protection, the police may order an arrest, or they may do little at all. You should, of course, carry the order with you at all times; having it in your possession to show to authorities never hurts. |
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Still, the fact remains that having an order of protection may not put an end to your problems. You may need to supplement the order with other solutions. For instance, you can show the order to private security personnel at your office and ask that they bar your spouse from the building. You might also want to suggest that an understanding boss ask reception to screen your calls, or you can ask the receptionist directly. It may not be possible to keep your situation from the office grist mill, but your safety comes first. |
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When You or Your Spouse Oppose the Divorce |
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Sometimes a spouse is not so much threatening or potentially violent, but rather, just completely unwilling to let go. Buckle your seat belt: When one spouse wants the divorce, and the other opposes it, conflict can be extreme. |
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If you are the spouse who won't let go, our advice is, simply, to move on. By dragging out the proceedings, you are merely postponing the inevitable at enormous cost, not just emotionally, but also financially as you and your spouse dribble away your savings on legal fees. |
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