Back to the community

Please readThis is a community space for sharing personal experience — it is not legal advice, and posts here are not from Lawma or your attorney. We strongly encourage you to post under an anonymous handle, keep questions general, and avoid posting private details of your active case. For advice about your own situation, message your attorney.

DVROEnforcement

He violated the restraining order — what do I do?

CAstarting_over_20261 month ago

He showed up at the school pickup. Order says he has to stay 100 yards away. What now?

2 replies

✓ Verified answer from a licensed attorney — shown first

Grace Mensah avatarGrace MensahVerified Attorney1 month ago

Call 911 immediately when the violation happens — that's how you get a contemporaneous police report, which is the strongest enforcement evidence. Then: keep the report number, photograph/video if safe, gather witnesses (school staff). Violation of a CA restraining order is a misdemeanor (Penal Code §273.6) and law enforcement can arrest at the scene. Separately, you can file a contempt motion in family court (FL-410). Both tracks can run at the same time. Don't try to handle it directly — let the police and the court do it.

Lawma Moderator1 month ago

Some counties have DV advocate hotlines that will help you draft and file contempt declarations the same day. Your local DV organization can connect you.

More conversations about this topic

Do I qualify for a DV restraining order if he never hit me?

5 days ago3 replies

Wrongly accused on a DVRO — how do I defend myself?

2 weeks ago1 reply

How does a DV finding affect custody?

10 days ago1 reply

How do I keep my new address off the court file?

1 week ago2 replies

Add your reply

Share what helped you. Be kind — and remember this is your experience, not legal advice.

Share what you’re going through — your name stays private. Drafts saved as you type Alerts when someone replies Same handle every visitCreate a free account →Already have one? Sign in.Posts show under a community handle (e.g. member-3f8a21 by default, or pick your own). Your real name is never shown to other members.Are you a lawyer? Apply to be verified — verified lawyers post under their name + firm, and show up in the directory.

Plain text is fine. You can also make text **bold** or *italic*, start a line with “- ” for a list or “> ” to quote someone, or add a link like [name](https://example.com). Tap Preview to see how it will look.

Please readThis is a community space for sharing personal experience — it is not legal advice, and posts here are not from Lawma or your attorney. We strongly encourage you to post under an anonymous handle, keep questions general, and avoid posting private details of your active case. For advice about your own situation, message your attorney.