Getting an Order of Protection can help keep you and your children safe from an abuser. When you have a protection order in place, you do not need to wait for your abuser to commit another crime against you to call the police. Because an Illinois Order of Protection can bar the abuser from going to your home, workplace, or children’s schools, you can call the police as soon as you see him or her in one of these locations, even if he is not doing anything that would normally be considered a crime. The police can arrest your abuser just for being in a location where he or she is not supposed to be present. To get the order, you will need to prove that you have been abused by the person you are seeking protection from. A Lisle, IL family law attorney can help you prepare the evidence you will need.
The Standard of Proof for an Order of Protection
To get a civil protection order, you only need to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the abuse you are alleging occurred. This means that you only need to convince the court that it is more than 50 percent likely that the respondent abused you. You do not need incredibly strong evidence like a neutral witness or a video of the respondent threatening you. Your attorney can help you gather any evidence you do have, like pictures of bruising on your body or damage to property caused by the abuser throwing something at you. In many cases, your testimony is enough.