Living in fear of someone who should care about you creates overwhelming stress and anxiety. When that person comes from outside your immediate family, you might wonder how the law can protect you.
Virginia offers several types of protective orders that can help keep you safe, regardless of your relationship with the person causing harm.
Protect yourself against a dating partner
In many cases, petitioners request domestic abuse protection orders against their spouses. However, that’s not the only case you can request such protection.
Virginia law recognizes that abuse occurs in many types of relationships, including dating partnerships. Domestic abuse isn’t limited to married people—it also applies to abusive or violent behavior between romantic but unwed couples.
You can request court protection if your dating partner does any of the following to you:
- Threatens
- Stalks
- Commits acts of violence
Remember, the law focuses on harmful behavior rather than relationship status. You have grounds to seek a protection order if you can show a reasonable fear of physical harm or prove recent acts of violence, force or criminal offense that caused injury.
Where to file your protective order
Your filing location depends on your specific relationship with the abuser. For dating relationships without children, head to the General District Court.
But if you share children with your dating partner, file your request at the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Even if you never married, you still qualify as a family or domestic partnership. This court handles all cases involving shared children or family members.
Ask for help and take a step towards your safety
You deserve to feel safe in your relationships and daily life. Virginia’s protective order system offers multiple ways to shield yourself from harm. Consider reaching out to a family law attorney. They can help you choose the right type of protective order to request and guide you through the entire filing process so you can regain control of your safety.