One signature from a Michigan judge can control where you live, whom you contact, and whether you keep your firearms. As a former prosecutor with more than 30 years in Michigan state courtrooms, defense attorney and founder of Deanna L. Kelley PLLC, represents people on the receiving end.
What Can One of These Orders Legally Stop You From Doing?
A personal protection order, often abbreviated to PPO, is a civil order rather than a criminal charge, yet its restrictions extend deeply into daily life. Depending on which boxes the judge checks, one signed form can prohibit all of the following:
- Entering your former home, the petitioner’s workplace, or a shared child’s school
- Calling, texting, emailing, or messaging the petitioner on any platform
- Purchasing or possessing a firearm
Many people do not realize a protective order has been issued until a process server delivers it. Read every provision carefully, because even responding to a text message from the petitioner can violate the order.
Three Kinds of Orders, Three Different Standards
Michigan courts issue domestic relationship orders, nondomestic stalking orders, and nondomestic sexual assault orders, and each follows its own proof rules. Domestic orders cover spouses, former partners, co-parents, and household members, while stalking orders demand evidence of two or more unwanted contacts.
Ex parte orders raise the stakes because a judge can grant one the same day a petition arrives, without hearing your side. Your real chance to push back comes on a motion to modify or terminate, and preparation for that hearing often decides everything.
What Happens if You Violate the Order?
A violation can subject an adult respondent to criminal contempt, punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. Police can arrest you without a warrant on reasonable cause under MCL 764.15b, and the court must arraign you within 24 hours of that arrest. Each contempt also hands the petitioner fresh ammunition to extend the order and could be the basis for criminal charges.
Where Our Personal Protection Orders Lawyer in Michigan Makes a Difference
Legal representation can help a respondent understand the allegations, gather relevant evidence, and prepare for a hearing. Attorney Kelley prepares every case from multiple angles, including:
- Cross-examining the petitioner: Testing dates, screenshots, and witness accounts against the record.
- Presenting your side: Introducing messages, call logs, and witnesses that the petitioner ignored.
- Negotiating carve-outs: Protecting custody exchanges, work schedules, and shared property.
- Seeking termination: Arguing the petitioner cannot meet the legal standard for continued relief.
An entry in the Law Enforcement Information Network can complicate gun rights, professional licensing, and future custody disputes for years. Our office works to prevent an unfounded order from becoming a permanent fixture on your background.
Act Quickly to Understand and Challenge the PPO
If a PPO has been entered against you, deadlines and hearing procedures can move quickly. Deanna L. Kelley PLLC pairs free consultations with the judgment of a Michigan personal protection orders lawyer who has stood on both sides of these cases. Call (248) 714-8520 or reach out online today so she can begin protecting your record.
