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In Challenging Times

We Can Help With Protection From Abuse Orders

A Protection From Abuse Order, commonly known as a “PFA”, is a civil “no contact order”. Unless certain limited contact between the parties is permitted, as written within the order, a PFA means “no contact of any kind” including through third parties. A PFA can be granted for up to 3 years. If you are found by the court to violate the order, you can be fined $1,000 dollars and incarcerated up to 6 months in jail. In addition, although a PFA is a civil matter (not criminal) it is a crime in Pennsylvania to violate a PFA.

The process of a PFA matter starts by with a petition, in which the party seeking protection gives reasons why he/she is requesting a PFA. Depending on the seriousness of the allegations, the court may issue a temporary order. In all circumstances a court hearing will be scheduled.

PFA hearings are held in the Lancaster County Courthouse located in Downtown Lancaster City at 50 N. Duke, Street, Lancaster. You must be served with Notice of the Order that will tell you the date of the hearing. You must appear at that scheduled date and time or risk having an order entered against you.

In the event you can’t settle the PFA, you can expect a courtroom showdown. These cases are typically very emotional and dramatic. The hearing itself will consist of witness testimony and other evidence. The key in any PFA defense is to attack the credibility of the party who filed the PFA. We do this through aggressive and strategic cross-examination of all witnesses that testify against you. Your attorney will also explain how character witnesses and other evidence is used to corroborate your version of events. Not all attorney’s are experienced in the courtroom. In fact, only a small percentage of attorney’s actually appear in a courtroom during their careers. You will need to make sure the attorney you hire knows what he/she’s doing in a courtroom.

Please contact our office to discuss your PFA defense strategy with an experienced and aggressive courtroom advocate. Winning in the courtroom matters. We win.