Fill and Sign the Ch 150 Civil Harassment Form

CH-15 0 Can a Civil Harassment Restraining Order Help Me ? What is a Civil Harassment Restraining Order? It is a court orde r tha t helps pro t ect people f rom h a rassment. Can I get a Civil Harassment Restraining Order? You ca n as k for one if you are worrie d ab out you r safety becaus e someone : • Stalked • Harass e d • Sexually ass a ulte d or • Threatened you with viol e nce. How long does the order last? I f the cour t makes a tempora ry order, it w il l last un t i l yo u r hearing date. At tha t tim e, t h e c o urt will d e cid e to continue or cancel the order. Th e ord er co uld las t fo r up to 3 years . How will the person to be restrained know about the order? Someone over 1 8 years of a ge— n ot y o u or a n y on e e l se prote c te d b y t h e or der — m u st “ serve ” ( g i v e ) th e p e r s on to be restrained a copy o f t h e o r der. F o r h e l p w i th service, as k the court c lerk for Form CH-135. What if the restrained person does not obey the order? How will the order help me? The court can order a person t o : • Not har a ss or threate n you • Not contact or g o near yo u a n d • Not ha v e a g u n Yo u can als o as k for protec t ion fo r o t he r fam i ly o r ho u se hold m e mb ers. What forms do I need to get the order? Fil l o u t For m s C H - 1 0 0 an d CH- 1 2 0 . Th en fil e th e m with the court c l erk. Where can I get these forms? You ca n ge t the forms at a n y courthouse or count y law library at : www.LawCA.com How soon can I get the order? If you as k fo r a temporar y restraining order (Form CH-1 2 0 ) , t h e co u rt w i ll de c i de wi t hi n 2 4 h o urs w h ether or not t o mak e the order. Someti m e s the c our t d e cide s sooner. Cal l the police. The restrain e d person can be arrested an d ch ar ged with a crime. How much does it cost? That d e pends on the typ e o f harassment. If the restrained person h a s used or threaten e d to use v iole n ce agai ns t y o u o r has stal ke d y o u , y o u d o n ot h a ve to p a y a filin g fee. If yo u cannot aff o rd to pay the fili n g fee, ask th e clerk how to ap pl y f o r a fe e wai v er . You a r e entitled to fre e s e rvic e o f th e court’ s ord e r b y a sheriff or marshal, i f the ord e r is b a sed on fear of sexual assault or stalking. Use Form CH-101 to request free service. If you are not eligi b le for free service, yo u may pa y the sheriff or marsha l t o s e rve the order. The court can mak e the person who loses the c a se pa y a l l the court fees and the lawyer’s f e es for the othe r party. Reque s t s for Accommodations Assist ive l iste n ing systems, c o mp u ter-assist ed re a l-ti m e captioni n g, or s i gn lang u age interpreter service s a r e a v a ilab le u pon reques t i f at le a s t 5 d ays notice i s p r o v i ded . C o nt a c t th e cler k ’ s office fo r Request for Accomm o dat i ons b y Person s wit h Disa b ilitie s and Orde r (for m MC-410) . (Civil Code, § 5 4. 8 .) Ju d icia l C o unc i l of C a lifor n ia Rev. July 1, 2007, O p t io n a l F o r m Can a Civil Harassment Restraining Order Help Me? (Civil Harassment) CH-150 , Page I of 2elec troni c form  2005 WWW.LawCA.com L a w P u b l i s h e r s CH-15 0 Can a Civil Harassment Restrai n in g Order Help Me? Do I have to go to court? Yes. Go to court on the date the clerk gives you . Do I need a lawyer ? No. But i t is a goo d idea . Ask the cour t clerk about fr e e an d low-cost legal s ervice s a n d self-hel p c enters in your count y . Do I need to bring a witness to the court hearing? No. But it h e l p s to ha v e pr o of of the h a r a ssme n t. Y o u can brin g : • • • • • • A writte n s t a t ement from witne s ses made under oath Witnesses Photos Medical or police reports Da m age d pro p erty Threa t ening letters, e-mail s , or telep h o n e messa g es The court m a y or may not le t w i tnesses speak at the hearing. S o , if p o ssible, yo u sh o uld br i n g witnes s es’ writte n statements unde r oath to th e hearing . (Yo u ca n use Form MC-030 fo r this.) Will I see the restrained person at the court hearing? If th e person com e s to the hearing, yes. But that person d o es not h a ve the rig ht t o s p ea k t o y o u. If y o u are afraid, t e ll the court officer. What if I am deaf? If you are deaf , c onta c t the cler k a t least 5 days before the hearing . Ask for an interpr e t e r o r other accommodation. (Se e informatio n on Requests for Ac c ommod a tions at the bott o m of pa g e 1.) Can I bring someone with me to court ? Yes. You can bring someone to si t with yo u during the h e aring. But that person cann ot s p eak f or y o u i n c o ur t . O n l y yo u or y o ur lawyer (i f y o u ha v e on e) c a n sp e ak for you. What if I don't speak English? When yo u file your papers, as k the cler k i f a cour t interpreter is available . Yo u ma y ha ve to pay a fe e f or th e in terprete r . I f th e in te rp re te r is n o t ava i lable for you r court date, brin g someone to interpre t for you . You cannot ask a child under 18 to interpre t fo r yo u . What if I move? Your restrainin g order wo r k s anywher e i n the United Stat e s . If y o u m o ve o ut of C a lif o r n ia , c onta c t y o u r n ew loc a l police so they will know about your orders. Need more information? Ask th e cour t clerk a bout fre e or low-cos t leg al h e lp. Rev. July 1, 2007 Can a Civil Harassment Res t raining Order Help Me? (C i v il Harassment) CH-150 , Pa g e 2 of 2el ectr onic form  2005 WWW.LawCA.com L a w P u b l i s h e r s