Family Offense Petition Program
About the Program
This free time-saving e-filing program allows participating domestic violence advocates, agencies and legal services providers to:
- Complete court papers needed to request a Family Court temporary order of protection.
- Save time at the courthouse by electronically sending the papers to the court; fast-tracking the case when the litigant appears for the hearing.
- E-file in any Family Court even if your office is located in a different county.
- Request a remote hearing and get a TOP without coming to court! **Only available in some counties when there is undue hardship or risk of harm.
Except where remote hearings are available, the litigant must come to court with the Petition within two weeks of e-filing. The Petition is not filed until then. E-filing through this program will save the litigant time at the courthouse.
NEW: September 2021 Family Offense Petition Program Training - Click here for the recording.
Join the Family Justice/DV Practice area and learn how to become an approved advocate group and start using the Family Offense Petition Program!
If you are already a member, please log in now.
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Papers Prepared
The program easily guides you through questions and produces:
- Family Offense Petition
- Address Confidentiality Affidavit (if needed)
- Affidavit in Support of Issuance of Family Court Temporary Order of Protection, for use in the local criminal court when the Family Court is closed (if needed).
- Litigant instructions of what to do next. In addition to English, the advocate has the option to print bilingual instructions in Spanish, Chinese, Russian or Arabic.
- Request for a remote hearing **Only available in some counties when there is undue hardship or risk of harm