Extending a No Contact Order

[PatCee]

Jurisdiction

Washington

Over a year ago, my mother passed away. Like many families, the greedy vultures came out of the woodwork, at which point, I walked away from the situation, claiming nothing. Several months later, I had to seek and was awarded a restraining order against a cousin. This order expires in June. Through the family grapevine, I have learned this cousin is going to sue me for Character Defamation because of the restraining order. I realize he doesn't have a leg to stand on there, but I know the harassment will begin again once the order has expired. My question is, can I extend the current No Contact Order, or do I wait and seek another protection order when he starts harassing me again? Also, what is the process of extending the order if that is possible? Thanks!

 

[mightymoose]

Without any violation of the no contact order it is unlikely you would get it extended.
Wait and see what happens then apply for a new one if necessary.

 

[zddoodah]

can I extend the current No Contact Order, or do I wait and seek another protection order when he starts harassing me again?

To the best of my knowledge, no Washington attorneys follow these boards, so all anyone here can do is guess about the procedural issue you raised. That said, I agree with the prior response that your post indicates no good factual basis for extending the order.

 

[PatCee]

Thanks for the responses. I was finally able to contact the Victim's Advocate who helped me with the original NCO. He said that extending a NCO does NOT hinge on further contact from other party. He said to file the extension request and allow the judge to make the decision. He also said that if the judge felt it was necessary to grant a NCO in the first place, it's likely she'll extend it whether there was any further contact or not.

 

[mightymoose]

You might get lucky if the request is uncontested.
I would expect most judges to decline the request without some additional reason since the time it was issued. However if the restrained party does not answer on their own behalf you might get it.