Articles Posted in NY Family Court Orders of Protection
NY Penal Law 215.50: Criminal Contempt's Nominal Pleading Requirement for Legal Sufficiency
Orders of Protection are issued in the criminal courts of every county throughout the State of New York every day, from Brooklyn to Westchester, Manhattan to Rockland. They are issued primarily by Family Courts in the context of Family Offense Petitions and Criminal Court or County/Supreme Court in the context of criminal cases. Orders of Protection are often misunderstood or not fully understood, not only by those they are meant to restrict and protect, but by law enforcement officers, child protective services, probation officers, and other people in the field. Add to this to the unfortunate reality that Restraining Orders are sometimes misused by those they are mean to protect. Even if not anywhere near the majority of cases, claimed victims sometimes proactively use these Stay Away Orders to illegitimately get the restricted party arrested or otherwise benefit themselves beyond the intent of the issuance.
With the above in mind, this blog entry briefly addresses the bare bones pleading requirement for misdemeanor Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, New York Penal Law 215.50.
Posted in: NY Family Court Orders of Protection and Orders of Protection
ACS Withdraws Negligence Petition After Criminal Case Dismissed & Children and Family Services Finds Allegations Unfounded
Criminal charges dismissed on the motion of the prosecution [*check*]. Maltreatment and Negligence finding by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) amended from indicated to unfounded [*check*]. Article 10 Negligence Petition filed by the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) withdrawn [*check*]. A Criminal Court and Family Court "hat trick" by Crotty Saland PC's defense team? Check yet again.
While Crotty Saland PC's family law attorneys and criminal defense lawyers secured yet another successful disposition, and more importantly fair and just one, above cases demonstrate once again that when accused of wrongdoing, one often has many battles ahead on one's way to vindication. After being targeted by the mother of his child with fictitious allegations as a likely means to pry custody away from our client, the mother's attempts ultimately backfired in spectacular fashion. The exoneration of our client aside, now it is she who appears to be the subject of an ACS investigation.
Posted in: Case Results and NY Family Court Orders of Protection
Updated: May 22, 2019 2:26 pm
Can I get a Restraining Order and How do I Apply for an Order of Protection: Protecting Yourself in NYC and NYS with a Stay Away Order
How do I get an Order of Protection in New York? Do I have to go to the police, such as the NYPD, to apply for a Restraining Order? What are the steps and whatever they may be, am I eligible for a Stay Away Order? All reasonable questions, the answer to whether you are entitled to an Oder of Protection ("entitled" may or may not be the correct word in this context) and whether a judge will issue one depends on many factors. Before briefly addressing the answer to your questions in this blog entry, and discussing further with your attorney should you determine you are a candidate for a Restraining Order in New York, keep the following in mind. A Restraining Order, Stay Away Order and Order of Protection are different names for the same order issued by a court. No matter what you call this mechanism to protect you from another person, in the State and City of New York, there are generally two avenues to secure an Order of Protection. A Criminal Court Judge can issue a Restraining Order after the arrest and during the arraignment of a criminal defendant and Family Court Judge can issue an order in a civil proceeding pursuant to the New York State Family Court Act Article 8.
Updated: August 7, 2018 8:04 am
Avoiding Dismissal and Denial: Properly Drafting and Filing NY Family Court Order of Protection Petitions
The questions is a common one. "How do I get an Order of Protection in New York?" "Who can get a Restraining Order in NYC?" "Do you need a lawyer to get an Order of Protection?" Before answering these questions, know the following. Family Offense Petitions in New York Family Courts, pursuant to New York Family Court Act Article 8, are some of the most frequently dismissed petitions on technical grounds – most commonly, failure to state a cause of action, or "facial insufficiency." This essentially means that the Petitioner, the person making the allegation and the one seeking an Order of Protection, aka, Restraining Order, has failed to allege facts that make out one of the many enumerated offenses that constitute a Family Offense. Simply, if you are frightened for your well-being to the point where you commence a legal action whether its in New York City or the Hudson Valley, you will either ensure it is done correctly or deal with the potentially tragic consequences of not engaging an NYC Order of Protection lawyer to ensure the same.
NY Family Court Orders of Protection: Court's Initial Legal Standard and Review
Updated: May 30, 2018 12:50 pm
Restraining Orders, Stay Away Orders and Orders of Protection in New York City and the Hudson Valley: Frequently Asked Questions Part II
Whether you have asked it of a New York Family Court attorney, criminal defense lawyer or merely thought it to yourself, if you are a victim of abuse you have likely pondered how you can get an Order of Protection. What steps must you take to keep your abuser away and how do you start the process of protecting yourself with the assistance of the court system? While not an easy answer, when boiled down to its core, there are generally two avenues you can pursue to secure a Restraining Order or Stay Away Order in New York. One begins in the New York Family Court and the other with the police or District Attorney. Not mutually exclusive, the former does not mandate an arrest while the latter requires law enforcement's involvement. This blog entry, as a follow up to an earlier article addressing other questions, identifies frequently asked questions so you, as a petitioner in a Family Court Article 8 proceeding or complainant in a criminal case, can obtain the basic information you need to have informed conversations with the lawyer you ultimately retain.
New York Orders of Protection and Restraining Order: Frequently Asked Questions Part I
New York Orders of Protection, also called Restraining Orders and Stay Away Orders, are critical tools to protect the beneficiary of such an order from alleged or convicted harassers, domestic abusers, stalkers and other victimizers. Irrespective of who an Order of Protection shields, there are many questions that those unfamiliar with both New York Family Court Law and New York Penal Law will need answered before retaining the right criminal lawyer or Family Court attorney to assist them in the respective Restraining Order process. First and foremost, who can get a Restraining Order in New York State? How can you get an Order of Protection in New York City and the Hudson Valley? What does a Stay Away Order actually do for the recipient? Simply, there are countless questions that any crime victim or domestic violence petitioner must address to determine if and how they can protect themselves with an Order of Protection and why he or she needs an attorney to facilitate the legal process. Addressed in this blog entry, as well as additional articles, these questions include:
What is an Order of Protection and Restraining Order?
Where do I go to file a petition for a New York Order of Protection?
How do I get a Family Court Order of Protection in New York?
Can anyone get an Order of Protection or Restraining Order?
Will the recipient of an Order of Protection have to move out of our home?
Is a Order of Protection issued in New York only valid in New York?
What is the duration or length of an Order of Protection?
Will an Order of Protection appear or show up on an employment or background check?
Is it a crime to violate an Order of Protection?
Can I drop an Order of Protection if I decide I do not want it anymore?
Only some of the relatively common questions asked by both petitioners in Family Court Order of Protection proceedings and victims in any number of New York's Criminal Courts, it is critical to understand the different types of and processes involved in securing New York Restraining Orders, Stay Away Orders and Orders of Protection.
New York Criminal Contempt and the Protected Person's Residence: Trying to Build a Case without a Victim
Orders or Protection are perhaps the most frequent basis for Criminal Contempt charges in New York. Such charges and criminal cases have become so routine, that the actual complaints charging a defendant with such an offense can become so pro forma as to become almost meaningless. However, the accusations in even the simplest, most routine criminal complaint are of critical importance to a New York Criminal Contempt arrest and case. One way in which a person can violate the terms of a typical Order of Protection is by going to the protected person's home. This can even include standing outside the front door of the protected person's apartment building. Irrespective of the context, it is possible that the protected person is not willing to cooperate with law enforcement, and did not want the defendant arrested in the first place. In that scenario, the prosecution will often attempt to rely on other witnesses to the crime, such as family, friends, bystanders or police officers. However, this can often create gaps and shortcomings in information and support for the allegations, which can manifest themselves in the criminal complaints themselves. This was precisely the situation presented to the trial Court in People v. Friedman, 48 Misc.3d 817 (Queens Co. Crim Ct. 2015).
Posted in: NY Family Court Orders of Protection, Orders of Protection and Violent Crimes
When a New York Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Arrest Becomes a Felony: Aggravated Family Offenses
New York Penal Law 240.75 is a section of New York's criminal law that is somewhat of an unknown in the non-legal community. There is much support behind the concept that if you repeatedly commit and are convicted of domestic violence crimes or family offenses, at some point an order of protection and some degree of incarceration in a local or county jail is not enough.
To combat this concern, New York State created the crime of Aggravated Family Offense pursuant to New York Penal Law 240.75. Whether your New York domestic violence lawyer advises you on this statute or you missed the opportunity and you are standing before a criminal court judge for sentencing, know that your exposure on this class "E" felony is quite serious. In fact, what was only a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in a county jail can no be a felony with a potential sentence of up to four years "upstate." If you have a prior felony regardless of whether its violent, domestic or white collar and you were convicted of that offense in the prior ten years, because Aggravated Family Offenses are class "E" felonies, a conviction would not merely be as great as four years, but you would also face a mandatory one and a half to three years in prison. Regardless, living within the confines of the New York State or local county department of corrections for any period of time is a miserable way to tick away the days of your life.
Criminal Contempt in New York and the Identity of the Protected Person: What Role Does "Victim" Identity Have in a Criminal Complaint
Misdemeanor and Felony Criminal Contempt crimes and charges in New York, New York Penal Law 215.50 and New York Penal Law 215.51 respectively, often arises in the context of alleged violations of Orders of Protection. An Order of Protection is often issued by a Criminal or Family Court, and orders one person to refrain from contacting or being near a specific protected person or persons. In order to charge a person with violating an Order of Protection, the criminal complaint against that defendant must adequately allege the identity of the protected person, as well as what the defendant allegedly did that violated the terms of the Order of Protection. It may seem obvious that the prosecution must specify who the acts were committed against, and how they know that's who it is, but a failure to make that allegation sufficiently was exactly the issue presented to the trial Court in People v. Pandiello, 54 Misc.3d 496 (NY Co. Crim Ct. 2016). This entry will address the significance of a protected party's identity when prosecutors charge any one of New York Penal Law sections 215.50, 215.51 or 215.52.
Family Court "Crimes" and Offenses: Understanding NY Family Court Act Section 812
In the State of New York, if you commit a crime the police can arrest you and a local District Attorney can prosecute you for your alleged illegal conduct. For example, if you ball up your fists and intentionally take a swing at another person's face, it is likely you would find yourself in front of a judge charged with Third Degree Assault if you gave that person a "shiner." While not available to all complainants or victims, if you were the recipient of that drubbing and you have an intimate or domestic relationship with your attacker, you may pursue another means to hold your attacker accountable while providing yourself with security and safety going forward. In lieu of or in addition to the criminal justice system, New York's Family Court Act may be your answer and enable you to obtain an order of protection or restraining order.
As a preliminary matter, and one you should consult with your New York order of protection lawyer or Family Court attorney, you must have a domestic relationship ("member of the same family or household") ranging from current or former boyfriend or girlfriend to sibling or spouse. Assuming the New York Family Court has jurisdiction over your matter, as a petitioner (similar to a complainant), you can file a petition for an order of protection by setting forth violations of Section 812 of the New York Family Court Act. This section sets forth the offenses, aka, crimes, your lawyer will use as the foundation of your petition. With this in mind, what are the offenses listed in Family Court Act 812 and how to they compare to their brethren offenses in the New York Penal Law?