Restraining order advice
domestic violence attorney California Aug 10, 2026
Location: California restraining order — protected person and I continued communicating. What happens now? I’m in California and I was recently served with a restraining order filed by someone I had a conflict with. Another person (someone I had a very close personal relationship/friendship with) is listed as an additional protected person on the order. The order says I’m not supposed to contact the protected people. However, after the order was issued/served, the additional protected person and I continued communicating by text for several days. He knew about the restraining order, and the conversations were going back and forth between both of us rather than being completely one-sided. Recently, he stopped responding, but I continued trying to contact him, including multiple texts/calls. I’m now worried that he could report the contact and that I could be arrested or charged with violating the order. I understand that even if a protected person voluntarily responds or initiates contact, that may not legally give me permission to contact them if the court order prohibits it. I have stopped contacting him and am not looking for advice on how to get around the order. My questions are: In California, what normally happens if an additional protected person reports that someone violated a restraining order through calls/texts? Does the fact that he knowingly and voluntarily communicated with me for several days matter legally at all, even if it doesn’t excuse my contact? Would police typically investigate/contact me first, or can someone be arrested based on screenshots or a report? If the contact occurred through different phone numbers, what kind of evidence is generally used to establish who sent the messages? If no arrest happens immediately, could this instead be brought up at the upcoming restraining-order hearing? Should I speak with a criminal-defense attorney, a restraining-order attorney, or both before the hearing? I know the safest thing legally is to have zero further contact unless/until the court changes the order, and that’s what I plan to do. I’m mainly trying to understand what I could realistically expect from here and what I should do to protect myself legally. I’m in Orange County, while the case/order involves Los Angeles County. Thank you. I’m especially interested in answers from California attorneys or people familiar with California restraining-order procedure.
