Why is a TRO or DVRO so bad?
The TRO/DVRO can result in a massive inequality in the high conflict divorce causing the Respondent to lose a lot. The Respondent/Defendant must face the charge (with their attorney) and if they are NOT successful the judge could issue a 1, 2, 3 or even 5 year DVRO, essentially converting’ the TRO into a DVRO.
This is the worst thing that can happen to the defendant/Respondent i.e you, because it will hugely impact several aspects of the divorce
Potential consequences of a DVRO being granted:
- The children will be hard to see because they will be in the care of the Petitioner (the one who petitioned the DVRO). This is typically the mother.
- The children and their visitation with the Respondent (typically father) will become very strained
- The family court judge you get assigned will always treat the petitioner better than the Respondent. The fact that a TRO has been claimed or worse still transformed into a DVRO, confirmed by an order, usually from the same family judge will create an uneven playing field for the Respondent.
- The court becomes very biased in its decisions, towards the ‘victim’ who initiated the DVRO
Costs
Brace yourself for a $10-15k retainer and costs of $500-700 per hour. (2020-2023 rates)
This will be cheap compared to the consequences of a DVRO being granted.