No-Contact Order Issued?

No-Contact Orders (NCO) are often issues in assault cases, especially in domestic violence cases. The court will likely issue a No-Contact Order forbidding a person from contacting the alleged victim. No-Contact Orders are often referred to as restraining orders. This court order is put in place to protect the petitioner (often the alleged victim of a crime) and can include orders prohibiting the respondent (often the person charged with a crime) from coming within so many feet of the petitioner and/or prohibiting any kind of contact or communication. No-Contact Orders can also prohibit the respondent from residing in the same place as the petitioner. This order can be put in place even if the person named as the protected party does not want the order to be issued. If the court does issue a No-Contact Order naming you as a protected party (alleged victim) and you want it dropped, please contact the court where the charge is filed and the prosecuting authority who is charging it. Alternatively, you can work with an experienced criminal defense attorney so that the request to drop the NCO is heard.

If you are named as the protected party, it is important that you do not initiate any contact with the respondent as long as the NCO is in place, even if you want the order to be dropped. The respondent can be charged with Violation of a No-Contact Order if the prosecutor or police become aware of any prohibited contact. Contact could include phone calls, text messages, social media messages, and in person meetings. Violation of a No-Contact Order is a gross misdemeanor in Washington, provided that there is no assault involved in the violation and that the defendant does not have two previous convictions for Violation of a No-Contact Order. RCW 26.50.110.

Click on the following to be directed to the court that issued the No-Contact Order. Each court has a different process dealing with dropping Restraining Orders. Some will set a court appointment for you. Others will tell you to speak with a contact at the Prosecuting Attorney's Office. It is important that you follow the proper procedure in dropping the order.