If you are a victim of domestic violence, and if you are ready to end the violence, you may obtain assistance in filing an injunction for protection against domestic violence at the office of the Clerk of the Court, room 102, 430 South Commerce Ave., Sebring, Florida. You must appear in person in the Clerk's Office weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and you should request assistance as early in the day as possible, preferably before noon.
An injunction for protection is an order from the court to keep the abuser from harming you. An injunction is similar to a restraining order. You must be ready to end the violence when you file for an injunction, because only the Judge can dismiss the order, once you initially file. You can motion to dismiss the injunction at any time, however, the injunction is not dismissed until the Judge signs an order of dismissal. For more information about injunctions, please reference Chapter 741.30 of the Florida Statutes on the Internet or at the Justice Parker Lee McDonald Law Library located in the Highlands County Courthouse, Room 302.
Your hearing date will be within fifteen (15) days from the date you file your petition and will be given to you on the day you file. On your hearing day, do not bring children or wear shorts, and check in at the Highlands County Courthouse in Courtroom 1A fifteen (15) minutes before your scheduled hearing, to assure that the hearing location has not been changed. If you do not appear at the hearing, the Judge may instruct the Clerk's Office to locate you to insure that you are safe. Please keep in touch with the Clerk's Office. The telephone number to contact the Clerk's Office is (863) 402-6723.
Please be aware that the Highlands County Safehouse provides counseling and safety for victims of domestic violence. For further information about the Safehouse, you can contact them directly at 863-386-1167. The firearm disability act makes it unlawful for a respondent subject to a domestic violence injunction to possess a gun or ammunition while subject to said injunction. There are certain exceptions for law enforcement officers, however, if your abuser needs a gun or ammunition at his/her place of employment, an injunction may affect his/her job.
The statements you make while filing for an injunction must be true and correct, because you will be sworn under oath, and perjury is a criminal offense.
For further information, please telephone the Clerk's Office at (863) 402-6723.
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