A Temporary Protection From Abuse order in Pennsylvania is as the name references. Is an order issued by the court, it's temporary in nature, and it grants the plaintiff Protection From Abuse from the defendant or the alleged perpetrator of the abuse. A Temporary PFA order will last for a designated period of time. In most instances, generally, how the PFA process works in Pennsylvania is that the plaintiff would seek a Temporary PFA order.
If the court were to grant a Temporary Order, which in many instances, it would, it would also grant a notice of a final hearing within 10 days, which is required by Pennsylvania law, although, the term final hearing, final is a term used loosely. At that final hearing date, or at that hearing date, the plaintiff can then request that a Final Order be issued. A Final Order can last for up to three years, but the Temporary Order if granted would grant the plaintiff the full protection, as noted by the court. So Protection From Abuse, say, no contact by the defendant or third parties. That would be, say, associated with the defendant, either in-person, or the phone, via text message, email, social media. It would grant potentially full protection.
Under the terms of a Temporary PFA order, a defendant can potentially be evicted from his or her home or apartment. The defendant would have to surrender firearms. The custody of a child or children can be impacted in a negative manner for defendant. A Temporary PFA order, although, the term temporary obviously applies, it can have a tremendous impact for both the defendant and it can provide tremendous benefits to a plaintiff. Having an experienced PFA attorney will be able to help you best understand and navigate the process and they should be involved from as early as possible in your case.
