Injunction Against Harassment

If you are asking the Court to issue the Injunction Against Harassment without giving the defendant a chance to be heard first, you must show that great or irreparable harm will result if the Injunction Against Harassment is not issued until after the defendant has been given notice and a chance to be heard. If the Court does not find that great and irreparable harm will result unless the Injunction Against Harassment is issued immediately, a hearing may be set and the defendant will have a chance to be heard before an Injunction Against Harassment may be issued.

Definition of Harassment

Harassment is a series of acts which:

• Can be spread over any period of time.
• Must show a continuity of purpose.
• Must be directed at a specific person.
• Must seriously alarm, annoy, or harass the victim without serving a legitimate purpose.

Series, Not Single Act

You must be specific about how the defendant has harassed you. Just because the defendant annoyed or alarmed you does not mean you have been harassed in the legal sense. According to the law, harassment must involve a series of acts. A single incident, no matter how much it may bother you, does not constitute legal harassment. People cannot be prevented from taking legal action against you and Injunctions cannot resolve landlord-tenant disputes.

Other Court Proceedings

You must tell the Court if there are any other Court proceedings regarding the defendant's conduct toward you or any other injunctions in effect. It does not matter if the Court proceedings are going on now, or if they happened in the past. Tell this Court about all of them.