Served with a Restraining Order or Order of Protection? You Have the Right to Respond.
An order of protection can change your life overnight. It can force you out of your own home, bar you from seeing your children, require you to surrender your firearms, and put your name in a statewide law enforcement database — often based on nothing more than one side of the story. But an emergency order is not the final word. The law gives you, the respondent, the right to a full hearing where both sides present evidence before any long-term order is entered.
Updated September 2026
With over 33 years of legal experience, Ms. Williams has represented respondents in order of protection and no contact matters throughout Central Illinois, and defended the criminal charges that often come with them. She makes sure your side is heard before a judge decides.
◆ Illinois Law
Illinois has three main civil orders that people call "restraining orders." An Order of Protection under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, 750 ILCS 60, applies when the parties are family or household members as defined in 750 ILCS 60/103. A Stalking No Contact Order under 740 ILCS 21 applies when there is no domestic relationship but alleged stalking, and a Civil No Contact Order under 740 ILCS 22 applies in sexual assault cases. Violating an order of protection is a crime under 720 ILCS 5/12-3.4 — a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 4 felony with certain priors — and indirect contact through another person is also a violation under 720 ILCS 5/12-3.9.
Sources: 750 ILCS 60 — Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986; 750 ILCS 60/103 — Definition of Family or Household Member; 740 ILCS 21 — Stalking No Contact Order Act; 740 ILCS 22 — Civil No Contact Order Act; 720 ILCS 5/12-3.4 — Violation of an Order of Protection; 720 ILCS 5/12-3.9 — Violation by Indirect Contact
What Is at Stake When an Order Is Filed Against You
A plenary order of protection can last up to two years and can be renewed. While it is in effect it can keep you out of your home, prohibit any contact with the petitioner and sometimes your own children, require you to stay away from their work and school, and force you to turn in your FOID card and firearms. The order is entered into a statewide and national law enforcement database.
Beyond those direct restrictions, an order of protection on your record can surface in divorce, custody, employment, and housing decisions. And because violating an order is itself a crime, an order can become the basis for a new criminal charge from a single phone call or text. The way you respond at the start shapes everything that follows.
How Ms. Williams Defends Respondents
The plenary hearing is where the case is won or lost. At that hearing the petitioner must actually prove the abuse, stalking, or conduct alleged — an emergency order entered on one side's say-so does not carry over automatically. Ms. Williams appears with you, presents your evidence and witnesses, cross-examines the petitioner, and exposes gaps and inconsistencies in their account.
She is also alert to how these orders are sometimes used. An order of protection can be sought for leverage in a divorce or custody fight, or in retaliation after a breakup. Where that is happening, she brings it to the court's attention and holds the petitioner to their burden of proof.
When a violation has been charged, she defends it like any other criminal case: was there actually contact, was it knowing, was the order properly served, and was the conduct really prohibited by its terms? When an order of protection rides alongside a domestic battery charge, she handles both with a single, coordinated defense.
Types of Orders Ms. Williams Handles
Entered quickly, often without the respondent present, based on the petitioner's testimony alone. It is temporary and sets a date for a full hearing. Acting before that hearing is the key to a strong response.
The long-term order under 750 ILCS 60, entered only after a full hearing where both sides present evidence. It can last up to two years and be renewed. This hearing is where Ms. Williams focuses the defense.
Orders under 740 ILCS 21 and 740 ILCS 22 for situations with no domestic relationship, including alleged stalking and sexual assault cases. Respondents have the same right to a hearing and a defense.
A criminal charge under 720 ILCS 5/12-3.4 for allegedly breaking an order—a Class A misdemeanor or, with priors, a Class 4 felony. Indirect contact through someone else also counts. Ms. Williams defends these charges directly.
Illinois Order of Protection Law
Illinois orders move through stages. An emergency order can be entered the same day a petition is filed, based only on the petitioner's sworn account, and lasts a short time. An interim order can bridge the gap once the respondent has been notified. A plenary order — the long-term order — can only be entered after a full hearing where the respondent has the chance to appear and present a defense.
Who qualifies for which order depends on the relationship. The Illinois Domestic Violence Act (750 ILCS 60) covers family or household members, a category defined broadly in 750 ILCS 60/103 to include spouses, former spouses, people who share a home, people who have a child together, and people in or formerly in a dating relationship. When there is no such relationship, the petitioner must use the Stalking No Contact Order Act (740 ILCS 21) or the Civil No Contact Order Act (740 ILCS 22) instead.
Once an order is in place, its terms are enforced strictly. Violating an order of protection is a separate crime, and Illinois law (720 ILCS 5/12-3.9) treats contact made through a third party the same as direct contact. That is why understanding exactly what an order prohibits — and responding to the order properly in the first place — is so important.
Frequently Asked Questions: Orders of Protection
What is the difference between a restraining order and an order of protection?
What people call a restraining order is usually one of three Illinois orders: an Order of Protection (family or household members, 750 ILCS 60), a Stalking No Contact Order (no domestic relationship, 740 ILCS 21), or a Civil No Contact Order (sexual assault, 740 ILCS 22). All order the respondent to stay away and stop contact.
What happens after I am served?
An emergency order is often entered without you present. You then have the right to a full hearing where both sides present evidence before any long-term order is entered. That hearing is your chance to respond, and it matters.
What are the penalties for violating an order?
Violating an order of protection is a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 4 felony with certain priors. Indirect contact through another person also counts as a violation. Even accidental contact can lead to a charge.
Can I fight an order filed against me?
Yes. As the respondent you can appear at the hearing, present evidence and witnesses, cross-examine the petitioner, and tell your side. The petitioner still has to prove the alleged conduct, and Ms. Williams works to defeat or narrow the order.
What if there is also a criminal charge?
Orders of protection often accompany a domestic battery charge from the same incident. The two affect each other, and statements in one can surface in the other. Ms. Williams handles both with one coordinated defense.
Do you handle order of protection cases in Peoria IL?
Yes. Ms. Williams represents respondents in order of protection, stalking no contact, and civil no contact matters in Peoria and throughout Peoria County in the 10th Judicial Circuit, and defends related violation charges. Cases are heard at the Peoria County Courthouse, 324 Main Street. Call (309) 999-1177 to schedule a consultation.
Who is the best order of protection lawyer in Peoria?
Ms. Williams handles order of protection and no contact matters in Peoria courts as part of an exclusively criminal defense practice, and has over 33 years of legal experience. She represents the respondent at the plenary hearing, challenges the petitioner's account, and defends any criminal charge tied to the same incident.
Ms. Williams handles order of protection matters throughout Central Illinois including Peoria County, McLean County, Tazewell County, LaSalle County, and Macon County. She also handles domestic violence, domestic battery, assault and battery, and all other criminal defense matters.