October 21, 2026
209A Restraining Order
Our client faced restraining order requests from two family members, her mother and her sister. One filed an affidavit describing a weak claim of threats and a series of incidents they said amounted to harassing behavior directed at them. And the other affidavit was similar, minus the threats. The family had recently experienced some significant life stressors and that played a role in the tension of the household. We showed the court the context behind those claims. The client’s sister, while passionate and zealous, had been acting in good faith and trying to do her best in a supportive role. Like many families, theirs had moments of heated, inflammatory language. Massachusetts law sets a clear standard for issuing an abuse prevention order, though, and heated words between family members do not meet it on their own. We argued the evidence fell short of that standard. The judge agreed and denied the plaintiffs’ requests.
Result: Order Not Issued Against Our Client.