A Protection Order Can Change Your Life Instantly

Whether you are the person seeking a protection order or the person it has been filed against, the consequences are immediate and serious. In Nevada, protection orders are issued quickly and often with no advance notice to the other party. If one has been filed against you, you can be removed from your home, cut off from your children, forced to surrender your firearms, and left with a permanent record of the order that shows up on background checks. If you need one and have not yet filed, every day without protection is a risk.

Either way, you need an attorney who understands how these orders work and how to fight for the outcome you need. That is what Krishna does.

Types of Protection Orders in Nevada

Nevada’s protection order framework under NRS Chapter 33 covers several distinct categories of orders, each with its own eligibility requirements, procedures, and consequences.

Every type of order can be issued on an emergency basis without notice to the other party. Understanding which category applies to your situation determines the strategy from the very first day.

Domestic Violence Protection Orders under NRS 33.017 through 33.100 are the most common. They are available to victims of domestic violence. Under NRS 33.018, that definition includes current and former spouses, dating partners, individuals who share a child, cohabitants, and relatives by blood or marriage. Qualifying acts include battery, assault, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, coercion, and false imprisonment. A temporary protection order can be issued the same day the application is filed, without notice to the other party, and without giving that person a chance to respond. It can last up to 45 days. An extended order lasts up to two years and requires a hearing at which both parties can present evidence.

Stalking and Harassment Protection Orders do not require a domestic relationship and are available to anyone subjected to a course of harassing or stalking conduct under NRS 200.571 and NRS 200.575. There generally must be more than one incident of conduct that would make a reasonable person feel terrorized, frightened, or intimidated. Aggravated stalking, which involves threats intended to cause fear of death or substantial bodily harm, can support criminal charges in addition to a civil order.

Protection Orders for Children under NRS 33.400 allow a parent or guardian to petition for an order on behalf of a minor who has been subjected to physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation.

Workplace Harassment Protection Orders under NRS 33.200 allow employers to seek orders protecting employees from harassment in the workplace.

High-Risk Behavior (Red Flag) Orders under NRS 33.500 allow a family or household member, or law enforcement, to petition to prohibit a person from purchasing or possessing firearms when that person exhibits behavior suggesting an imminent risk of harm to themselves or others. These orders carry immediate Second Amendment consequences and their own procedural requirements.

If a Protection Order Has Been Filed Against You

A temporary protection order is issued ex parte. The court hears only one side before issuing it. You are not notified in advance. You are not given a chance to respond. The order is simply served on you, and from that moment forward you must comply or face arrest. Depending on the terms of the order, you may be required to vacate your own home, stay away from your children, cease all contact with the protected party, and surrender any firearms in your possession. Under NRS 33.031, an extended protection order carries a mandatory prohibition on firearm possession. Under federal law, 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g)(8), possessing a firearm while subject to a qualifying protection order is a federal crime.

Violation Is a Criminal Offense

Violating a protection order, even inadvertently, is a misdemeanor for a first offense under NRS 33.100 and can escalate to a felony for subsequent violations or violations involving violence. The arrest is mandatory. Law enforcement has no discretion. Do not test this.

But a temporary protection order is not the end of the road. You have the right to contest it at the extended order hearing, which must be scheduled within 45 days. That hearing is your opportunity to present evidence, challenge the applicant’s allegations, cross-examine witnesses, and argue that the order should not be extended or should be modified. Krishna prepares for those hearings the way he prepares for trial, because for his clients, it is trial. The stakes are the same.

False or Exaggerated Protection Orders

Not every protection order application is filed in good faith. In divorce and custody disputes, in workplace conflicts turned personal, in situations where one party wants a strategic advantage, protection orders are sometimes used as tactical weapons rather than genuine safety measures. A person who obtains a protection order through false or exaggerated allegations gains an immediate legal advantage: forced removal of the other party from the home, disruption of custody arrangements, and a powerful narrative that carries into divorce, custody, and criminal proceedings.

Krishna has seen this pattern. He fights it. At the hearing on an extended order, he examines the applicant’s allegations critically, introduces evidence of the actual facts, and challenges every claim that does not hold up. The burden of proof at a protection order hearing is preponderance of the evidence. That is lower than in a criminal trial, but it is still a burden. The applicant has to prove their case. Krishna makes sure that happens fairly.

If You Need a Protection Order

If you are in a dangerous situation and need a protection order, Krishna can help you obtain one quickly and effectively. He can assist in preparing and filing the application, ensure the application accurately documents the conduct that qualifies under NRS 33.018, and represent you at the hearing to make the case for an extended order. He also ensures the order is properly registered and enforceable in other states, where Nevada orders are entitled to full faith and credit under federal law.

The Overlap Between Protection Orders and Criminal Charges

Domestic violence protection orders and criminal charges for domestic violence frequently arise from the same incident and run on parallel tracks. What happens in one proceeding can affect the other. Statements made at a protection order hearing can be used in a criminal case. A criminal conviction triggers its own mandatory firearm prohibitions and collateral consequences under NRS 33.031.

Krishna handles both tracks simultaneously, ensuring that the strategy in the civil proceeding does not undermine the criminal defense, and that the criminal defense does not create unnecessary exposure in the civil case. That kind of integrated representation is something most attorneys cannot offer. Krishna can.

Don’t Wait — Call Krishna Now

Protection order cases move at the speed of a court calendar. If a temporary protection order has been served on you, the clock is already running toward a hearing. If you need a protection order and have not yet filed, every day of delay is a risk. Either way, you need counsel immediately.

You matter. Your case matters. Krishna is ready to go to work.