Fort Lauderdale Domestic Violence Injunction Attorney

A domestic violence injunction can change the course of someone’s life within hours. Whether you are seeking protection from an abusive partner or you have been served with an injunction that restricts where you can live, whether you can see your children, and where you can work, the legal stakes are immediate and serious. In Broward County, these matters move quickly through the court system, and the decisions made in the first days often have consequences that extend for years. Fort Lauderdale domestic violence injunction attorney Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. represents both petitioners seeking protection and respondents contesting injunctions, bringing a clear-eyed, thorough approach to a legal process that leaves little room for error.

Florida law provides a structured process for obtaining or contesting a domestic violence injunction, but that structure can feel anything but orderly when you are living through it. A temporary injunction can be granted without the other party present, based solely on the petitioner’s sworn statement. A final hearing is typically scheduled within 15 days. That short window between service and hearing is the most consequential period in the entire process, and how that time is used, what evidence is gathered, what witnesses are identified, and how the legal arguments are framed, can determine whether the injunction is granted, modified, or dismissed entirely.

The implications of a domestic violence injunction reach beyond the courtroom. Respondents can face restrictions on firearm possession under federal law, limitations on housing and employment, and complications in ongoing or future family law proceedings including divorce and timesharing. For petitioners, an improperly handled filing can result in a denial of protection at the very moment it is most needed. Having qualified legal representation on either side of this process is not a luxury. It is a practical necessity given what is at stake.

Types of Protective Injunctions Handled in Fort Lauderdale Courts

• Domestic Violence Injunctions: Available to individuals who have experienced assault, battery, stalking, kidnapping, sexual violence, or other qualifying acts committed by a current or former spouse, cohabitant, family member, or a person with whom they share a child. These are among the most commonly filed protective orders in Broward County.
• Dating Violence Injunctions: Florida recognizes dating violence as a distinct category. These injunctions apply when the parties were or are in a continuing romantic or intimate relationship but did not live together or share a child, a distinction that matters for eligibility purposes.
• Repeat Violence Injunctions: When two incidents of violence or stalking have occurred, including at least one within the past six months, a repeat violence injunction may be available even without a domestic or dating relationship between the parties.
• Stalking Injunctions: Florida law allows injunctions based on stalking, including cyberstalking, which has become increasingly relevant in domestic disputes that involve digital harassment, repeated unwanted contact through social media, or GPS tracking without consent.
• Violation of an Existing Injunction: Violating the terms of an injunction, including indirect contact through third parties, is a first-degree misdemeanor and can result in arrest and criminal prosecution. Both petitioners and respondents need to understand exactly what the order does and does not permit.
• Modification and Dissolution Proceedings: Circumstances change. A respondent who has complied with all terms may petition to dissolve an injunction. A petitioner whose circumstances have changed may need to modify the scope of existing protections. These proceedings require their own distinct legal strategy.

What to Do From the Moment an Injunction Is Filed

If you have been served with a temporary injunction in Broward County, the paperwork you received includes a hearing date, typically set within 15 days of the filing. Read the order carefully because violating any provision, even inadvertently, carries criminal consequences. If the order requires you to leave a shared home, you must comply, even if your name is on the lease or mortgage. Retrieving your belongings may require a law enforcement escort, something a domestic violence injunction attorney in Fort Lauderdale can help coordinate through the Broward Sheriff’s Office or the relevant municipal police agency.

The final hearing is held at the Broward County Courthouse, located at 201 SE 6th Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale. These hearings are conducted before a circuit court judge and are adversarial proceedings where both parties may present testimony, introduce evidence, and call witnesses. Many respondents arrive at this hearing unprepared, believing the process will be informal or that their side of the story will be obvious. It is neither. The petitioner will have the opportunity to testify under oath and present any documentation or witness testimony supporting their claims. The respondent has the same opportunity, but only if they are prepared to use it effectively.

For petitioners, the period between filing and the final hearing is the time to gather everything that documents the abuse: photographs of injuries, medical records, police reports from any prior incidents, text messages, voicemails, emails, and accounts from people who witnessed the abuse or its aftermath. Florida courts take domestic violence seriously, but judges make decisions based on the record in front of them. A well-documented petition is significantly more persuasive than sworn testimony alone. If there are children involved and you are seeking a provision that restricts the respondent’s contact with them, that request must be specifically included in your petition and supported at the hearing.

Respondents who believe an injunction has been filed falsely or in exaggeration, which does occur, particularly in the context of contested divorces or custody disputes, should not assume the court will automatically see through the allegations. The burden at the final hearing is not the same as in a criminal case. A judge determining whether to issue a final injunction applies a preponderance of the evidence standard, meaning the petitioner’s account only needs to be more likely true than not. Challenging that account requires organized counter-evidence and thoughtful cross-examination, both of which require preparation that begins immediately after service of the temporary order.

How Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. Approaches Domestic Violence Injunction Cases

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. is a Fort Lauderdale-based family law firm focused on amicable resolution where possible and rigorous advocacy where necessary. The firm serves clients in both Fort Lauderdale and St. Augustine, and its practice centers on the full spectrum of family law matters, including divorce, mediation, and the protective order proceedings that frequently intersect with those cases. The firm’s emphasis on thoughtful, non-adversarial resolution where the circumstances permit does not mean pulling punches when a client’s housing, parental rights, or personal safety is at stake.

Domestic violence injunction matters often arise in direct connection with divorce and timesharing disputes. An injunction filed in the context of a divorce can influence custody arrangements, alter property access, and affect how financial disclosures are exchanged. A Fort Lauderdale domestic violence attorney who also handles the underlying divorce or custody matter can approach the injunction proceeding with full awareness of how each decision will ripple into the family law case. That coordination matters. Treating the injunction as an isolated event, separate from everything else happening in the family law proceedings, is a common and costly mistake.

The firm’s approach, as reflected in its broader family law practice, is grounded in transparency and clear communication. Clients facing injunction hearings, whether as petitioners or respondents, are not well served by vague reassurances. They need to know exactly what the hearing involves, what the judge will be looking for, how their evidence will be presented, and what outcomes are realistically available. That kind of directness, paired with substantive preparation, is what characterizes the representation Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. provides in these high-stakes proceedings.

Questions People Ask About Domestic Violence Injunctions in Florida

Can I get a temporary injunction without going to a hearing?

Yes. A temporary injunction, sometimes called an ex parte injunction, can be issued by a judge based on a written petition alone, without the respondent being present or notified in advance. This is by design: the law recognizes that requiring both parties to appear before any protection is granted could expose the petitioner to further harm. The temporary order remains in effect until the final hearing, which is typically scheduled within 15 days.

What happens if the respondent doesn’t show up to the final hearing?

If a properly served respondent fails to appear at the final hearing, the judge will typically proceed in their absence. The petitioner presents their case, and the court may issue a final injunction based on that testimony and evidence alone. A respondent who misses the hearing loses their only meaningful opportunity to challenge the allegations before the order is made permanent.

How long does a final domestic violence injunction last in Florida?

A final injunction has no set expiration date under Florida law unless the court specifies one in the order itself. It remains in effect indefinitely until modified or dissolved by the court upon petition from either party. A respondent may petition for dissolution after a period of compliance, but the petitioner has the right to oppose that request.

Will a domestic violence injunction appear on a background check?

Yes. Final injunctions are public court records and will appear on background checks. This can affect employment, particularly for positions that require security clearance or involve working with vulnerable populations. For respondents, the record implications are one of many reasons why contesting an improperly filed injunction through proper legal channels matters.

Can an injunction affect my rights to see my children?

Absolutely. A domestic violence injunction can include provisions limiting or conditioning the respondent’s contact with minor children. Courts may require supervised timesharing or temporarily suspend a parent’s timesharing rights entirely if the facts support it. These provisions can serve as a baseline for what happens in any subsequent family law proceedings, making it critical to address them carefully at the injunction hearing itself.

Does Florida law prohibit firearms possession after a domestic violence injunction?

Federal law, specifically the Lautenberg Amendment, prohibits individuals subject to qualifying domestic violence protective orders from possessing firearms or ammunition. This applies even if the injunction is civil rather than criminal, and even if the person has never been convicted of any crime. Respondents who own or carry firearms should address this immediately upon service of a temporary injunction and consult with counsel about compliance obligations.

What if the petitioner is exaggerating or fabricating the allegations?

False or exaggerated allegations do occur, sometimes in the context of divorce or custody disputes where one party believes an injunction will provide a strategic advantage. Florida courts are not immune to this dynamic. Contesting a wrongful injunction requires more than simply denying the allegations. It requires presenting affirmative evidence that contradicts the petitioner’s account, identifying inconsistencies in their testimony, and demonstrating through documentation and witnesses that the alleged conduct did not occur or did not meet the legal threshold for a domestic violence injunction.

Can a domestic violence injunction be used against me in a divorce case?

An injunction issued in connection with or prior to a divorce can influence how the divorce proceeding unfolds. It may affect where the parties live during the divorce, how property and financial information is exchanged, and how a judge views each parent’s fitness in timesharing determinations. Courts handling divorce cases in Broward County will generally have access to injunction records, and a judge presiding over a custody matter may take the existence of an injunction into account when evaluating parenting arrangements.

What is the difference between a civil injunction and a criminal domestic violence charge in Florida?

A domestic violence injunction is a civil proceeding. It does not result in a criminal conviction and is initiated by the alleged victim, not by the state. A criminal domestic violence charge, by contrast, is brought by the State Attorney’s Office and can result in jail time, probation, and a permanent criminal record. The two proceedings are legally distinct but can arise from the same incident. A person can face both a civil injunction and criminal charges simultaneously, and what happens in one proceeding can have implications for the other.

How does Broward County’s court system handle injunction hearings specifically?

Domestic violence injunction hearings in Broward County are handled in the civil division of the circuit court at the main courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The Broward Clerk of Courts maintains the filing process, and hearings are conducted by circuit court judges who rotate through family and civil divisions. Because these hearings are scheduled on a compressed timeline, the courthouse can be busy on injunction docket days. Arriving prepared, with organized evidence and a clear understanding of what the judge needs to hear, is essential. Local procedural familiarity makes a measurable difference in how these hearings unfold.

Serving Fort Lauderdale and Surrounding Broward County Communities

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. represents clients in domestic violence injunction proceedings throughout Fort Lauderdale and the broader Broward County region. Within Fort Lauderdale, the firm serves clients from neighborhoods including Flagler Village, Tarpon River, Riverside Park, Rio Vista, Coral Ridge, Victoria Park, Colee Hammock, and the downtown core near the courthouse itself. Beyond Fort Lauderdale’s city limits, the firm handles injunction matters for clients in Plantation, Davie, Weston, Cooper City, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Sunrise, Tamarac, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, and Hallandale Beach. The firm also serves clients in St. Augustine and the St. Johns County area for both injunction proceedings and the underlying family law matters that frequently accompany them. Wherever a client is located within these communities, the legal process for domestic violence injunctions runs through the same Broward County court system, and that local knowledge is part of what the firm brings to every representation.

Speak With a Fort Lauderdale Domestic Violence Attorney About Your Situation

Whether you need protection or you are facing allegations that have upended your life, you need counsel from a Fort Lauderdale domestic violence attorney who understands both the legal process and the human stakes involved. The 15-day window between a temporary injunction and a final hearing is narrow, and it closes fast. Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. works with petitioners and respondents alike to build the strongest possible position before that hearing date arrives. Contact the firm today to schedule a consultation and get a clear picture of where you stand and what your options are.