Jones Day attorneys obtain a civil protection order for victim of domestic abuse

Client(s) Brown, Martina

In September 2012, Jones Day Washington attorneys obtained a civil protection order on behalf of a victim of domestic abuse. Following a bench trial, the court issued an order enjoining the respondent from contacting, either directly or through a third-party, the petitioner for a period of one year. The order also granted full custody of the parties' child to the petitioner and limited the. respondent's contact with the child to court-supervised visitation.

In February 2013, the respondent violated the protection order by taking the child to his home in Maryland, and thereafter refusing to return the child to his mother (the petitioner) in D.C. Due to jurisdictional issues, the mother initially encountered difficulties when seeking the assistance of law enforcement officers to retrieve her child. In an effort to expedite the process, Jones Day coordinated directly with federal prosecutors and local law enforcement in D.C. and Maryland, which ultimately led to an arrest warrant being issued out of D.C. Jones Day obtained a copy of the warrant from law enforcement authorities in D.C. and, with the mother of the child, brought it directly to Maryland for execution. On the morning of March 3, 2012, Jones Day and the mother accompanied Maryland police officers to the respondent's apartment complex. The police officers entered the respondent's residence and were able to retrieve the child without incident. The respondent now faces criminal charges for violating the civil protection order and parental kidnapping.