Abuse protection in Allegheny County

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Abuse protection in Allegheny County

Sunday, August 29, 1999

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Here are the numbers on how many Protection From Abuse orders were granted and denied in 1998.

In 1998 in Allegheny County, 3,944 people petitioned the court for temporary, 10-day PFAs. Obtaining a temporary order is the first step in the process. After 10 days, the petitioner must return to court to obtain a final protection order (which, if granted, can last up to one year and be extended indefinitely).

Of those who filed, 3,210 temporary protection orders were granted. The remainder were denied for technical reasons (illegible handwriting, for example, or because they didn't meet the statutory definition of abuse -stalking, false imprisonment, assault or attempted assault, abuse of minor children or reasonable fear of imminent harm).

1,036 final protection from abuse orders were granted after both parties consented. These PFAs result from negotiations between lawyers for the plaintiff filing the petition and the defendant, or alleged abuser (very often abuser will consent to PFA when there is strong evidence against him).

Another 595 permanent PFAs were granted by default, when the defendant failed to show up to contest the PFA.

1,373 petitions for final PFAs were dismissed either because the plaintiff failed to show up for a hearing to obtain a final order, or because she withdrew her petition.

And finally, of those PFA petitions that weren't able to be conciliated in negotiations between lawyers and ended up in a court hearing before one of the two judges: only 86 were granted; 120 were denied.