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Can you prevent your spouse from contacting you at work? Pittsburgh divorce attorney Joseph R. Williams explains when harassment and abuse are present at a place of employment, a Protection from Abuse order or PFA can help enforce certain no-contact perimeters. This can be especially helpful if the harassment is interfering with the spouse’s livelihood.     Joe is a partner at Pollock Begg with collaborative training and certification from […]

Joseph R. Williams, Pittsburgh divorce attorney and Pollock Begg partner, discusses how to receive protection quickly during divorce proceedings.  A Protection from Abuse filing, or PFA, allows you to have access to the courtroom in an expedient manner. Within 10 days, you receive a hearing which can give you some interim relief you might be seeking prior your divorce being finalized. Joe is a partner at Pollock Begg with collaborative […]

One of the first published family law decisions this year is Boykai v. Young, 2014 PA Super 4  (January 7, 2014), a protection from abuse action arising from Bucks County. In Boykai, a husband was evicted from the marital residence and prohibited from having any contact with his wife for a period of one year, based upon evidence that he forced her to have too much sex. During the marriage, according […]

A non-precedential opinion of the Superior Court affirms the decision of a Lackawanna County court, which granted a Protection from Abuse order against the father of two young children. In E.B. v. H.S., No. 1906 MDA 2012 (October 1, 2013), the Father appealed a decision that granted a PFA against him, enjoining contact with his wife or two young children until they should be interviewed by a guardian ad litem. The […]

During a custody exchange, a child’s father told that the mother that she’d better not refer to her boyfriend as the child’s dad “or else.”  While yelling at her, he pointed his finger in her face.  He also placed his hands around her boyfriend’s hands and squeezed. Upset and fearful, the mother applied for an extension of an existing PFA (protection from abuse) order. The trial court found that father […]

One of the fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution is due process, the right to notice and an opportunity to be heard in court. Laws that impair due process are narrowly construed, but they do exist, such as the law that authorizes temporary protection from abuse (PFA) restraining orders. Under Pennsylvania law, the defendants are not entitled to receive notice or an opportunity to be heard before a temporary PFA […]