I’m accused of violating an order of protection. What happens now?

In Tennessee, violating an order of protection is not a single charge: it can be handled as civil contempt, criminal contempt, or a separate criminal offense, and it runs as its own new case, not inside the original charge.

Which track could this be?

The judge who signed the order can punish criminal contempt with up to ten days in jail and a fifty-dollar fine for each separate act, and separate acts can stack with no overall ceiling. No jury hears it, and the protected person's own lawyer can bring it without the District Attorney. Civil contempt, which is meant to force compliance, has no ten-day limit. The separate crime is a Class A misdemeanor, with up to eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail plus a mandatory fine of $100 to $2,500. That charge requires that you had notice of the hearing, a chance to be heard, and specific findings in the order, and if those are missing, the contempt track still applies.

Can they bring more than one?

Yes, and you should expect to face more than one. The only open question is whether one single act can be punished as both contempt and the separate crime, which is an argument your lawyer may make, not a protection to plan around. What is settled is that contempt and a separate charge for other conduct, such as an assault or a threat, can both be brought. And an assault committed while an order of protection is in force can be raised from a misdemeanor to a felony because the order exists. If a judge finds a violation, the judge must require a bond of at least $2,500 and may extend the order to five years, or ten on a second violation.

Is this part of my domestic case?

No. An order of protection is its own civil case, separate from any criminal charge, and a violation opens a new matter, sometimes two. The criminal charge brings its own arrest, docket, and prosecution, and contempt gets its own hearing in the court that issued the order. Jail time for the violation is served on top of any sentence for the underlying incident, unless the judge specifically orders otherwise. And if you are out on bond in a criminal case, the same violation can also get your bond revoked in that case.

Does it matter that she contacted me first?

No. The order binds you alone, and her call, text, or invitation does not cancel, pause, or waive it. Answering can itself be the violation, even a single reply that says "stop," and passing word through a friend or a child counts too. She breaks no law by reaching out. Only the court can change the order, though an order may also expire on its own terms. One narrow argument exists for contempt, where the encounter was one you did not seek and could not avoid, but it is up to the judge on the specific facts, it does nothing against the separate criminal charge, and it disappears the moment you respond.

What should I do right now?

Stop all contact, in every form, starting today. Say nothing about what happened, whether to the officer, to her, or to anyone else. If you both want contact to resume, a lawyer can ask the court to change or end the order, and you wait for the new written order first. Get a lawyer before any hearing.

About the Author

David G. Ridings is a Nashville criminal defense attorney, former police officer, and former prosecutor with nearly 40 years of experience in the Tennessee justice system. Known as “DrJudge,” he educates hundreds of thousands about their rights during police encounters.

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