Coronavirus and the Courts: What to Expect

This is a stressful time to be sure, and for survivors that have active cases in courts, it is even more so.
Our best advice at this point is to stay in contact with your attorney, if you have one, and with the court itself if you are self-represented.

If you have a pending court case at this time, be aware that you can track closings on the Indiana State Bar Association COVID-19 webpage. In addition to sharing Supreme Court petition approvals (emergency requests from local courts), the State Bar (ISBA) is working with county bar presidents and state groups to provide all communication coming out of local courts. Here’s a link to their webpage.

Also we have learned that because so many courts are NOT in session and operating exclusively online, this should NOT prevent survivors from filing for Emergency Protection Orders. Protection Order E-Filing has gone live and can be found here. Judges can log into the system from their location and rule on those orders from where they are.

It remains to be seen how long this will last or what hearings will be held this month or next, but we will keep you posted. For now, check back with the link above and with your local courts for more information.

ICADV Legal Counsel Kerry Hyatt Bennett has drafted a form for attorneys to appear remotely—please email her for more information or for a copy.
ICADV staff attorney Jocelyn Alday has put together some critical resources from the Indiana Courts for your information.
Please know we are here to help.
The ICADV Legal Team:
Kerry Hyatt Bennett, JD
Legal Counsel
kbennett@icadvinc.org
Jocelyn Alday, JD
Staff Attorney
jalday@icadvinc.org
Click here for a comprehensive directory of resources related to Coronavirus.

Leave a Comment