My spouse has been emtionally and verbally abusive for a couple of years now. I was advised that I could apply for a protective order against him for this. Well the end of February he physically attacked me. I tried to call the cops and he took the phone from me and throw it almost hitting our child. Well I was talking to my boss about the time off to go and file a protective order against my spouse. However, since I’m still in “training” on my job they advised against me taking this time off. I just recently went back to work after several months of unemployment. Can I still file the protective order although it’s a been several weeks since this incident?
You may file a complaint for a protective order, the requirement is that you are fearful that he will physically harm you, since he has done so recently, I would say you would be very justified in being afraid. Also, as and FYI- NC law prohibits employers from terminating your employment based on your needing time off to obtain a restraining order.
What Erin said is true, but you should also keep in mind that NC does not require an employer to give cause to terminate an employee. If you have asked about time off for this and they have discouraged this, you should go ahead with your plans to pursue protective order, but I suggest that you also keep documentation of these events. Request the time in writing so that you have their response in writing and/or write down the date that you made the request and their response. I can see this from both sides of the coin, but even in today’s job market, your life and your child’s life MUST come first.