restraining order help needed

[jetsonlikeelroy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NJ

In september of 2006 my soon to be ex-husband filed & was granted a restraining order against me. I have followed the order & have had no contact since. I am trying to start a new career in the medical field but have found that employers are doing backround checks & this has prevented me from succesfully gaining employment. Being a single mom & struggling it is nearly impossible for me to retain legal counsel so i was wondering if there is any motions i may be able to file to hopefully lift the order. I speak to one of his family members & mentioned that i am attempting to gain entry into the medical field and asked them to bring it to his attention to hopefully drop it. The message relayed to me was that if I pay for all our accumulated debts from our marriage, which i am attempting to obtain during the divorce he will drop the order. Feeling backed into a corner does anyone have really good advice that will help me with the issues i am faced with ??? i appreciate any answers in advance.

 

[st-kitts]

My first question is how do you know that your prospective employers are failing to hire you because of the order? Restraining orders don't show on criminal background checks in general. An employer would normally have to run a civil & criminal records check to receive this information. If an employer takes an adverse action due to your record, they have to send you an adverse action letter in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Have you received those letters? If yes, by all means contact an attorney, to look into your legal options. Do not contact the protected party to try to investigate getting the order dropped; it would be a violation of the order itself to contact them.

If you haven't received an adverse action letter, you might ask a trusted and respected friend, peer, pastor, someone to practice interviewing with you. Your lack of success in the job market may have less to do with your past history and more with your interviewing skills. It also may have something to do with a tough economy. You can polish your interview skills through practice. So there is hope any way you look at it.