A brief explanation of how to get started filing Protection Order cases in Indiana.

This isn't really a new topic, but there's still some confusion about it, so here are the basics if this is your first time e-filing on a PO case:

On October 1, 2019, the Court began requiring that PO cases be filed electronically. The Court also requires that all filings on PO cases occur through a portal created just for this case type. You will find the portal at:

https://public.courts.in.gov/porefsp

There is an abundance of documentation on this website, but we still get a few regular questions about it:

1. This looks like a site for pro se filers and advocates... Do attorneys have to use it too?  Yes, without exception, both initial and subsequent filings on protection orders must occur through this site.
2. Will my regular e-filing username & password work for this site? No, the PO portal requires that you register separately. You will also use your existing e-filing username & password later on, so keep those handy, but step one is to register, using the "Create Account" link in the lower left corner of the home page.
3. How do I know if my filings went through? You will receive an email upon successful submission, and a second email for acceptance. These look a little different from the E-Filing emails you're used to. These emails have a return address in the courts.in.gov domain, so if you have set up email rules to sort out regular e-filing emails, they may not catch these. You can also log in and look in the lower right corner of the home screen to see your "Active Petitions/Cases".
4. Are there any special rules for e-filing PO cases? Yes, take a look at Trial Rule 86(E) In particular, notice that "service must be accomplished by the Clerk, a Sheriff, court official, or other person appointed by a Court to complete service of process."
5. When I click on the link, it doesn't load! What do I do? We've had reports of this happening periodically. If it happens to you, clear your browser cache, and then try the link again. Here's an article that has instructions for clearing the cache in every major browser: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-clear-your-browser-cache/

Other questions? The State Court has an extensive self-help area here: https://www.in.gov/judiciary/5538.htm. If you can't find the answers there, and you are a Doxpop customer, give us a call or email and we'll try to help. However, bear in mind that this is not our web site, so we can't be as helpful as usual and may end up referring you to the State Court's desk if you ask us a hard question!