Location: San Antonio TX
Hi, I’m hoping to get some advice. I’m thinking about filing for a protective order against my twin siste ,P, but I don’t know if I have enough evidence or if I need a lawyer to do it.
Background:
P and I have had a toxic and abusive relationship since we were kids. She used to hit me growing up and still has violent tendencies as an adult. She has a long history of stealing from me and others, lying, and lashing out when things don’t go her way. She’s also hit her romantic partners in the past. She has a history of relentlessly attacking people (stalking, nasty texts from fake numbers, lying about them to people they know).
Here’s what’s happened more recently:
She has physically assaulted me in the last 3yrs.
She filed a false PayPal dispute against me to steal the money.
She stalks and harasses me online, often making drama from vague posts that aren’t even about her.
She’s tried to sabotage my online work (I’m a content creator). Which has caused me to start all over.
She’s sent people to guilt or manipulate me into helping her with legal problems.
She lives less than 5 minutes away, and I’m terrified she’ll try to hit me with her car or physically hurt me again. She has done crazy stuff to people in the past when she gets upset.
She’s unstable and has a pattern of targeting people once they cut her off.
I’ve gone no-contact, changed my usernames, and tried to move on. But she won’t let go. I’m already on medication for anxiety, and I have a therapy appointment in two weeks.
The biggest problem is: I don’t have a lot of evidence anymore. I deleted most of the messages and screenshots a while ago just trying to move on and get her out of my life. Now I’m scared that if I file for a protective order, the court will say I don’t have enough proof and deny it, which could make things worse. However my partner has seen her behavior for the last 3yrs, obviously our mom has as well. I also have proof that I’ve talked to to my online friends about this for years.
My questions are:
- Do I have enough grounds to file a protective order based on history and fear, even if I don’t have much physical proof left?
- Can I file on my own, or do I need a lawyer to help me do this properly?
- If I try and get denied, does that make me more vulnerable legally or give her more power?
- Would a therapist’s letter help?
Any advice would help so much. I just want to feel safe again, but I also don’t want to make a move that backfires.