Restraining Orders

Stalking is when someone repeatedly harasses you and it reasonably makes you feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or bothered (“molested”).¹ For the purposes of getting a protection order, you’re also considered a victim of stalking if anyone, regardless of your relationship with that person, has threatened to stalk you or made you fear that s/he is going to stalk you.²

Harassment is when someone behaves toward you in a way that is done without care for whether you will experience emotional distress and, in fact, you do feel emotional distress. It includes actions such as:

• following you or appearing within your sight;
• approaching you or confronting you in a public place or on private property;
• contacting you without your consent by phone, mail, email, text message, or any other type of electronic message sent using the Internet, a website, or a social media platform;
• showing up at your house or job, whether or not s/he comes inside;
• entering or remaining on property that you own, lease, or occupy; and
• sending or placing an object on your property.³

The harassment must be part of a “course of conduct.” This means a pattern of conduct made up of two or more separate acts committed by the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties. It is also considered a “course of conduct” when the harasser puts an electronic tracking device on you or your property without your permission, even if this is only done once.⁴

¹ Tenn. Code § 39-17-315(a)(4)
² Tenn. Code § 36-3-601(12)
³ Tenn. Code § 39-17-315(a)(3), (a)(5)
⁴ Tenn. Code § 39-17-315(a)(1)