To obtain a protective order in DC,  you must show that the respondent committed an “intrafamily offense” against you. An intra family offense is essentially any crime as defined under the D.C. Code. This is a broad list of crimes; however, the most applicable or common ones are the following:

• Assault
• An act that places a person in fear of imminent serious bodily harm
• An act that causes serious bodily harm
• Threats to do bodily harm
• Threats to kidnap or injure a person or to damage his/her property
• Rape or sexual offense
• Attempted rape or sexual offense
• Stalking
• False imprisonment, such as interference with freedom, physically keeping you from leaving your home or kidnapping you.