Can an Order of Protection be filed regardless of the relationship?

There must be some type of family relationship, and that’s extremely important. For example: extended family like aunts, uncles, and cousins can qualify, and of course mothers and fathers (married or not) generally qualify.But boyfriends, girlfriends, or significant others usually do not, unless they cohabitate in some way. A common scenario is someone dated a person a couple of times and now wants an Order of Protection. Often, the police will direct them to Family Court, but once the judge asks about the relationship and hears it was only a couple of dates, the court may say it doesn’t qualify and they may need to pursue a different route (like going back to the District Attorney’s office). People can end up stuck in a loop and getting nowhere.