J.S.

INTRODUCTION

This is the second time we reverse a domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) issued for J.S.’s protection. In a prior appeal, we reversed a three-year DVRO that J.S. obtained against her former fiancé, D.A. (appellant), because the trial court failed to address appellant’s request to be transported from the San Diego County Jail to court for the evidentiary hearing before proceeding without him. ([J.S. v. D.A.] (Apr. 10, 2025, D083669) [nonpub. opn.].) In this appeal, J.S. petitioned for another DVRO against appellant because the abuse had not stopped. Appellant, now an inmate at a correctional facility, requested that the trial court order the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to prepare him to appear telephonically at the evidentiary hearing. As before, but with a different bench officer, the court failed to address his request and issued a five-year DVRO at a hearing without him. We must again reverse and remand to the court for proceedings consistent with appellant’s right to meaningful access to the courts. Indigent inmates in bona fide civil actions that threaten their interests have a right to meaningful access to the courts to…