It’s not worth it, IMO. An Order of Protection (most people know these as Restraining Orders) are pretty much a piece of paper that says “stay away from so-and-so.” A real sociopath like the one your friend knows wouldn’t be deterred at all by the idea of one. Police are also notoriously lazy about actually enforcing the terms of a court-ordered Order of Protection. People very rarely face reap consequences for breaking their terms.

That being said, you should be looking for legal council somewhere else. $1,200 is insane for one, and You can file for one yourself for free. Even if you’re too busy to deal with the legal process, the most I’ve ever seen for one was $600, and that was a complicated situation involving a child between the two parties.