Ex Continuing To Defame Me Despite A Restraining Order And The Police Are Doing Nothing. Is Suing My Best Option?

Location: Wisconsin, USA

Other party is located in Colorado, USA

Hi all, I’ve made a throwaway because the person who this is about can and will stalk any of my accounts that they can find.

In September of 2024, I was assaulted by my partner at the time. It was a short term relationship that ended a few months later in December once I had the courage to leave, although we did not stop contact until July of 2025. It was incredibly abusive, and I was not able to cut them off because they continually threatened me, blackmailed me, and contacted all of my family and friends whenever I would try to leave. This person still has my nudes, even now, and has used that against me in the past. Ever since I blocked them in July, they have been posting horrible things about me that are untrue, often sexual, and extremely distressing to me.

In September of 2025, after I had blocked them for a month and filed for a restraining order, they decided that they were going to twist the story and accuse me of raping them despite admitting that they were the one to assault me and that I hadn’t done anything prior. There are dozens of instances of them admitting to the crime. They filed a false police report accusing me of sexual assault, kidnapping, and zoophilia. This was done because I live in a small town and am close with the police department - the goal was to humiliate me and have me investigated in another form of harassment. Nothing has come of it yet and I have been assured that the police understand the accusations are false and simply revenge for breaking up with them, but it has still caused a lot of distress for me. They continue to post lies on social media accusing me of these vile things, and even going so far as to claim that the police “know I am guilty” and that I have already been recognized as a rapist in the system when it isn’t the case. I have had to delete all of my social media accounts due to harassment from them and others they associated with.

I ended up getting a restraining order against them in October of 2025 for harassment, which was granted and I was given the maximum of 4 years. There was an extra clause added to the restraining order restricting them from posting about me in any capacity. Since then, they have posted about me over 500 times, including personal information and more defamation. I reported these posts to the police in the beginning, but after nothing continued to be done, I gave up on reporting it. I feel like I wasted money in getting this restraining order if it doesn’t stop the main thing I wanted it to.

It has caused significant mental distress for me, even after deleting social media, because friends and family are aware of their account and send me the things that they post. I am dealing with potential chronic illnesses that are caused by stress as well as mental health issues. I do not know what it is going to take for this to stop. Even now, they still claim that we are together and that I am going to go back to them.

What can I do from here? From what I’ve gathered, suing would be the best option given the nature of the posts and the harm that has been caused. I have the evidence to prove that the statements are untrue. However, my issue is money. I don’t think I have enough to afford a lawyer to sue them. I don’t know what the next steps would be, given the restraining order isn’t being enforced and I am still facing these issues. Are there other options to sue beyond hiring a lawyer? Is there some way to have financial aid with something like this? Is there any way I could get this order enforced? I just want it to stop.

Thank you in advance.

TLDR: ex who assaulted me is continuing to post defamation about me despite a restraining order barring them from doing so. The restraining order is not being enforced. I do not have enough money to sue but am unsure of what else to do.