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Protection order against Gilbert mayor withdrawn
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HIS HONOR: Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman in his office at Gilbert Municipal Center.
Tribune File
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has withdrawn the order of protection against Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman that was sought by his estranged wife in July.
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Judge Dorothy Paine signed the withdrawal at an Aug. 22 hearing, but court documents about the decision have not yet been publicly released. Lawyers and the judge did not openly discuss the matter during the hearing.
Steve and Michelle Berman are in the middle of a divorce surrounded by several serious accusations. The order of protection was sought by Michelle Berman and put in place July 24, after she claimed the mayor physically abused her for years.
While the order of protection has been removed, several restrictions between Steve and Michelle Berman remain.
The two are not to be within 150 feet of each other's residences or have contact by "phone, e-mail, text messaging, in person or through surrogates," under the new order signed by Paine.
The same restrictions stand between Michelle Berman and the mayor's son, Steve Berman Jr.
The mayor and Michelle Berman have also agreed not to sue each other, records show.
The removal of the order has allowed the mayor to get back his cache of guns and ammunition. The weapons were taken from him in July after a court commissioner decided he was too volatile to possess them.
Berman picked up his guns Aug. 27 and followed proper procedures, police said.
It's not clear why it has taken more than two weeks for the court to release documents about the order's withdrawal. Maricopa County Clerk's Office officials couldn't be reached for comment Friday.
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