When a party fails to comply with the terms of the court’s order, including the agreed-upon terms of the parties’ settlement agreement, the wronged party can ask the court to hold the offending party in contempt.

If the court finds a party to be in contempt, it means he or she has violated the court’s order.

The most common contempt issues in family law matters are those involving non-payment of alimony or child support or reimbursement of children’s expenses and denial of parenting time.

It is important to note that even if a parent is not paying child support as ordered, he or she is still permitted to exercise parenting time.

If the court finds a party to be in contempt, punishment can range from the party simply being ordered to comply, to the offending party being incarcerated until he or she complies with the judge’s order.

It is common for the offending party to be ordered to pay the other party’s attorney’s fees.

Whenever faced with the possibility of incarceration, it is strongly advisable to have an attorney represent you. Our attorneys will always try to help resolve the issue without involving the Court.

If that is not possible, we are as proficient and strategic in defending clients facing contempt as we are in prosecuting them.