Why Hire A Contempt Lawyer?
A person is in contempt of court when that person fails to follow the order given by the judge. If you have obtained a judgment and court order against someone for child support, alimony, child custody, or visitation and that person is not following through with the court order, then you might need some help. The failure to abide by the court order can cause hardship for another person, such as a situation in which an alimony or child support payment is late and the receiving person cannot pay their own bills timely. In many instances, the child will suffer as much as the former spouse.
The key to a judge finding someone in contempt is to ascertain whether the person failed to follow the judgment by choice or whether it was involuntary. The loss of a job would be considered a reason for involuntary contempt and this is a reason that would be considered acceptable by a judge. However, going on an expensive vacation would be considered voluntary contempt, as that money should have been used to pay the support. If a person is found in contempt by choosing not to pay or abide by the court order, then that person could be fined by the court, and/or ordered to pay the other party’s attorney fees.
Since there are so many potential reasons for a person to seek the enforcement of a previously entered Court Order, and enforcement/contempt matters can be rather complex, it is important to hire an attorney who is experienced in such matters to assist you. This is true whether you are the person who is claiming an opposing party has not complied with a previously entered Court Order or if you’re being accused of not following the terms of a previously entered Court Order. Either way, you should retain an experienced attorney to assist you in what could be a very serious situation.
Heather and Drew have the experience to ensure that all of the evidence is gathered in a timely fashion as well as the presentation skills to make certain the evidence is portrayed in the best possible light in Court. Emotions tend to run high and the outcome affects many people in these types of cases, not just the parties involved in the dispute but also any children who might be involved. For something as important as an enforcement/contempt matter, we would strongly recommend you have an attorney on your side who will get the job done right.