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Contempt of Court Order

Worcester Contempt of Court Order Lawyers
Serving Worcester, Middlesex and Hampden Counties

A family court order, whether it covers custody, visitation, support, or property, is only as good as its enforcement. When a former spouse or co parent ignores a court order, filing a complaint for contempt is often the most direct path to getting the order enforced. Rudolf, Griffis, Ruggieri & Murray represents clients on both sides of contempt actions, whether you are seeking enforcement or responding to an allegation.

Contempt is a serious legal matter that can carry real consequences, so it is worth handling carefully from the start.

What Counts As Contempt

  • Failing to pay court ordered child support or alimony.
  • Denying court ordered visitation or parenting time.
  • Failing to follow a property division order.
  • Refusing to comply with any other clear, enforceable family court order.
  • The violation must generally be willful, not the result of a genuine inability to comply.

What Happens In A Contempt Case

To succeed in a contempt action, you generally need to show the court order was clear, the other party knew about it, and they willfully failed to comply. If the court finds contempt, remedies can include back payments, makeup parenting time, attorney’s fees, and in some cases, other penalties.

If you are the one accused of contempt, it is important to respond promptly and be prepared to explain your circumstances, especially if noncompliance was genuinely outside your control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Civil contempt is meant to compel compliance with a court order and is the type typically used in family law cases. Criminal contempt involves punishment for the violation and is far less common in family court matters.

Consequences can include an order to pay back support, makeup parenting time, payment of the other party’s attorney’s fees, and in more serious cases, other penalties the court finds appropriate.

Inability to comply, such as a genuine job loss affecting your ability to pay support, can be a defense against a contempt finding, but you need to raise it and typically should have sought a modification rather than simply stopping compliance.

It varies, but contempt actions are often resolved faster than a full custody or divorce case, since the underlying order already exists and the question is narrower: did a violation occur.

In serious or repeated cases of willful noncompliance, particularly involving support, incarceration is a possible remedy, though it is not the typical outcome for a first violation.

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