Reasons To Take Your Ex To Court For Contempt Of Court

After a judge pronounces you and your spouse divorced, you will both receive a document that contains all the orders and agreements of the divorce. This document is called a divorce decree. If either party breaks the arrangement, the other spouse has the right to file a motion with the court for contempt charges. Contempt of court is a serious issue that you can avoid by following the decree, but failing to follow it can land you in legal trouble. Here are some common reasons spouses will take their ex-spouses to court for contempt charges.

Child Support Payments

Not paying child support is probably the most common reason that spouses take their ex-spouses to court. If the court told your ex-spouse that he or she must pay you child support, this is not an option; it is a court order. Therefore, if he or she does not follow through with these payments, your ex is disobeying the court. You can file a motion for contempt of court if this happens, and the court will enforce the terms of the agreement.

Surrendering Property

There are also times when one spouse was told to give property to the other but he or she does not follow through. Suppose your ex was supposed to provide you with the dining room furniture but will not. You could take him or her to court to have this issue enforced. If the divorce decree backs your side of the story, the judge will order him or her to hand over the furniture.

Paying Debts

In some cases, spouses may have trouble getting the other one to pay a debt that the other is supposed to pay. For example, if the decree states that your ex must pay a medical bill that is in your name, he or she must pay this bill. You can file a motion if your ex refuses to do so.

Breaking Visitation Rules

The other common issue that couples have involves visitation agreements. If your spouse is not letting you see the children on scheduled visitation days, you should pursue contempt of court charges against him or her.

These are four of the most common reasons that spouses file contempt charges against each other. If you are in a situation where your ex-spouse is not following the agreement, you can talk to a divorce attorney to find out how to file contempt charges against him or her.

Share