Kirkland Contempt Attorneys

A court-ordered action is a legally-binding command instructing a person to do (or in certain events, to abstain from doing) something. Therefore, when a judge orders payment of child support, spousal maintenance, or ratifies a parenting plan, failure comply results in the breach of a legal obligation. When a party fails to obey a court order, they can be held in contempt of court, which allows the court to take measures to ensure the enforcement of its orders. The courts are enabled by law to chose from several options ranging from remedial measures to civil or criminal charges to ensure compliance. It is therefore possible to seek enforcement actions for failure to meet child support, child custody, spousal maintenance, or parenting plan obligations outlined on our website.

Our Kirkland contempt attorneys are here to help.

In general legal matters, and especially given the particular delicacy of family affairs, the law requires parents to deal in good faith. For example, if a parent fails or intentionally refuses to comply with a temporary or permanent parenting plan or tries to stop the other parent from doing so, it is possible to file a motion for contempt to enforce the accomplishment of the issued order or inversely to cease the interfering behaviour. The court may also require the person in contempt to pay the legal expenses incurred by the other party, which may range from court costs, attorney’s fees or other punitive prescriptions for not abiding by legal obligations.

Depending on the persistence and gravity of the violation, fines or even jail terms may be imposed in the most severe cases of noncompliance. This also goes for failure to abide by spousal maintenance, child support, or any related orders granted during divorce proceedings.  In the instance of parenting plan noncompliance, It should be noted that the law specifically states that even if one parent violates the established plan, the other parent must continue to perform the obligations outlined in the plan and instead take the appropriate legal action or dispute resolution mechanism to resolve the issue. For example, one parent cannot restrict or prevent the other from receiving visitation rights as outlined by the plan because child support payments are late.

Schedule a free initial consultation with one of our Kirkland contempt attorneys today!

When considering the granting of an enforcement action in Kirkland, WA, it is not necessary for the court to find any deliberate or intentional motive on behalf of the defaulting parent. The very fact of not having paid support as ordered is would be sufficient for initiating a motion for contempt. Contact one of our Kirkland contempt attorneys today.