ENFORCEMENT OF COURT ORDERS

Once a court issues a Court Order, the provisions within that Court Order are enforceable by Contempt proceedings. This means that the Court can hold a person accountable if he/she does not abide by the terms of an order.

What needs to be proved for the Court to hold a person in contempt?

In order to find someone in contempt of court, the Court must find that (1) the person violated a court order, (2) the violation of the Court order was willful

What happens if someone is found in contempt of court?

If the Court finds that someone is in contempt, there is an arsenal of remedies that the court can impose upon the violator. Some of these remedies include:

• The Court can order the violator to comply with the Court Order
  
• The Court can order the violator to “purge” the contempt by paying a certain sum of money or doing a specific action
  
• The Court can incarcerate the violator
  
• The Court can order that the violator pay the other party’s attorney’s fees