Contempt

Sometimes a party will not do something that he or she is required to do under the terms of a judgment or other court order. If that happens, the court has the power to hold that party in contempt of court. For example, if a husband has the money to pay court-ordered spousal support, but refuses to do so, the wife may file a contempt proceeding. If the court finds that the husband willfully disobeyed his obligation to pay support, the court can hold him in contempt and impose a wide range of sanctions on him until he complies with his support obligation. The only defense to this type of contempt proceeding is that the disobedient party does not have the ability to pay the support.

Peter has represented clients in a variety of contempt proceedings. If your former partner or spouse is not complying with a court order, he will work with you to determine whether you have a claim for contempt. If your former partner or spouse seeks to hold you in contempt, Peter will work with you to assess the merits of the contempt claim, and will work with you to resolve the issue outside of a courtroom.