Court orders in family law can be complicated and vague. Family law orders often lack precise language, making it difficult for individuals to fully understand their obligations. Ambiguities can arise from poorly defined terms or conflicting provisions, increasing the likelihood of unintentional noncompliance, which can lead to contempt charges. Our Atlanta legal team has extensive experience handling family law cases. We can help you with any civil contempt of court charges arising from violating court orders related to child support, alimony, or visitation.
There are several types of contempt of court, including civil vs. criminal and direct vs. indirect. While there are some differences, they all involve disrespecting the court or judges.
Direct criminal contempt involves performing some action in a courtroom that violates its policies, such as insulting a judge or disrupting the proceedings. Indirect criminal contempt involves a criminal activity that disrespects the court or its authority, but that occurs outside of the courtroom.
Assaulting a witness or attorney is an example of direct criminal contempt of court, while trying to influence a juror outside of the courtroom is indirect criminal contempt. Both types of criminal contempt can result in punitive actions against the contemnor, such as fines or jail time.
Civil contempt of court is generally the result of someone failing to comply with a court order. The threat of contempt is often enough to compel future compliance. A judge can lift the charges if the contemnor follows the order in question.
Most civil contempt charges are indirect and occur outside of the courtroom. They are the most common type of charges associated with family law cases, such as divorces or child custody hearings. Examples include failure to pay child support or move out of a marital home during divorce proceedings.
Proving contempt of court can be difficult in family law cases. First, there must be an active court order that both parties are aware of and able to comply with. Additionally, the judge must be able to show wilful disobedience of that court order. This can be especially challenging because family law court orders are often vague, with little clarity about how to comply with them.
Our team is dedicated to helping you understand contempt of court in Georgia and why you’ve been placed in contempt. We help with cases that involve:
If our Atlanta contempt of court lawyers determine you’ve been unjustly found in contempt, we’ll work with you to get clarification from the court, modify the order, or compile evidence to fight the claim. We can also assist with filing a case with the proper court if you need to enforce a court order.
Our experienced Atlanta contempt of court lawyer provides answers to some commonly asked questions.
Speaking to an attorney is a smart first move. We can help you establish why you are being held in contempt and what you need to do to resolve the charges.
If a family law court finds you in contempt, a judge will determine what you must do to comply with the violated order. The court can lift charges if you follow the rules of the court order in question.
You have several alternatives to filing contempt charges, including filing a motion to clarify or modify a court order.
