Contempt and Enforcement Actions

There are several ways that the court can enforce an order that is not being followed. For example, it may find the other party in contempt of court, it may garnish wages by an income deduction order, suspend the offending person’s driver’s license, fines can be imposed, timesharing can be limited or modified, and the party can be arrested.

When the offending person is properly served, the Florida court will retain jurisdiction over the case including the enforcement. When a party refuses to follow the court’s alimony or child support order, a motion for contempt is filed. For the motion to be successful, the moving party has the burden of showing the court that the non-paying party had failed to make the payments when due and is currently in arrears. The court must also find that the non-paying party has the current ability to pay. Also, you must show the court that the nonpaying spouse has the present ability to pay. It is not a defense to contempt if the nonpaying spouse is voluntarily unemployed. Furthermore, it is not a defense for the nonpaying spouse to claim he has been denied timesharing. Once child support or alimony payments are past due, they are said to be vested and cannot be the subject of modification. Furthermore, the failure to pay child support can be enforced even after a child has reached the age of majority.

In certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to amend the Final Judgment. The income of a party may have changed warranting a modification of child support or alimony awards. The circumstances surrounding a parenting plan and a timesharing schedule with the minor children may also warrant a modification. Filing for a modification can open the case to be re-examined by the court.