The primary tools that Tennessee family law courts have to enforce orders come from their contempt powers.  Contempt actions are specific law suits filed which seek to enforce court orders or punish those who willfully violate them. 

 

When one party has been ordered to do something, or not to do something, and they willfully violate that order, they may be subject to a contempt action.  There are two types of contempt actions that a party can file to seek enforcement of a valid, enforceable, and unambiguous court order - civil or criminal.  While both types of contempt carry the threat of the offending party being sentenced to jail time, there are many key differences between the two.  For example, certain constitutional rights attach to the defendant in a criminal contempt action which do not apply in a civil contempt action.  These types of actions are common where a party has failed to pay alimony or child support, refuses to follow a court-ordered parenting time schedule, or refuses to turn over marital property awarded to the other party. 

 

If you are interested in a consultation regarding prosecuting or defending against a contempt action, give our office a call today for a free case consultation.