One of the things we hear about the most from clients and potential clients is about what happens when someone doesn’t follow a court order. Of course, it is ALWAYS our advice to follow any court order that is in place. But if someone else isn’t following a court order or you want to stop following a court order, there are multiple things to think about moving forward, depending on the reason(s) and circumstances.
Order needs to be changed: Let me say it one more time- Judges don’t like it when you don’t follow their order(s), so you should follow any court order that applies to you. If your parenting plan no longer works for you and needs to be changed, you can’t just stop following it without your co-parent’s agreement, you have to ask the Court to modify it. And in the meantime, until it is modified, you have to continue to follow it. If there is an emergency situation let us know, we can ask the court to grant an Order immediately addressing the problem.
The other side isn’t following the order: If your ex-spouse or co-parent isn’t following the court order, contact us to help you enforce the order. This can be via a petition for civil contempt, criminal contempt, and sometimes a breach of contract action. There are strategic and legal reasons for choosing which of these routes to take and we can help.