The legal obligations either party may have within a divorce decree can be enforced by filing an appropriate petition with the trial court. If the trial court finds that a party to the divorce decree has willfully failed and refused to comply with the legal obligations contained therein, the trial court has the discretion and authority to either force that party to comply or punish the non-compliant party by the exercise of its contempt powers. In an appropriate case, and if certain defenses fail, the trial court can entered monetary judgments against the non-compliant party that include the accrual of interest; can order that the non-compliant party be incarcerated until he or she elects to comply; can incarcerate the non-compliant party as punishment up to five days for each and every separate finding of non-compliance; and/or can order the non-compliant party to pay the attorney fees that the petitioner has incurred for having to seek enforcement of the divorce decree.
At Boyd, Fernambucq & Dunn, P.C. our experienced litigators are prepared to discuss any modification or enforcement actions that may be warranted. We can also defend clients in modification and enforcement actions. If you would like to schedule a consultation with any of our lawyers in order to discuss modification and/or enforcement issues, please contact the particular lawyer’s assistant with whom you would like to schedule an appointment by obtaining their email address here, or by locating this information under the particular lawyer’s attorney profile.
Phone: (205) 930-9000
Address: 4914 Cahaba River Rd. Birmingham, AL 35243
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*Photo Credits: Misty Phillips Photography