A court order on child custody and visitation is binding. You’d think, then, that your child’s other parent would adhere to its terms. If you’re reading this, though, then it’s clear that the other parent has no qualms with disobeying the court’s order to your and your child’s detriment. While your first step here should be to discuss the matter with the other parent to see if you can work the issue out on your own, that simply may not be possible if they won’t listen to you.
What can you do if the other parent consistently violates an existing custody order?
You have a few options here. One of them is to seek to have the other parent held in contempt. To do so, you’ll need to file a motion with the court that specifies what provisions of the court’s order have been violated and how the parent has willfully failed to abide by the court’s order. If you’re successful in having the other parent held in contempt, then they’ll be punished in a way to coerce their compliance with the court’s order. This may include imposing a fine or even jail time.
Another option is to seek a custody modification. If the other parent is unwilling to abide by the court order and it’s harmful to your child, then perhaps the time they get to spend with their child should be limited even further. This could be the only way to fully protect your child’s best interests.
Act swiftly to protect your child’s best interests
Your child’s wellbeing is on the line when a custody dispute arises. That’s why it’s so important for you to act quickly to gather evidence to support whatever requests of the court you need to make. If you need to know more about the best way to build and present your case, then we encourage you to continue reading up on how to approach child custody cases in our state.
