Respond to a motion for contempt

Why did I get contempt papers?

If you received a Motion or Petition for Contempt for not obeying a court order, it’s because the person who filed it believes that you’re purposely not following the court’s order. They’re asking a judge to find you “in contempt” of the order. 

A party can file a Motion for Contempt in the same court and case number as the order they want to enforce. The Prosecuting Attorney can start a new case with a Petition for Contempt to enforce a child support order for the Division of Child Support. The process to respond is the same. We’ll use the word “motion” here to refer to a petition or motion for contempt. 

Do I have to respond to a motion for contempt? 

Sí. No ignore estos papeles. Si no responde a tiempo, la otra parte probablemente obtendrá lo que está pidiendo.

¡Averigüe cuál es su plazo! El plazo para responder a las peticiones varía de un condado a otro. El plazo puede variar de 1 semana a 1 día antes de la audiencia. Puede que no figure en los documentos que ha recibido. Póngase en contacto con la Oficina de la Secretaría del Tribunal Superior o con el Facilitador del Tribunal para preguntar cuál es el plazo para responder. Dígale al funcionario de la secretaría qué tipo de petición ha recibido y cuándo será la audiencia.

Si cree que necesita más tiempo para responder, igual debería prepararse para la audiencia lo mejor que pueda. También comuníquese con la otra parte para ver si estarían de acuerdo en cambiar (aplazar) la audiencia para una fecha posterior. 

If you can’t respond in time, you can file a Notice of Appearance and ask the judge to reschedule your hearing to a later date. If the judge doesn’t reschedule, you must go to the hearing as scheduled and be as ready as possible. If you don’t go to the hearing, the judge might issue a bench warrant for your arrest. 

Do I have a right to a free lawyer? 

Sometimes the judge can send you to jail for contempt. If you receive contempt papers asking for jail time and you have a low income, you may have a “right to counsel” – a lawyer that you don’t have to pay. 

To find out if you qualify for a public defender or court-appointed attorney, contact your local public defender office. If there’s no local public defender, ask your family law facilitator, if your county has one, or your court clerk for a referral. If this doesn’t work, ask for a court- appointed lawyer in your response and at the start of your hearing.

The public defender will probably represent you only for the contempt hearing. The public defender won’t help you file your own motion or other action, such as a petition to modify child support order.

Even if you don’t qualify for a public defender, you should still try to talk to a lawyer.  A lawyer can advise you about important legal rights. Example: You might want to file your own motion for contempt or ask for a change in the order the other party claims you’ve violated.  A lawyer can advise you what to do.