Muscogee County GA child support attorney
Enforcing child support obligations in Columbus GA
When a person willfully disobeys a lawful child support order, he or she can be jailed for contempt of court. The civil contempt lawsuit is filed by the custodial parent. After that, the nonpaying parent should be served with process because he or she has the Constitutional right to attend the hearing and present a defense. If the nonpaying parent is served with process but does not attend the court, the court can order a bench warrant issued for his or her arrest.
If the court finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the parent has willfully failed to pay pursuant to a valid child support order, the court can order the nonpaying parent imprisoned. A parent who can prove that they did not have the ability to pay may not be found in contempt of court, even though he or she will continue to owe the money.
Many times, the simple threat of prison term is enough to pry open the recalcitrant parents pocketbook. yet, in severe cases, parents will be jailed and generally the jail sentence will be open-ended, terminating only when the proper payment has been made.
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The Law office of Scot Sikes handles family law in Columbus GA. Scot Sikes is a Columbus GA divorce lawyer & Georgia child custody attorney.
706-494-6900 – www.columbus-divorce.com
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GA Uncontested Divorce – GA Contested Divorce – Separation – Spousal Support – Property Division – Alimony – Military Divorce – Contempt Actions in Divorce Cases – Child Custody modification – Child Support Modification – Child Visitation. Columbus GA Divorce lawyer and uncontested divorce attorney.