My ex husband and I have a court order that he is suppose to pay several bills and refinance them out of my name in 60 days. He has not done this, the bill collectors are still calling me and I have been paying them to keep my credit good. We signed the order in mediation on 1/14/2010 and he tells the collectors that he cannot pay them. He tells me he is not because all he will get is a judgement against him. What are the normal punishments for contempt of court for this incident?
I have tried to get him into court for almost a year on separation breech and never did so we went to mediation to handle this. His lawyer never could make sourt but he made mediation. I cannot financially afford to keep paying the bills he pays, so I need this comtempt hearing quickly how do I get that?
If the judge finds that your ex is in wilful violation of a court order, he can be sent to jail until he complies with the order.
You need to file a motion for contempt, and get a date from the clerk. You will want to prepare and Order to Appear and show cause as well, which the clerk will fill out for you.
Do I have to pay the bills even though he is ordered to? I do not want to ruin my credit, one of the bills is in my name solely and the other two are joint. One is tied to the house which I took over in the separation because the land was mine before the marriage.
The day after we signed the order he quit his job, I guess he figures if he doesn’t have a job he doesn’t have to pay.
Thank you so much for your response on the previous question.
In so far as the creditors are concerned, you do have to pay the bills in order to protect your credit. The order that requires your ex to pay them does not bind the creditors, and they can and will still come after you.