Whether you are on the receiving end of a Jefferson County child support order or you are required to pay Child Support, it’s important you understand how child support orders are enforced in Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and Mountainview. When child support is ordered, it is assumed that the parent will pay as required. However, when someone fails to make their payments as ordered, there are laws set to enforce child support.
Contempt of Court for Non-Payment of Child Support in Arvada
The most commonly used avenue for enforcing child support payments is filing a Motion for Contempt of Court. There are two types contempt related to child support in Arvada:
- Remedial Contempt: If you file for remedial contempt in Jefferson County, you are basically asking a judge to place the parent who is not paying in the Jefferson County Jail until they pay some or all of what is owed. The only proof you must provide is that the child support hasn’t been paid. This is not always the best road to take, though, because if the parent is in custody and unable to work, it makes it that much harder for them to make payments.
- Punitive Contempt: If you file for punitive contempt, then you are asking a judge to impose a punishment on the other party for failing to pay as ordered. While jail time can be a punishment through punitive contempt, other punishments are possible as well, like added fines. With this type of contempt, you have to prove that the parent has the ability to pay, but is simply refusing to do so.
Child Support and Court Orders in Jefferson County
Should a Jefferson County judge find that a parent is in contempt for failing to pay child support, there are other actions the judge can take to remedy the situation:
- Garnish the non-paying parent’s wages
- Garnish the non-paying parent’s assets like bank accounts
- Place a property lien (either house, land, vehicle or valuables)
- Force the sale of property
- Intercept tax refunds
- Intercept state lottery winnings
- Intercept unemployment funds
- Intercept gambling winnings
- Intercept any income earned from the state
Other penalties include suspension of professional, occupational or recreational licenses, reporting the delinquency to credit reporting agencies, and suspension of a driver’s license. A criminal case can even be filed for non-payment of child support.
If you are behind on your child support or if you are not receiving child support payments, call the experienced family law attorneys from the Pearman Law Firm at 303-991-7600 to learn about your options.
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