How To Handle An Ex-Spouse That Does Not Abide By The Divorce Agreement

A divorce agreement issued by the court is a legally binding contract. As such, if either party refuses to follow the divorce agreement, you have a few options on how to handle this situation.

1. You can have your attorney (or you can do this yourself), send a letter outlining exactly how your ex-spouse is not following the divorce agreement (in other words, how they are in breach of the agreement). Depending on what your divorce agreement states, you may have to give your ex-spouse a certain number of days to rectify their breach.
2. If your ex-spouse ignores your letter or does not fully rectify their breach, then you will have to file a Motion or an Order to Show Cause to the Court. The Motion (or Order to Show Cause) will state that your ex-spouse is in breach and what you are seeking. In many situations, you may be able to request your attorney’s fees.
3. You may also ask the Court for a finding of “contempt” and that your ex-spouse should be incarcerated. If your ex-spouse is found to willfully breach the divorce agreement, and the Court believes the breach is serious enough, they could order that your ex-spouse be incarcerated.

In general terms, these are the most common examples of how an ex-spouse breaches a divorce agreement:

• Failure to pay Child Support: The Court treats the failure to pay child support very seriously. If your ex-spouse is not paying you child support, you should immediately go to court to seek relief.
• Failure to pay Spousal Maintenance (alimony): Similar to not paying child support, the Court will treat this very seriously.
• Failure to follow the parenting time arrangements: Unlike the failure to pay child support or spousal maintenance, here the Court will be more lenient.
• It is important to note that just because your ex-spouse doesn’t pay child support, this does not mean that you can prevent your child from visiting your ex-spouse.

Divorce can present many challenges, even after the divorce is finalized. David Badanes, Esq. and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. can help you and will answer all your questions about the divorce process. David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. can be contacted at 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our web site: www.dbnylaw.com. The Badanes Law Office, P.C. has offices in Northport, Suffolk County and in Uniondale, Nassau County.

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