What is needed in order to make a Court Order for visitation or child support enforceable be contempt?
In order for a Court Order to be enforceable by contempt, it must use “command language” and be clear, specific, and unambiguous, so that the parties will know exactly what they have ordered to do or not to do. In the case of visitation, the court order must command the party who has the children to “surrender” them to the other party at the start of the visitation period, and order the party to return the children at the end of the visitation period. Additionally, the Order should identify the specific place where the children are to be exchanged, and state in specific detail the time when each period of visitation is to begin and end. In the case of child support, the court order must state the specific amount to be paid, to whom the payments are to be made, the date on which the payments are to begin, where the payments are to be made, and when the payments are to end (which will be either a specific date, or the occurrence of a specific event).
