Alimony is a crucial part of your life if your day-to-day needs are met. If you are a single parent dependent on the alimony paid to you by your ex-spouse, managing regular chores also becomes a massive task. Contact Newburyport divorce attorneys to get help with all your divorce proceedings.
Things to do right away
The first step you take after a failed payment or a refusal to pay is to go to the family court. You should take the help of an experienced divorce lawyer while doing so to have an airtight case.
After going to court, you will have to produce evidence showing that your ex-partner has not released the alimony payments or that they have not made the payments promptly. The proof you will need has to be written, so you will need a lawyer to gather the evidence for the same and spark in the court on your behalf.
Ways of alimony enforcement
You can choose numerous legal options if your ex-spouse fails to pay the alimony. The first step, as already mentioned, is to go to the family court and file a motion to ask the judge to enforce the alimony court order.
Your ex-spouse is bound to pay once the court issues an order, but if your ex-spouse still refuses to pay, here are some of the measures that the court can take to help you:
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Garnishing your ex-spouse’s wage
The court may give out an order to your ex-spouse’s employer to direct a deducted amount from your ex-spouse’s salary to your account. This will ensure that you get timely alimony from your ex-spouse’s pay.
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The court orders a writ of execution
A writ of execution is a court order where a judge will order seizing some of your ex-spouse’s property to pay your alimony. Restrictions might be placed on the other properties owned by your ex-spouse too. On the sale of the seized property, the proceeds will be given to you in the form of alimony.
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Incarceration
If you have to go to court numerous times to collect your deserved alimony and your ex-spouse continues to ignore the court’s orders, the court shall charge them with contempt of court. The result will be a fine or a jail sentence for your ex-spouse for a short duration or until they pay the alimony.
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Cutting off tax refunds
The court may cut off the tax refunds or any lottery winnings to pay the alimony you were supposed to receive.
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Suspension of the driver’s license
All the government-issued licenses that your ex-spouse has will be suspended, and they will not be allowed to obtain any new ones either.
