ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Modifications & Enforcement | Haskell & Dyer
A Court Order Is Not Always the End of the Story.
When circumstances change, or when the other side will not follow the order, we go back to court to fix it. An order only helps if it fits your life and actually gets obeyed.
Orders Can Change
Life moves, and your order can move with it.
A custody, support, or alimony order reflects life at one moment. When jobs, homes, or needs change, the order can be modified to match. And when the other side ignores it, the court can step in. You do not have to live with an order that no longer works or is being ignored.
Two Reasons to Return to Court
Changing an Order, or Enforcing One
Post-judgment family law work falls into two buckets. We handle both, for either party.
Modifications
When Circumstances Change
A new job, a move, a change in income, or a shift in your children's needs can all justify changing custody, child support, or alimony. We help you seek a modification that fits your new reality, or defend against one that does not.
Enforcement
When the Order Is Ignored
An order only matters if it is followed. When the other side will not pay support or will not honor the custody schedule, we go back to court to enforce it, including through contempt when the situation calls for it.
What We Handle
The Pieces of Post-Order Work
When an order needs to change or be enforced, these are the matters we take on.
Custody modifications
Support modifications
Alimony changes
Enforcing support
Enforcing custody
Contempt actions
Why It Matters
What Is on the Line
An order that no longer fits, or that goes unenforced, costs you and your children. Fixing it protects both.
Fit
An order that matches your life now
Money
Support that is actually paid
Time
The custody schedule honored
Accountability
Consequences when an order is ignored
The Standard
The Material Change Standard, and How Enforcement Works
Changing an order and enforcing one are two different jobs, with two different standards.
To modify custody, support, or alimony, you generally have to show a material change in circumstances since the last order. For custody, you also have to show the change would serve the child. A new job, a relocation, a real change in income, or a shift in the child's needs can qualify. A small or temporary bump usually does not.
Enforcement is about making the other side follow the order that already exists. For unpaid support, courts have collection tools, including wage withholding. For a parent who willfully ignores a support or custody order, contempt is available, and it can carry real consequences. Denied parenting time can lead to make-up time and other remedies. One rule holds throughout: an order stays in force until a judge changes it, so the answer is to go back to court, not to take matters into your own hands.
Attorney Insight
An order isn't a life sentence, and it isn't a suggestion either. If your situation has really changed, you can ask the court to catch up. And if the other side is ignoring the order, the court has real teeth. The key is going back the right way.
Matthew J. Dyer, Esq.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer
How We Handle These
Whether you need to change an order or force the other side to follow one, we bring it back to court the right way.
We Show the Change
A modification needs a real, significant change in circumstances. We build and document the case for it clearly.
We Defend Your Order
If the other side seeks a change that would hurt you or your children, we make the case for keeping what works.
We Enforce Compliance
When support or custody is ignored, we use the court's tools to make the other side follow the order.
We Pursue Contempt
When a party willfully refuses to obey, we pursue contempt so the order carries real consequences.
Common Questions
Modifications & Enforcement, Answered
When can a custody or support order be changed?
An order can be modified when there is a significant change in circumstances since the last order, and, for custody, when a change would serve the child. A new job, a move, a change in income, or a change in the child's needs can all qualify. A minor or temporary change usually is not enough. We help you show the change clearly, or defend against a weak one.
What can I do if my ex won't pay support?
You can ask the court to enforce the order. Courts have tools to collect unpaid support, and a parent who willfully refuses to pay can face serious consequences, including contempt. Unpaid support generally does not just vanish. We help you bring the matter back to court and pursue what you and your children are owed.
What if the other parent won't follow the custody schedule?
Custody orders are enforceable. If the other parent repeatedly denies your time or ignores the schedule, the court can step in, and in serious cases that can include contempt or a change to the arrangement. Keep a record of the missed time. We help you enforce your parenting time and hold the other parent accountable.
What is a contempt action?
Contempt is a way to enforce an order when someone willfully refuses to follow it. If a party ignores a support or custody order without a valid reason, the court can find them in contempt and impose consequences to compel compliance. It is a strong tool, used when other efforts fail. We pursue it when the situation calls for it.
How fast can an order be modified?
It depends on the issue and whether the other side agrees. A modification both parties consent to can move faster, while a contested one takes longer and may require a hearing. Either way, an order stays in force until the court changes it, so it is important to act through the court rather than informally. We help you move as efficiently as the situation allows.
Order Outdated, or Being Ignored? Let's Fix It.
When life changes or the other side will not comply, you do not have to live with it. Reach out and we will take your custody, support, or alimony order back to court to change it or enforce it.
Prefer to talk now? Reach us at 301-627-5844
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC
Fax: 301-627-5848
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