How Bad Does Your Divorce Have To Be For Someone To Go To Jail?
The anger, fear, frustration, and self-doubt that an unhappy marriage followed by a divorce makes you feel can last years. People who otherwise seem upbeat, who act like thumbnail images of their faces should pop up when you enter the phrase “toxic positivity” in the search bar on Google, show their bitterness when they talk about their former spouses whom they divorced years earlier. Most of the threats that your spouse throws in your direction upon being served with divorce papers never come true, though. Your ex cannot take away your right to spend time with your children, and your ex cannot send you to jail unless you are convicted of a crime or unless the court holds you in criminal contempt. Contempt of court, which is where the court imposes a penalty on you for disobeying its previous orders, is a fairly common occurrence in family law cases. Most of the time the result is only financial penalties, but jail time is a possibility, too. If the court is making unreasonable demands of you in your divorce case, contact a Birmingham divorce lawyer.
A Contempt Order Years in the Making
People only get cast in reality TV series if they have a natural talent for interpersonal conflict, so it should surprise no one that Destiny Payton and La’Berrick Williams are still battling it out in court, years after their divorce became final, since the public knows them from the show Love and Marriage Huntsville. The court order that dissolved their marriage awarded the marital home to Destiny, but it ordered her to refinance the mortgage in her own name. It also ordered her not to disparage La’Berrick in the presence of their son and not to talk about their divorce or co-parenting relationship on the TV show or any of its associated social media content.
Two years later, La’Berrick filed a most divorce action, asking the court to hold Destiny in contempt and ordering her to fulfill various financial obligations related to the divorce and co-parenting. La’Berrick alleged that, not only had Destiny not refinanced the mortgage, but she also had failed to pay her portion of the homeowners’ association fee and of their son’s medical bills. He also claimed that statements she made on the show violated the divorce order provision about not talking publicly about their case.
In 2024, the judge imposed a 45-day suspended jail sentence, meaning that unless Destiny complies with the court’s orders, she will have to serve jail time. Destiny argues that she has not spoken about her divorce on the show; in fact, the show focuses on her relationship with a man she dated after her divorce from La’Berrick.
Contact Peeples Law About De-Escalating Family Court Brinkmanship
A Birmingham family law attorney can help you if your divorce has gotten so ugly that the court has started to issue contempt orders. Contact Peeples Law in Birmingham, Alabama today to schedule a consultation.
Sources:
urbanbellemag.com/2024/08/19/destiny-payton-held-in-contempt-in-divorce-case-receives-suspended-jail-sentence/
