by Turco Legal | Aug 6, 2026 | Contempt
Key Takeaways Contempt Requires More Than a Violation of an Order. Not every failure to follow a court order results in contempt. In most cases, the court must find that the party knew about the order, had the ability to comply, and willfully chose not to do so.... 
by Damian Turco | May 17, 2026 | Contempt, Guardianship
Contempt is one of the primary enforcement tools in the law. In the Probate and Family Court, judges use it regularly to address noncompliance with court orders, whether those involve parenting time, communication, financial obligations, or other directives. It is a... by Damian Turco | Jan 31, 2025 | Agreements, Contempt, Custody, Divorce, Separation
When custody disputes arise, few scenarios provoke more anxiety than the prospect of one parent taking a child abroad and failing to return. While parental kidnapping may occur domestically, international parental kidnapping is a significantly more complex issue.... by Damian Turco | Nov 29, 2023 | Agreements, Contempt, Divorce, Equitable Distribution
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently decided Rabinowitz v. Schenkman, a case with shocking facts. The parties in Rabinowitz, former spouses, executed a separation agreement, which a probate and family court judge approved and incorporated into a 2014 amended... by Damian Turco | Jun 28, 2022 | Alimony, Attorney's Fees, Child Support, Contempt, Divorce, Equitable Distribution
Hiding assets is a hot topic in divorce. In Massachusetts, one of the court’s goals in a divorce is to divide assets fairly–though not necessarily equally–between the parties. This is done through a process known as equitable distribution. The court... by Turco Legal | Sep 17, 2020 | Appeals, Child Support, Contempt
In a new case, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court addresses the important constitutional safeguards a defendant must receive in a child support contempt matter. Case Facts The parties in the case, Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement v....