How Can You Enforce Property Division Court Orders After a Divorce?

When you get divorced in Colorado, the court may order you and your spouse to follow certain guidelines if you can't come to an agreement on your own. For instance, the court order can tell you how property needs to be divided or how much has to be paid in child support. What should you do if your spouse simply refuses to do what the court has mandated?

For property division issues, there is a form that you must file -- you may want the assistance of a lawyer to ensure that you have the right form and that it is all filled out properly -- so that the court can take the action that your spouse won't take.

For example, if your spouse is supposed to sign the house over into your name so that you can live there with your children, then you need form JDF 1814. This asks the court to transfer the title to you. In this fashion, you may be able to take sole ownership of the home.

For child support and monetary issues, there are a few things that can be done. One example is wage garnishment. This can also be used for spousal support.

Wage garnishment is the removal of the funds that are owed to you from your spouse's paychecks. This happens before payment is made, cutting your spouse out of the process. The funds are then rerouted to you. If ordered, an employer must agree to garnish wages in accordance with the court.

It can be frustrating when your spouse ignores court orders and will not give you what is rightfully yours, so you must know how to enforce those orders when necessary.

Source: Colorado Judicial Branch, "How to Enforce Orders Related to Property Rights," accessed June 04, 2015

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