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NISSENBAUM’S STANDARD SET OF
SUMMARIES OF LAW
Contempt
DISCLAIMER
I. Statutory Authority for Contempt, Legal Fees and Interest.
General Laws c. 215, § 34A, as amended through St. 1985, c. 342, provides:
"Actions for contempt against any party for failure to obey any judgment of the probate court relative to support of a wife or children or affecting the custody of children shall be commenced in accordance with the rules of probate courts applicable to domestic relations matters. . . . In entering a judgment of contempt for failure to comply with an order or judgment for monetary payment, there shall be a presumption that the plaintiff is entitled to receive from the defendant, in addition to the judgment on monetary arrears, all of his reasonable attorney's fees and expenses relating to the attempted resolution, initiation and prosecution of the complaint for contempt. . . . Any monetary contempt judgment shall carry with it interest, from the date of filing the complaint, at the rate determined under the provisions of [G. L. c. 231, 6C]." (Emphasis added).4