If a parent fails to follow the court’s child custody order, the other party may file a motion for contempt to bring the issue before the court.

A motion for contempt—as the name implies—is based on the uncooperative party’s contempt for the judge/court’s order. Ignoring the court’s order will have serious potential consequences, including loss of custody and payment of the other parent’s attorney fees and costs in filing the motion for contempt (coercive civil contempt).

And in some cases of repeated failures to comply with the custody order, the court may punish the uncooperative parent with jail time (criminal contempt).

In Arizona, when a parent does not comply with a court-issued child custody order, the other parent has the right to file a motion for contempt to address the violation. This motion is a formal request to the court to enforce the order and penalize the non-compliant parent for their disregard of the court's authority. Consequences for failing to follow a custody order can be severe and may include a change in custody arrangements, being ordered to pay the other parent's attorney fees and costs associated with filing the motion, and in extreme cases, jail time. The latter is considered criminal contempt and is typically reserved for persistent and egregious violations of the court's order. Civil contempt, on the other hand, aims to compel compliance with the order rather than to punish, and may involve financial penalties or other measures to ensure the parent fulfills their custody obligations.