Columbiana County Contempt & Enforcement Attorneys

Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated May 27, 2026

Columbiana County, Ohio · Lisbon

If the other party isn't following the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court's order — not paying support, not following the parenting schedule, not transferring property as ordered — you can file a Motion for Contempt at 105 S. Market Street, Lisbon. Columbiana uses Ohio Supreme Court Form 24 (Motion for Contempt) together with Form 25 (Show Cause Order and Notice). Contempt can be civil (designed to force compliance) or criminal (designed to punish the violation).

Hire Gavvl for your Columbiana County contempt case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Columbiana County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start.

Start with a $25 consultation and talk through your options with an Ohio family-law attorney before you commit to anything. Get started online or see payment plans & financing.

How do I file a contempt motion in Columbiana County, Ohio?

File a Motion for Contempt (Ohio Supreme Court Form 24) together with the Show Cause Order and Notice (Form 25) at the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas, 105 South Market Street, Lisbon, OH 44432. The motion must describe the specific court order being violated and how, attach a certified copy of the order and a sworn affidavit of facts, and request a show-cause hearing. The other party must be served and given the chance to respond. The filing fee for any post-decree motion is $100. Possible remedies include fines, jail, purge conditions, attorney fees, and make-up parenting time.

Enforce your Columbiana County order with Gavvl Law

When the other party stops paying support, ignores the parenting schedule, or won't transfer property the decree ordered, a Columbiana County contempt motion puts the court's power behind your order. You file Ohio SC Form 24 (Motion for Contempt) together with Form 25 (Show Cause Order and Notice) at 105 South Market Street in Lisbon for a $100 fee, attaching a certified copy of the order and a sworn affidavit of the violations. Gavvl Law builds the motion the court will act on and sets one flat fee up front, with payment plans available.

Form 24 and Form 25 filed together. A Columbiana contempt case needs both the Motion for Contempt and the Show Cause Order the court signs to compel the other party to appear, and unpaid-medical claims add the Local Rule 9.15 Explanation of Medical Bills. We file the complete set so a show-cause hearing is actually set.
Quote the exact order being violated. The county won't hold anyone in contempt over a vague or ambiguous order, so we pin the motion to the specific paragraph and page of the decree and back it with a contemporaneous log of missed payments or denied parenting time.
Purge conditions and recoverable fees. Civil contempt is coercive — the court finds the violation but stays the penalty behind purge conditions like paying arrears, restoring missed parenting time, or transferring the asset. Ohio also lets the prevailing party recover reasonable attorney fees, so we keep the billing records to ask for them.

Because a $100 contempt motion and a $100 modification motion often belong together — enforcing the current order while asking for a new one going forward — we file them side by side when both apply. The case is heard by DR Magistrates Allison and Lyle-Opalenik, and we prepare your documentation for the show-cause hearing at the Common Pleas Court in Lisbon.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the motion for contempt / show cause to enforce an order the other party is violating. You appear at any hearing.

Contempt (single issue): $950
Contempt (multiple issues): $1,450

Prefer full representation? An Ohio attorney can carry the entire case on a $3,500 retainer.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan at 19% APR, $500 minimum — on a 60%-down schedule of 18 weekly, 8 bi-weekly, or 4 monthly payments, or full financing where work begins once 60% is paid. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

Start your contempt case or see payment plans & financing.

Where to File: Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas (Domestic Relations)

105 South Market Street, Lisbon, OH 44432
Phone: (330) 424-7777
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Website: Court website

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Columbiana County Juvenile Court (Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center)
260 West Lincoln Way, Lisbon, OH 44432
Phone: (330) 424-4071
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (filings before 3:30 PM)

Post-Decree Contempt is the right path if…

The other party isn't paying child support or spousal support as ordered.
The other party isn't following the parenting-time schedule in the decree.
The other party hasn't transferred property (house, vehicle, retirement, account) as ordered.
The other party let court-ordered health insurance lapse.
Any willful violation of any clear, specific provision in the court's order.

If circumstances have changed and you need a new order going forward, you may want a modification motion instead — or alongside. See post-decree modifications.

Filing Fees

$100 per contempt motion · Civil contempt purge conditions can include payment plans, make-up parenting time, or property transfer · Criminal contempt carries fines and possible jail

Forms & Filing Packets

Core contempt motion packet — $100

Required in every Columbiana County contempt filing.

Motion for Contempt (Supreme Court Form 24) — Asks the court to enforce an existing order against a party who willfully violated it. Tip: Attach the certified copy of the order being violated and a sworn affidavit of facts.
Show Cause Order and Notice (Supreme Court Form 25) — Court order directing the alleged contemnor to appear and show why they should not be held in contempt. Filed alongside the Motion for Contempt.

Support enforcement add-on

Attach when the violation is unpaid child support or spousal support. Include payment history from CSEA's case management system (or your own records if private-pay).

Columbiana County Financial Affidavit (local — replaces OSC Affidavit 1) — Columbiana County uses its own local Financial Affidavit in place of the Ohio Supreme Court Affidavit 1. Both parties must file their own.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.

Parenting-time enforcement add-on

Attach when the violation is parenting-time interference or custody-exchange refusal. A contemporaneous log of denied parenting time helps the court enter make-up time.

Columbiana County Custody Affidavit (UCCJEA — local) — Local UCCJEA affidavit required in any DR case with minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years.

How to File Post-Decree Contempt in Columbiana County

Identify the specific order being violated. Quote the paragraph and page of the decree or post-decree order that the other party is not following. Vague allegations get dismissed.
Document the violations in writing. Keep a contemporaneous log: dates, missed payments, denied parenting time, missed exchanges. Save texts, emails, and CSEA payment histories.
Draft Form 24 and Form 25. The Motion for Contempt (Form 24) describes the order, the violations, and the relief sought. The Show Cause Order (Form 25) is the order the court signs directing the other party to appear and show why they should not be held in contempt.
File at 105 South Market Street, Lisbon. File Form 24 and Form 25 together and pay the $100 filing fee. Include the certified copy of the order being violated and a sworn affidavit of facts.
Attend the show-cause hearing. The other party will be served and ordered to appear. Bring your documentation. The court may find civil contempt, set purge conditions, impose fines or jail (often suspended), and order attorney fees.

Columbiana County Practice Notes

Form 24 + Form 25 together. Columbiana contempt filings need both the OSC Motion for Contempt (Form 24) and the Show Cause Order and Notice (Form 25), which the court signs to order the other party to appear. For unpaid medical bills, Local Rule 9.15 also requires the Explanation of Medical Bills form.
The order must be clear and specific. Columbiana County will not hold a party in contempt for violating a vague or ambiguous order. If the decree language is fuzzy, you may need a modification motion to clarify it first.
Purge conditions are the heart of civil contempt. Civil contempt is coercive — the court usually finds the violator in contempt but stays the penalty if they comply with specific purge conditions (pay the arrears, restore missed parenting time, transfer the asset). Failure to purge triggers the suspended sentence.
Attorney fees are recoverable. Ohio law allows the prevailing party in a successful family-law contempt action to recover reasonable attorney fees. Keep contemporaneous billing records and a clear timeline of the violations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I file a modification or a contempt motion?: File a modification motion (Forms 26, 27, or 28) when circumstances have changed and you want a new order going forward. File a Motion for Contempt (Form 24) plus the Show Cause Order (Form 25) when the existing order is being violated and you want the court to enforce it. The two can be filed together when both apply.
How much does it cost to file in Columbiana County DR?: Dissolution, divorce, legal separation, and annulment are all $300 flat. Post-decree motions are $100. A QDRO filing is $60. An Answer and Cross-Complaint with a service request is $60. Out-of-county Sheriff service is $60. Service by publication is $650. CPO petitions have no filing fee.
Who hears Columbiana County DR cases?: The General Division judges are Hon. Scott Washam and Hon. Megan L. Bickerton. The DR Magistrates are J. Bradley Allison and Lynsey Lyle-Opalenik, who hear most contested matters and motions. Anthony J. Dattilio is the Clerk of Courts.
When do I file in Juvenile Court instead of DR?: If the parents were never married, custody, parenting time, and child support are filed in the Columbiana County Juvenile Court at the Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center, 260 West Lincoln Way, Lisbon — (330) 424-4071, Judge Thomas M. Baronzzi. All juvenile filings must be made before 3:30 p.m. If you were married, those issues travel with the divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment in DR.

Free Local Resources in Columbiana County

Columbiana County Clerk of Courts (Anthony J. Dattilio). 105 South Market Street, Lisbon, OH 44432. Phone (330) 424-7777.
Columbiana County Local Rules. ccclerk.org/common-pleas-court-rules — Local Rules 9.4, 9.41, 9.42 and DR procedure.
Ohio Supreme Court Standardized Forms. supremecourt.ohio.gov — used for the complaint, decree, parenting plans, and post-decree motions.
Columbiana County Local Forms (ccclerk.org). Case Designation Sheet, Personal Information Form, Financial Affidavit, UCCJEA, IV-D Application.
Local Companionship Schedules. Rule 9.4 (Uniform), Rule 9.41 (Long Distance), Rule 9.42 (Transitional) — linked from ccclerk.org.
Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center. 260 West Lincoln Way, Lisbon — (330) 424-4071. Judge Thomas M. Baronzzi. Filings before 3:30 p.m.
Columbiana County Law Library. columbianacountylawlibrary.org — research and self-help resources.
Ohio Child Support Calculator. ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov — run the worksheet and print it for filing.
Ohio Legal Help. ohiolegalhelp.org — plain-language guides and form walkthroughs.

Related to your contempt case

Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.
Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.

Related guides

In-depth, attorney-written guides on contempt and related Ohio family law topics.

Contempt Motions in Ohio Family Court: Enforcing Your Order — When the other parent ignores a court order — withholding the children or refusing to pay support — a contempt motion is how Ohio courts enforce it. Here's how the process works.
Post-Decree Modifications in Ohio: Changing Your Order After Divorce — Your divorce decree isn't carved in stone. When life changes, Ohio lets you modify custody, parenting time, and support — but each requires meeting a specific legal standard. Here's how.