Respondent appealed from an order of the circuit court finding him in civil contempt for failure to pay child support and ordering him to pay both arrearage and petitioner’s attorney fees. On appeal, respondent argued that the terms of the joint parenting agreement were ambiguous and that the agreement should be interpreted in a manner that only required him to increase the amount of child support he owed if he earned additional income through a second job, and not because of any increase in income from his primary employment. The appellate court affirmed, rejecting respondent’s argument that the parenting agreement was ambiguous and finding that respondent failed to comply with its plain terms that required respondent to provide financial information to petitioner on an annual basis. (KENNEDY and BIRKETT, concurring)
Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Civil Contempt