Our system of justice presumes that court orders will be obeyed. When they are not, a litigant who ignores the orders can greatly frustrate the judge and other litigants. The frustration will be even greater in a family law matter where the emotional toll is frequently beyond the control of the litigants. This will cause the parties to act in ways that do not promote the resolution of the dispute and increase the cost, thus dissipating the estate, and maybe irreparably damage the relationship of the parties with their children. That is what occurred here. The only method available to bring a case such as this under control is to equalize the abilities of the parties to litigate the dispute and impose sanctions against the party who ignores court orders. That did not occur here.
