Where a person summoned by the family court, mediation committee or mediation judge does not appear without just cause, what sanction may that summoning body impose?
General information · Not legal advice
Material to check
In a practice file we read the proof of service of the summons and which of the three bodies issued it, the attendance record of the hearing, and any paper the summoned person filed explaining the absence.
These are types of material to look for, not evidence already verified by PRO SE.
Where readings differ
One reading follows the provision as written: where a person summoned by the family court, the mediation committee or the mediation judge fails to appear 'without just cause', that same body may, by a ruling, impose a fine of up to the amount stated in the provision and may also have the person brought in.
Another reading notes that the provision permits the fine and the bringing-in together, rather than only one of them, and it says nothing about which facts count as a 'just cause', leaving that to be shown from the file.
Your judgment
What in the record could persuade the summoning body that the absence rested on a just cause?
PRO SE does not make this decision or keep a case record on this public site.When to reconsider
We look at this again if the provision is amended to change the sanction or its conditions, or if a court decision explains what counts as a just cause for failing to appear.