Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/10pdf/10-10.pdf
Page Number: 6.0

2 

TURNER v. ROGERS 

Opinion of the Court 

orders  in  part  through  civil  contempt  proceedings.    Each 
month  the  family  court  clerk  reviews  outstanding  child
support  orders,  identifies  those  in  which  the  supporting
parent  has  fallen  more  than  five  days  behind,  and  sends
that parent an order to “show cause” why he should not be 
held  in  contempt.    S. C.  Rule  Family  Ct.  24  (2011).    The 
“show  cause”  order  and  attached  affidavit  refer  to  the 
relevant  child  support  order,  identify  the  amount  of 
the  arrearage,  and  set a  date  for  a  court  hearing.    At  the 
hearing  that  parent  may  demonstrate  that  he  is  not  in
contempt, say, by showing that he is not able to make the 
required payments.  See Moseley v. Mosier, 279 S. C. 348, 
351,  306  S. E.  2d  624,  626  (1983)  (“When  the  parent  is 
unable  to  make  the  required  payments,  he  is  not  in  con-
tempt”).  If  he  fails  to  make  the  required  showing,  the 
court may hold him in civil contempt.  And it may require 
that he be imprisoned unless and until he purges himself 
of  contempt  by  making  the  required  child  support  pay-
ments  (but  not  for  more  than  one  year  regardless).  See 
S. C.  Code  Ann.  §63–3–620  (Supp.  2010)  (imprisonment 
for  up  to  one  year  of  “adult  who  wilfully  violates”  a  court 
order);  Price  v.  Turner,  387  S. C.  142,  145,  691  S. E.  2d 
470, 472 (2010) (civil contempt order must permit purging 
of contempt through compliance). 

B 
In June 2003 a South Carolina family court entered an 
order,  which  (as  amended)  required  petitioner,  Michael 
Turner,  to  pay  $51.73  per  week  to  respondent,  Rebecca
Rogers, to help support their child.  (Rogers’ father, Larry
Price,  currently  has  custody  of  the  child  and  is  also  a
respondent before this Court.)  Over the next three years,
Turner  repeatedly  failed  to  pay  the  amount  due  and  was
held in contempt on five occasions.  The first four times he 
was sentenced to 90 days’ imprisonment, but he ultimately 
paid  the  amount  due  (twice  without  being  jailed,  twice