One of the steps towards obtaining a final judgment is an Order to Show Cause hearing (OSC). Because it can take 6 months or more to get a divorce, the parties will need to get temporary orders in the meantime with regard to issues related to custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, and minor issues such as … should the house be put on the market??
The OSC can be filed at the same time as the Petition or Response, and a hearing is usually set from 4 to 8 weeks out. At the hearing, the court will issue temporary orders until the parties reach some further agreement, or until trial.
If there is an emergency that has arisen that isn’t considered to be domestic violence, the OSC can be filed and heard on an “ex part” basis. Ex parte simply means that there is such an emergency that the parties cannot wait 4 to 8 weeks for a hearing and need to have the hearing within 24 hours.
Not all situations justify going to court for an emergency hearing. For additional information that pertains to your situation,please click here.