Mother found in favor: Father fined for breach of visitation agreement

Penalty fine after breach of visitation agreement

Our client, the mother of a seven-year-old girl, filed a petition in the summer of 2025 for enforcement of a provision in the court settlement she had with her father. The settlement stipulated that the child should have permanent residence with the mother, as well as visitation with the father. In addition, it was determined that the child should have weekly telephone contact with the other parent during vacation visits of one week or more.

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When the child was with the father for two weeks in the summer of 2025, no phone calls were made to the mother, despite several requests. The father failed to answer and rejected agreements for phone contact, and also blocked the mother on WhatsApp.

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The court ruled in favor of the mother.

On behalf of our client, we argued that the father had breached the visitation arrangement and failed to fulfill his duty to cooperate loyally in the implementation of telephone contact. The court agreed and ruled that the duty to act is covered by Section 65 of the Children's Act, and can therefore be enforced.

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The court concluded that the father had not done enough to fulfill his duty. The claim that the child himself objected to contact was rejected as unsubstantiated.

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The father was imposed a fine of NOK 5,000 for each time the phone call was not made, valid for one year. The mother was also awarded legal costs of NOK 26,250.

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The importance of the matter

The ruling makes it clear that it does not take much to consider a violation of telephone contact as a breach. The court emphasized that it is the parent who has the child with them who has the obligation to facilitate contact, even in situations where the child resists talking.

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This shows that a compulsory fine is a tool that can ensure that visitation arrangements are respected in practice, and that children receive the contact they are entitled to.

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The importance of legal assistance

Parental disputes over visitation are often demanding, and it can be difficult to know how the law works in practice. This case shows how important it is to have legal assistance to ensure that agreements are followed up and that the child's rights are protected.

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Do you have a similar issue? Please contact us for a non-binding conversation with one of our lawyers .

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