"It's only a civil court order. I'm not bothering to go. Chelsea are away and I must get to the match." Be warned. Failing to comply with a civil court order is potentially a contempt of court. For that you can be sent to prison, fined or have your assets taken away. This doesn't mean that you have to turn up for every hearing of a civil case but, if you don't, the case may well be decided in your absence and against you.
But where the court has actually ordered you to be present, you stay away at your peril. Rasmikant Premchand Dodhia and Vanita Rasmikant Dodhia were ordered to attend the High Court in June 2016 in connection with a hearing concerning the sale of properties after a partnership dispute had been settled. They failed to attend. Last Thursday, a High Court judge ruled that they had deliberately stayed away and that there was pattern of refusals by them to accept that they were bound by orders of the court.
They were each fined £25,000 for contempt of court. A very expensive contempt.
