What is an order to show cause?

An order to show cause is an order issued by a court that requires a party to appear and explain why a request should not be granted. In Virginia, an order to show cause is a legal document that a person may use when someone is not following a court order or if one party needs to take action that the other party is refusing to take. An order to show cause must be served to the other party, who then must appear in court to explain why the request should not be granted. The court will then review and consider the arguments and decide whether or not to grant the request. A party can also use an order to show cause if the other party has failed to appear in court. In this case, the court will order the other party to explain why they did not appear. If the court finds that the party did not have a good reason to not appear, the court may take other legal action.

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