Compliance with a restraining order or an injunction, other than an injunction granted under RAP 20, may be compelled or its disobedience punished as a contempt by the judge of the court in which the action is pending, or if he is disqualified or absent from his judicial district, by any circuit judge. Upon a showing by affidavit or other evidence of the breach of a restraining order or injunction, the circuit judge may proceed by rule and attachment against the person committing the breach. If an appellate court grants an injunction pending appeal under RAP 20, compliance therewith shall be compelled or disobedience punished by the appellate court.
Rule 65.06.Enforcement of restraining orders and injunctions.
Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceKentucky enforces restraining orders and injunctions through contempt proceedings before the judge who issued them, or another circuit judge if that judge is disqualified or absent, except that appellate courts enforce injunctions they grant while an appeal is pending.
Full Text of Rule 65.06
Amendment History
(Amended effective June 1, 1960; amended effective July 1, 1976; amended October 25, 2022, effective January 1, 2023.) KENTUCKY RULES ANNOTATED Copyright © 2026 by Matthew Bender & Company, Inc. a member of the LexisNexis Group. All rights reserved
Plain-English Summary
Getting a restraining order or injunction is one thing; making sure someone obeys it is another. Kentucky handles that through contempt. The judge presiding over the case can compel compliance or punish disobedience as contempt. If that judge is disqualified or away from the judicial district, any circuit judge can step in.
To get the process moving, the person seeking enforcement shows the judge -- by affidavit or other evidence -- that the order has been breached. The circuit judge can then proceed by rule and attachment against the person who broke it, a procedure for hauling a violator before the court to answer for the breach.
There is one carve-out. If an appellate court grants an injunction while an appeal is pending, that appellate court -- not the trial judge -- handles enforcement and punishes any violation of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if someone violates a restraining order or injunction in Kentucky?
The judge presiding over the case can compel compliance or punish the violation as contempt. Upon a showing by affidavit or other evidence that the order was breached, the judge can proceed by rule and attachment against the person responsible.
Who enforces an injunction when the case is on appeal?
If an appellate court grants an injunction while the case is on appeal, the appellate court -- not the trial court -- handles enforcement and punishes any disobedience.
What if the judge who issued the order is unavailable?
If the judge who issued the restraining order or injunction is disqualified or absent from the judicial district, any circuit judge can compel compliance or punish disobedience as contempt.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (Ky. R. Civ. P. 65.06). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Kentucky (Ky. Const. § 116). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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