When a person fails to comply with a judgment prohibiting or mandating action, the court may order the seizure or sequestration of property of the noncomplying person to the extent necessary to compel compliance with the judgment and, in appropriate circumstances, may hold the person in contempt pursuant to Rules 15-206 and 15-207. When a person fails to comply with a judgment mandating action, the court may direct that the act be performed by some other person appointed by the court at the expense of the person failing to comply. When a person fails to comply with a judgment mandating the payment of money, the court may also enter a money judgment to the extent of any amount due.
Rule 3-648.Enforcement of judgment prohibiting or mandating action
District Court · Last amended January 1, 2004 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-648 gives the court tools to force compliance when someone ignores a judgment ordering them to do something, stop doing something, or pay money.
Full Text of Rule 3-648
Amendment History
Amended June 5, 1996, effective Jan. 1, 1997; July 23, 1997; Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is in part new and in part derived from former Rule 685 a and the 1937 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 70.
Plain-English Summary
Some judgments don't just award money — they order a person to act, or to stop acting, a certain way. Rule 3-648 covers what happens when that person refuses. The court can order the seizure or sequestration of the noncomplying person's property to the extent needed to force compliance, and in the right circumstances, it can hold that person in contempt. Money and property aren't the only levers, either: if the judgment ordered someone to perform an act and that person won't, the court can appoint someone else to do it, at the noncomplying person's expense.
When the judgment that's being ignored required paying money, the court isn't limited to contempt or seizure — it can enter a plain money judgment for whatever amount is still due, giving the creditor the same collection tools available for any other money judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can the court do if someone won't comply with an order to act or stop acting?
Order seizure or sequestration of that person's property to the extent necessary to compel compliance, and, where appropriate, hold the person in contempt.
Can someone else perform the required act instead?
Yes. If the judgment ordered a person to perform an act and that person doesn't, the court can direct someone else, appointed by the court, to do it at the noncomplying person's expense.
What if the judgment required paying money and the person still won't pay?
The court can enter a money judgment for whatever amount remains due, which can then be collected using the same enforcement tools as any other money judgment.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: contempt for violating court order marylandsequestration of property district courtenforce injunction or mandatory ordercourt order noncompliance remedy