A Massachusetts Summary Process Contempt Summons is a legal document that is used to compel a tenant to appear in court in order to answer a contempt charge. Contempt is a civil offense and is defined as the willful violation of a court order. In Massachusetts, a Summary Process Contempt Summons is issued when a tenant has failed to comply with a court order that pertained to a summary process action. There are two types of Massachusetts Summary Process Contempt Summons: a Contempt Complaint Summons and a Contempt Hearing Summons. The Contempt Complaint Summons is issued when a tenant is charged with contempt for failing to comply with a court order. The Contempt Hearing Summons is issued to a tenant when they are required to appear in court to answer the charge of contempt. In both instances, the tenant is required to appear in court to answer the charge of contempt. If the tenant fails to appear, a warrant may be issued for their arrest. The tenant may also be fined, jailed, or both, depending on the severity of the contempt.