Opinion ID: 1833552
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: whether david waived his claims.

Text: ¶ 14. Under certain circumstances, the due process right to notice may be waived: The due process rights to notice and hearing prior to a civil judgment are subject to waiver. And in Boddie v. Connecticut, [401 U.S. 371, 91 S.Ct. 780, 28 L.Ed.2d 113 (1971)], the Court acknowledged that the hearing required by due process is subject to waiver. This, of course, parallels the recognition of waiver in the criminal context where personal liberty, rather than a property right, is involved. Even if, for present purposes, we assume that the standard for waiver in a corporate-property-right case of this kind is the same standard applicable to waiver in a criminal proceeding, that is, that it be voluntary, knowing, and intelligently made, or an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege.... D.H. Overmyer Co. v. Frick Co., 405 U.S. 174, 185-86, 92 S.Ct. 775, 782, 31 L.Ed.2d 124 (1972) (citations omitted). ¶ 15. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled as follows: A judgment rendered in the absence of personal jurisdiction is void and must be set aside. To acquire jurisdiction over the person, a court must serve on the person a document, such as a summons, notice, writ or order. In addition, a person waives the defense of defective service if he voluntarily submits himself to the court's jurisdiction by appearing before it and allowing it to adjudicate his rights. Such formal notice of contemplated action, or the waiver of notice by voluntary appearance, is part of the due process limitations on federal courts' jurisdiction. McGuire v. Sigma Coatings, Inc., 48 F.3d 902, 907 (5th Cir.1995) (citations omitted). ¶ 16. We find that David waived his claims of defective service and violation of due process. The chancery court had personal jurisdiction over him because chancery courts have on-going personal jurisdiction over parties to a divorce proceeding. David's attorney was served with the motion for contempt two weeks prior to the hearing, the receipt of which was not disputed. David was given a meaningful opportunity to explain his actions which were the subject of the motion for contempt and did, in fact, aggressively defend himself at the hearing. He has not shown that he was prejudiced in any way by the lack of proper notice. He has not claimed that he would have called any more witnesses, or needed more time to prepare, put on other evidence or changed his defense in any way had he been given proper notice. As far as the right against self-incrimination is concerned, when he testified, David denied all of the allegations against him and did not admit any. ¶ 17. David's argument that he did not have proper notification that he might be subject to criminal contempt is specious at best. The chancellor had previously cited him for criminal contempt and had warned him that he would be incarcerated if he did not obey the court's orders. See Hopkins v. Jarvis, 648 F.2d 981 (5th Cir.1981) (contemnor was given adequate notice that he was subject to criminal contempt for failure to pay court-ordered alimony and child support where, though order to show cause requiring his presence in court clearly indicated that he would be subject to civil contempt, at hearing in prior contempt proceeding, the judge had admonished him in open court that any wilful failure to abide by rules of court would result in his confinement in county jail). In fact, it was under the threat of incarceration that David made current the mortgage payments on the mobile home and returned certain household items to the mobile home. ¶ 18. Most importantly, David allowed the chancellor to adjudicate his rights. He never made an objection pertaining to defective service from the beginning to the end of the hearing. We are not required to address issues that are not objected to at trial and preserved for appeal. Caston v. State, 823 So.2d 473, 503 (Miss.2002) (citing Gatlin v. State, 724 So.2d 359, 369 (Miss.1998) (If no contemporaneous objection is made, the error, if any, is waived.); Carr v. State, 655 So.2d 824, 832 (Miss.1995) (appellate court is under no obligation to review an assignment of error when an objection was not made or when an objection was untimely)). See also EEOC v. Local 28 of the Sheet Metal Workers Int'l Ass'n, 247 F.3d 333 (2d Cir. 2001) (contemnor waived claim that its due process rights were violated where it did not raise a due process argument until after court had rendered its decision); Peterson v. Highland Music, Inc., 140 F.3d 1313 (9th Cir.1998) (contemnor waived claim of due process violations where he failed to raise a due process objection before the court). David had ample time between the date the motion was served on his attorney until the hearing to make a written objection to the motion. Instead, he announced ready at the beginning of the hearing, defended the allegations against him and even subpoenaed witnesses to rebut the allegations. The first time David has ever objected to defective service or to a violation of due process is on appeal.