Opinion ID: 1156814
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Was Use of the Contempt Power Appropriate?

Text: Secondly, Jay argues that the use of the contempt power is not available to enforce non-support aspects of a divorce decree. Patricia argues that Jay's argument misconstrues the court's order as somehow involving the enforcement of a money judgment. Alaska Civil Rule 70 provides: If a judgment directs a party to execute a conveyance of land or to deliver deeds or other documents or to perform any other specific act and the party fails to comply within the time specified, the court may direct the act to be done at the cost of the disobedient party by some other person appointed by the court and the act when so done has like effect as if done by the party... . The court may also in proper cases adjudge the party in contempt. Under Rule 70, Judge Craske had the authority to hold Jay in contempt for his failure to comply with the court orders directing the transfer of the stock to Patricia. He was not acting to enforce a money judgment. Rather, he directed the transfer of specific property awarded by the decree. The court awarded Patricia $28,810 in damages for Jay's willful failure to transfer the stock pursuant to the authority in AS 09.50.040. [11] However, we are unable to ascertain from the record whether all the stock was sold at one time, or if it was ever sold at all. In order to recover actual damages, Patricia must have sold the stock within a reasonable period after she received it from Jay. In other words, she cannot recover a paper loss and then retain the stock hoping for an increase in its value. Such a scenario would potentially allow for a double recovery. The appropriate measure of damages is the difference in the stock's value when Patricia would have sold it had Jay complied with the court's order and its value when she actually sold it within a reasonable time of receiving the certificates from Jay. We remand the issue to the superior court for its determination of the proper award of damages. In conclusion, we affirm the superior court's contempt finding but vacate the court's award of damages for the delay in transferring the stock and remand the issue back to the trial court.