Opinion ID: 1294277
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: judicial abuse of discretion

Text: Willful disobedience of an Order of the Court may result in contempt. Curlee v. Howle , 277 S.C. 377, 287 S.E. (2d) 915 (1982), (Father held in contempt for willfully disobeying a Court Order to return children to their mother on a certain day). A willful act is defined as one done voluntarily and intentionally with the specific intent to do something the law forbids, or with the specific intent to fail to do something the law requires to be done; that is to say, with bad purpose either to disobey or disregard the law. Black's Law Dictionary 1434 (5th Ed. 1979). The court recently held that contumacious behavior which tends to bring the authority and administration of the law into disrespect may also support a finding of contempt. Ex Parte: Stone v. Reddix-Smalls , ___ S.C. ___, 369 S.E. (2d) 840 (S.C. 1988). In order to sustain a finding of contempt, the record must be clear and specific as to the acts or conduct upon which such finding is based. Curlee , 287 S.E. (2d) at 918. A determination of contempt is within the sound discretion of the trial judge, but is subject to reversal where based on a finding that is without evidentiary support or where there has been an abuse of discretion. Pratt v. S.C. Dep't of Social Services , 283 S.C. 550, 324 S.E. (2d) 97 (Ct. App. 1984). We hold that the trial judge abused his discretion in finding Mrs. Rogers in contempt of court because she neither willfully disobeyed a Court Order nor acted disrespectfully towards the Court. Mrs. Rogers merely underestimated the amount of time she would need to try her case by thirty minutes. Considering the myriad of variables attorneys must predict when scheduling cases, this Court finds that Mrs. Rogers' miscalculation of thirty minutes was not intended to disobey the Court's Notice to Attorneys. Until the day of the hearing, Mrs. Rogers did not know that the defendants were represented by counsel. Even if she had known the defendants would be represented, Mrs. Rogers could not have predicted with precision the amount of time required to try the case. We recognize that it is difficult to predict how extensively an opposing attorney will crossexamine one's witnesses. Likewise, witnesses answer questions in varying ways: some witnesses are long-winded; others give monosyllabic responses. Additionally, some attorneys interject many objections to the proceedings  another factor which is difficult to calculate. Here, the defendants' attorney vigorously opposed the introduction of a statement contained in a medical history, causing an extensive discussion between the judge and the attorneys over its admissibility. Another variable attorneys must consider in scheduling time is that the judge will question the witnesses and at times deliberate and decide the case from the bench as Judge Rivers did in the instant case. There is absolutely nothing in the record to indicate that Mrs. Rogers intentionally disobeyed the Notice to Attorneys by scheduling only one hour for her hearing.