Opinion ID: 2331585
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 46

Heading: Costs Associated with Valentine's Interference with a Witness

Text: Lastly, the estate asserts that Valentine should have been assessed attorneys' fees because her interference with a witness resulted in a contempt hearing against the witness which in turn caused unnecessary delay and expense. While it is true that Valentine may have attempted to interfere with the witness by discussing the witness' testimony with her, it is also true that the trial court's prohibition on such discussions was directed at each individual witness, not at the parties to the proceedings. The witness in question was the CEO of a small credit union and a responsible adult who was capable of obeying the court's order not to discuss her testimony with anyone. We cannot conclude that it was unreasonable for the trial court to hold this witness fully responsible for the contempt hearing that resulted from her violation of the court's prohibition on discussing her testimony with others. Since the trial court did not act unreasonably in so holding, it did not abuse its discretion by declining to require Valentine to pay attorneys' fees for the witness' contempt hearing.