Opinion ID: 1656248
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Alleged Willful Violation of Decree of Ouster.

Text: The decree of ouster provided: [P]laintiff [Maynard] is entitled to the immediate possession of the [subject] real estate.... ... the clerk ... shall issue a writ of possession as authorized by section 646.24.... Because the issue is not argued, we do not determine whether, in view of the language contained in Iowa Code section 626.1 indicating judgments for possession of property are enforceable by execution, a failure to surrender property pursuant to decree of ouster may also be punished for contempt. [1] Assuming that it may, the failure must be shown to be willful. For purposes of a finding of contempt, we have said that `willfully' requires evidence of conduct that is intentional and deliberate with a bad or evil purpose, or wanton and in disregard of the rights of others, or contrary to a known duty. Lutz v. Darbyshire, 297 N.W.2d 349, 353 (Iowa 1980). Both the defendant judge and the court of appeals found that the circumstances indicated Mavis believed in good faith that her posting of $300 with the clerk of the district court effectively stayed the court order requiring her removal from the premises. The defendant judge correctly found that the procedure followed with respect to a supersedeas bond did not satisfy the requirements of rules 7 and 8 of the Iowa Rules of Appellate Procedure. A deposit of cash is not a supersedeas bond. A supersedeas bond is a written promise to perform certain conditions, which may or may not be secured by a deposit of cash. Id. No such promise was entered into by Mavis. Moreover, although a supersedeas bond may be conditioned upon the posting of a certain sum of cash, the terms of such bond must be approved by the court rather than its clerk where the judgment does not involve the payment of money. In Skinner v. Ruigh, 351 N.W.2d 182, 185 (Iowa 1984), we reserved for later determination the issue of whether contempt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. It is also not necessary to decide this question in the present case. We have consistently held that, where violation of a court order is the basis of a contempt charge, the alleged violation must be established to be willful by no lesser standard of proof than clear, satisfactory and convincing evidence. In re Marriage of Lenger, 336 N.W.2d 191, 192 (Iowa 1983); Crary v. Curtis, 199 N.W.2d 319, 321-22 (Iowa 1972). Application of this standard of proof to the facts of the present case does not support a finding of contempt with respect to the decree of ouster. Notwithstanding the legal infirmities in Mavis's efforts to stay the proceedings, we believe that her good faith belief that she had successfully stayed enforcement of the order, recognized by both the district court and the court of appeals, does offer a valid defense to the claim that her violation of the decree of ouster was willful. We cannot agree with the conclusion of the court of appeals that failure to abide the conditions imposed in an erroneous finding of contempt may serve to bootstrap the validity of such findings on appellate review.