Opinion ID: 3009951
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Roach and Lewis

Text: The district court refused to hold Roach and Lewis in contempt on the grounds that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the two men violated the Revised Permanent Injunction. In particular, the court noted the plaintiffs' failure to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the red arm bands that Roach and Lewis wore were associated with one particular group, namely Operation Rescue. Roe V at 1. The trial court erred by concluding that Roach and Lewis did not violate the Revised Permanent Injunction even though appellants had shown by clear and convincing evidence that Roach and Lewis acted in concert with Operation Rescue and Terry to violate its terms. Case law establishes, and the trial court acknowledged, that individuals, who are neither parties to a proceeding nor named in the court order at issue, may nonetheless be subject to the court's contempt powers if they have knowledge of a valid court order and abet others in violating it. Roe IV at 857; Quinter v. Volkswagen of America, 676 F.2d 969, 972 (3d Cir. 1982); Roe V at 1. Moreover, the Revised Permanent Injunction, by its terms, prohibits non-parties with actual knowledge of the Injunction from acting in concert with the named parties to frustrate the injunction or avoid compliance with it. Id. at 2. The district court found that Roach and Lewis had knowledge of the Revised Permanent Injunction. Id. Roach and Lewis have not challenged that finding. There is, moreover, clear and convincing evidence in the record to show that Roach and Lewis acted in concert with Operation Rescue and Randall Terry to violate the Revised Permanent Injunction by organizing the Cities of Refuge campaign in the Philadelphia area in general and by leading the July 9th blockade of RHCC in particular. Undisputed testimony established that Roach and Lewis attended the RHCC blockade. While there, they wore red arm bands and acted in a leadership capacity, whether or not they physically blocked entrances to the building.7 Roach and Lewis admitted to playing local leadership roles in the Cities of Refuge campaign. App. at 299, 234-35. Undisputed testimony established that Lewis acted as Master of Ceremonies on the July 14th rally at the Valley Forge Hilton, where he presented Keith Tucci, director of Operation Rescue National, who in turn recognized Lewis's local leadership. App. at 169-70. Moreover, Lewis's name appeared 7 As discussed above, a contemnor need not have actually physically trespassed or blockaded a door to be held in contempt of the Revised Permanent Injunction. with Terry's on Cities of Refuge fliers and promotional materials. Appellee Roach received an award at the July 14th rally for leadership and also received a commendation from Keith Tucci. Roach testified, moreover, that it was he who invited Terry to speak at the Valley Forge Hilton on the night of the blockade in order to draw a crowd. App. at 234-35. The trial court thus appears to have misread the Revised Permanent Injunction's acting in concert clause by failing to hold these two non-parties in contempt where undisputed evidence established their coordinated activities with Operation Rescue and Terry to organize and run the July 9th blockade. The court erred by focusing exclusively on the association between the arm bands and Operation Rescue or Terry.