Opinion ID: 2625018
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the contempt allegations against judge anderson

Text: ¶ 24 Crank alleges Judge Anderson was in contempt of the district court's consent decree. Judge Anderson was not a party to the case at the time Crank filed his verified motion in September of 1997, and Crank never took any steps to have Judge Anderson reinstated as a party. Nor did Crank obtain any order directing Judge Anderson to appear and defend the new allegations according to the dictates of Section 78-32-3. Instead, Crank simply mailed papers to Judge Anderson denoting him as a contemnor. ¶ 25 Clearly, a trial court has the power to hold non-parties in contempt if those parties conspire to frustrate a lawful order of the court. See id. Specifically, a person may be held in contempt for [d]isobedience of any lawful judgment, order or process of the court, id. § 78-32-1(5), or [a]ny other unlawful interference with the process or proceedings of a court, id. § 78-32-1(9). However, a court's power to hold any person in contempt, whether a party to a case before that court or a non-party, is subject to constitutional and statutory restraints regarding the process due to any person so accused. See Von Hake v. Thomas, 759 P.2d 1162, 1169-70 (Utah 1988). ¶ 26 The basic constitutional requirement for due process is that the person charged be advised of the nature of the action against him [or her], have assistance of counsel, if requested, have the right to confront witnesses, and have the right to offer testimony on his [or her] behalf. Burgers v. Maiben, 652 P.2d 1320, 1322 (Utah 1982). The Utah Code seeks to implement this mandate by set[ting] out two distinct procedures to be followed in contempt adjudications, one when the contempt is direct, i.e., committed in the presence of the judge, and the other when the contempt is indirect, i.e., committed outside the presence of the judge. Thomas, 759 P.2d at 1169. ¶ 27 In cases of direct contempt, the court may summarily punish the contemnor. See id. at 1169-70; Utah Code Ann. § 78-32-3. Indirect contempt, in contrast to direct contempt, can properly be adjudged only in a proceeding more tightly hedged about with procedural protections. Thomas, 759 P.2d at 1170. In such cases, the Utah Code amplifies upon the basic due process requirements of notice and opportunity to defend. See id. Section 78-32-3, in pertinent part, provides as follows: When the contempt is not committed in the immediate view and presence of the court or judge at chambers, an affidavit shall be presented to the court or judge of the facts constituting the contempt, or a statement of the facts by the referees or arbitrators or other judicial officers. [10] ¶ 28 Thus, in Utah, the statutory requirement of an affidavit is a procedural prerequisite to the imposition of any sanctions for indirect contempt. See Thomas, 759 P.2d at 1171; see also Khan v. Khan, 921 P.2d 466, 468 (Utah Ct.App.1996); Boggs v. Boggs, 824 P.2d 478, 481-82 (Utah Ct.App. 1991). Crank never submitted an affidavit, nor have the parties specifically addressed the issue of whether Crank's verified motionwhich did include specific allegations against Judge Andersoncould be treated as an affidavit for purposes of Section 78-32-3. [11] ¶ 29 Even assuming arguendo that Crank's motion did constitute an affidavit meeting the statutory requirement, the court did not abuse its discretion in striking the allegations. Those allegations were insufficient to warrant initiation of contempt proceedings because they did not provide any sworn facts that indicated a violation of the Agreement or an attempt to interfere with its implementation. Crank asserted that Judge Anderson had the affirmative duty to unilaterally remedy the Council's failure to meet the Agreement's deadline for compliance with the required percentage of Native Americans on the jury questionnaire lists. Even a cursory reading of the Agreement refutes this assertion. Judge Anderson was not a party to the Agreement and it imposed no affirmative duties upon the judges of the Seventh District. ¶ 30 Moreover, despite Crank's conclusory contentions that Judge Anderson conspired with the Council, there are no concrete factual allegations indicating that Judge Anderson undertook any actions that could be remotely construed as hampering the Council's efforts. Nor has Judge Anderson contributed to any of the Council's conceded failures to comply with the Agreement's terms. Therefore, the district court had no basis for taking further action on the contempt allegations against Judge Anderson. We affirm the court's refusal to entertain Crank's insufficient allegations of contempt.