Opinion ID: 2100530
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Remedies for Civil Contempt

Text: Overnite initiated civil contempt proceedings against the defendants and contended that the defendants willfully disobeyed the trial court's orders regulating the conduct of the parties during the strike. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-102(3) (1980 & 2000). [3] One may violate a court's order by either refusing to perform an act mandated by the order or performing an act forbidden by the order. If the contemnor has refused to perform an act mandated by the court's order and the contemnor has the ability to comply with the order at the time of the contempt hearing, the court may fine or imprison the contemnor until the act is performed. Tenn.Code Ann. § 29-9-104 (1980 & 2000); see Ahern, 15 S.W.3d at 79. Thus, the contemnor possesses the keys to the jail and can purge the contempt through compliance with the court's order. Id. The alleged contempt in the present case involves performing acts forbidden by the trial court's order. Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-9-105 (1980 & 2000) provides that [i]f the contempt consists in the performance of a forbidden act, the person may be imprisoned until the act is rectified by placing matters and person in status quo, or by the payment of damages.  (emphasis added). Section 29-9-105 combines punishment to vindicate the court with damages to compensate the party for injury arising from the illegal disobedience of the court. Headrick v. Carter, 897 S.W.2d 256, 261 (Tenn.1995). The measure of damages is the actual injury sustained as a result of the contempt. Id. Fines for civil contempt may either coerce the contemnor to comply with the court order or serve to compensate the injured party. City of Chattanooga v. Davis, 54 S.W.3d 248, 271 (Tenn.2001) ([C]ivil contempt fines . . . are generally regarded as being remedial in nature when (1) the fine is prospectively coercive, or (2) the fine serves to compensate the party injured by the violation of the order.) (citing United Mine Workers v. Bagwell, 512 U.S. 821, 829, 114 S.Ct. 2552, 129 L.Ed.2d 642 (1994)). Accordingly, under the plain language of Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-9-105 (1980 & 2000), damages are available to a party injured by a contemnor's acts in violation of a court's order.