Court Opinion

ID: 9963084
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-24 16:04:39.702072+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:24:39.852061
License: Public Domain

FILED
                                                                     Apr 24 2024, 9:31 am

                                                                         CLERK
                                                                     Indiana Supreme Court
                                                                        Court of Appeals
                                                                          and Tax Court

                                            IN THE

            Court of Appeals of Indiana
                                                 C.K.,
                                        Appellant-Respondent

                                                    v.

                                         State of Indiana,
                                          Appellee-Petitioner

                                            April 24, 2024
                                     Court of Appeals Case No.
                                           23A-JM-2671
                             Appeal from the Madison Circuit Court
                             The Honorable Stephen Koester, Judge
                                       Trial Court Cause No.
                                        48C02-2309-JM-173

                                   Opinion by Judge Riley
                               Judges Brown and Foley concur.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024                 Page 1 of 11
      Riley, Judge.

      STATEMENT OF THE CASE
[1]   Appellant-Respondent, C.K., appeals the trial court’s Order, finding her in

      contempt of court.

[2]   We affirm.

      ISSUE
[3]   C.K. presents this court with one issue on appeal, which we restate as:

      Whether the trial court abused its discretion when it held C.K. in contempt of

      court.

      FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
[4]   C.K. is the mother of one child, R.K. In March 2023, C.K. announced on

      Facebook that she was pregnant with another child and posted a picture of her

      “belly.” (Transcript p. 14). That same month, when R.K. was approximately

      six months old, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) got involved

      with the family. Family Case Manager Kimberly Rodemeyer (FCM

      Rodemeyer) noticed that C.K. “did have a belly,” appeared pregnant, and that

      she mentioned her pregnancy complications to service providers. (Tr. p. 16).

      C.K. informed a visit supervisor that she had given birth on August 31, 2023,

      and showed FCM Rodemeyer a photo of a newborn.

[5]   On September 13, 2023, FCM Taylor Humphries (FCM Humphries) received a

      report alleging that C.K. had recently given birth to a two-month premature

      Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024        Page 2 of 11
      baby and that her residence was dirty. A photo of a baby accompanied the

      report. Following up on the report, FCM Humphries went to C.K.’s residence

      several times where she spoke with C.K. Despite refusing to divulge the

      whereabouts of the baby, who C.K. now reported was born on August 26,

      2023, C.K. mentioned that the baby had a heart murmur, a “stage two heart

      issue,” a hole in the heart, asthma, and diabetes. (Tr. p. 8). After getting the

      name of the putative father, FCM Humphries located the alleged father, who

      informed her that he did “not have any proof that there [was] actually a child”

      and that he was “not sure that the child [was] actually his if there [was] one.”

      (Tr. pp. 7-8). Although C.K. told FCM Humphries that the child was in the

      NICU, none of the area hospitals had a child by the name or birthdate provided

      by C.K. After making significant efforts, FCM Humphries could not locate a

      birth certificate for the baby. A site visit at C.K.’s residence revealed that C.K.

      did not have any formula or diapers in her home. At one point, C.K. informed

      FCM Humphries that the baby had passed away on September 18, 2023, and

      that she was going to have the child cremated. However, C.K. did not provide

      a death certificate and FCM Humphries was unable to obtain such record.

      FCM Humphries was unable to ascertain whether C.K. had given birth to a

      child, and if so, whether the child was alive.

[6]   On September 22, 2023, DCS filed a verified motion pursuant to Indiana Code

      section 31-33-8-7 to compel C.K. to make the child available for an interview

      and otherwise cooperate with DCS. During the trial court’s hearing on

      September 26, 2023, C.K. appeared pro se and informed the court that the baby

      Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024         Page 3 of 11
      was at Riley Children’s Hospital (Riley) but had passed away on September 18,

      2023. At the close of the hearing, the trial court granted DCS’s motion, ordered

      DCS to contact Riley, prepare a report, and share it with law enforcement.

[7]   After the hearing, DCS contacted Riley and was again informed that there was

      no child there with the name and date of birth provided by C.K. Riley also

      confirmed that there had not been any child fatalities during the relevant period.

      Law enforcement had no information about C.K.’s baby. Although C.K. had

      signed a release of information for DCS, she had left the doctor’s and hospital

      names blank. When questioned about the blank spaces, C.K. said that she had

      seen several doctors at the Women’s Hospital. She refused to give DCS any

      other information. When confronted with a possible suspension of her

      visitation rights with R.K., C.K. admitted that “there wasn’t a kid” but again

      refused to clarify. (Tr. p. 29). DCS was still unable to confirm the existence of

      any baby.

[8]   On September 29, 2023, DCS filed a second verified motion to compel, with

      various attachments, again requesting C.K. to make the child available for an

      interview, sign a release of information, and cooperate with DCS. The

      attachments featured several of C.K.’s Facebook posts which announced her

      pregnancy with photos and included a gender reveal, complaints about

      Braxton-Hicks contractions, and mentions of the birth of a baby. The

      attachments further included text messages and pictures of a newborn. DCS

      also filed a verified information for a rule to show cause, claiming that C.K. had

      violated the trial court’s order instructing her to disclose her child’s

      Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024         Page 4 of 11
      whereabouts. On October 2, 2023, the trial court conducted another hearing at

      which C.K. appeared pro se. During the proceedings, she testified that “there’s

      no baby[,]” and she admitted to having previously said that there was a baby

      because she was scared. When the trial court inquired about all the Facebook

      posts about her pregnancy and the baby, she insisted that she had not been on

      Facebook “in a while” and that others had been posting about her. (Tr. p. 32).

      She admitted that she had told people that she was pregnant because at one

      point she was indeed pregnant. At the close of the evidence, the trial court

      found C.K. in contempt of court for “providing false information to [the c]ourt

      and the Department under oath.” (Appellant’s App. Vol. II, p. 73). C.K. was

      taken into custody.

[9]   On October 11, 2023, the trial court held a sanctions hearing, where C.K. was

      represented by counsel. FCM Rodemeyer testified that on October 5, 2023, she

      had received a call from a woman named Nicole. Nicole had informed FCM

      Rodemeyer that she had been contacted by three different men, all claiming

      that C.K. had told them that Nicole had C.K.’s baby. Nicole then contacted

      C.K., who told her that there was a baby but that she would not let anyone

      know the whereabouts. Another woman had also contacted FCM Rodemeyer

      and told her that C.K. had used pictures of this woman’s child to pass off as her

      own and to send to the alleged father. A Facebook post suggested that C.K.

      had previously used pictures of her sister’s baby, claiming the baby as her own.

      During this hearing, DCS was still unable to confirm whether C.K. had given

      birth and, if she had, where the baby was. Evidence admitted at the hearing

      Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024      Page 5 of 11
indicated that C.K. suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia for which

she did not take medication. Testifying in her own defense, C.K. admitted that

“there’s no baby” and that she only had claimed one existed because she had

felt pressured by DCS’s questions. (Tr. p. 31). C.K. also confirmed that she

had told DCS that the baby had passed away and conceded that she had

informed the court that there had been a baby. At the end of the hearing, the

trial court imposed a ninety-day period of incarceration as a sanction for C.K.’s

contempt and concluded,

        I’m not sure what we accomplished today other than more
        confus[ion] and just the fact that what the Department has had to
        expend as far as money and time to try to sort this out is bad
        enough but then you came in front of the [c]ourt and egregiously
        lied about what’s going on. Then after called out on the lie you
        double down with more lies and I think that there’s been more
        lies here today. And I still don’t know what the truth is. I’m not
        sure you know what the truth is because you tell so many lies
        that it just –

        We’re done talking. This is as egregious of a contempt hearing
        that I’ve ever [seen] since in almost thirty years in this business. I
        can give you up to a hundred and eighty days and I’m quite
        certain that I’m not sure why I’m not giving you a hundred and
        eighty days. Because I’ve never seen anything this egregious. I
        think the only thing that is in your favor is that you have some
        mental health problems that you need to address. But what
        you’re going to learn today is that you don’t raise your hand
        under oath and lie and then double down on that lie and then
        come for the sanction for that lie and lie some more. This is
        three times that you’ve flat out lied to me. So you’re going to
        serve ninety days in jail.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024          Page 6 of 11
       (Tr. p. 59).

[10]   C.K. now appeals. Additional facts will be provided as necessary.

       DISCUSSION AND DECISION
[11]   C.K. contends that the trial court abused its discretion by finding her in

       contempt of court. As a threshold matter, we first address the State’s argument

       that C.K.’s appeal is moot, as C.K. has already served her entire contempt

       sanction. While we agree with the State that “the controversy at issue” has

       been “settled,” so “the court can give” C.K. “no effective relief,” we do

       recognize a public interest exception in the cause before us. T.W. v. St. Vincent

       Hosp. and Health Care Ctr., Inc., 121 N.E.3d 1039, 1042 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019).

       Contrary to C.K.’s argument, the trial court did not find her in contempt

       because she failed to produce a newborn for an interview with DCS, the court

       found C.K. in contempt because she provided false information to the court and

       DCS while she was under oath. A witness who lies in court is an issue that can

       and will occur again, and which must be discouraged to retain trust in the

       judicial system. As such, the situation before us is of public importance and we

       will address the trial court’s contempt finding on its merits. See E.F. v. St.

       Vincent Hosp. & Health Care Ctr., Inc., 188 N.E.3d 464, 466 (Ind. 2022) (“Indiana

       recognizes a public interest exception to the mootness doctrine, which may be

       invoked when the issue involves a question of great public importance which is

       likely to recur.”)

       Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024         Page 7 of 11
[12]   Turning to the trial court’s finding of contempt, we note that “[i]t is soundly

       within the discretion of the trial court to determine whether a party is in

       contempt, and we review the judgment under an abuse of discretion standard.”

       Steele-Giri v. Steele, 51 N.E.3d 119, 124 (Ind. 2016). “We will reverse a trial

       court’s finding of contempt only if there is no evidence or inference therefrom

       to support the finding.” Id. The trial court has the inherent power to “maintain

       [ ] its dignity, secur[e] obedience to its process and rules, rebuk[e] interference

       with the conduct of business, and punish[ ] unseemly behavior.” Id.

[13]   Contempt of court generally involves disobedience of a court or court order that

       “undermines the court’s authority, justice, and dignity.” In re A.S., 9 N.E.3d

       129, 131 (Ind. 2014). There are two kinds of contempt: direct contempt and

       indirect contempt. Id. Direct contempt, which is at issue in this case, “involves

       actions occurring near the court, interfering with the business of the court, of

       which the judge has personal knowledge.” Tunis v. State, 129 N.E.3d 258, 262

       (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). By lying in court while under oath, C.K. committed

       direct criminal contempt, which is governed by Indiana Code section 34-47-2-2

       and which provides that “[e]very person who [] while upon the witness stand, is

       purposely so demeaning as to retard or disturb the proceedings of the court; is

       considered guilty of direct contempt of court.” Though specified by statute, the

       power of courts to summarily punish for direct criminal contempt rests upon

       the common law and is inherent in the courts. Hopping v. State, 637 N.E.2d

       1294, 1296 (Ind. 1994). Any act which manifests a disrespect and defiance of a

       court may constitute direct criminal contempt. Id. at 1297. Moreover, in

       Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024          Page 8 of 11
       reviewing direct contempt proceedings, we “accept as true the statement

       entered of record by the lower court of the matter constituting the contempt,”

       and “interfere with the judgment only where it clearly appears the alleged acts

       do not constitute contemptuous acts.” In re Caito, 459 N.E.2d 1179, 1182 (Ind.

       1984), reh’g denied.

[14]   In Young v. State, 154 N.E.478, 479 (Ind. 1926), our supreme court stated that

       “[o]rdinarily, false swearing by a witness is held to be such an obstruction of

       justice as to constitute a direct contempt of court.” It is not necessary that the

       false testimony upon which the charge of contempt is based constitute perjury.

       Id. The court held that “[o]f possible acts few are so antagonistic to the objects

       of judicial administration as the intentional false swearing which seeks to baffle

       the search for truth, without which justice is impossible. Such swearing is a

       flagrant insult to the dignity of the court.” Id. The court concluded that

       Young, “without any regard for the oath he had taken, and without any

       consideration or respect for the authority, justice, or dignity of the court, gave

       testimony which he knew was false, and by so doing he purposely demeaned

       himself as to retard the proceedings of the court.” Although the court held

       otherwise in In re Marriage of Neiswinger, 477 N.E.2d 257 (Ind. 1985), Neiswinger

       is distinguishable on the facts from both Young and the instant cause. In

       Neiswinger, our supreme court concluded that the falsity of the witness’

       testimony, which could only be inferred by reference to later testimony and

       which caused no disturbance or disruption to the proceedings, did not

       constitute direct contempt. Id. at 260.

       Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024         Page 9 of 11
[15]   Here, C.K. claimed to have given birth to a two-month premature baby, who

       had been in Riley’s NICU with serious health concerns. Later, she claimed that

       the child had died. Indiana Code section 31-33-8-1 provides that DCS shall

       initiate “an appropriately thorough” assessment of every report of child abuse

       or neglect it receives. In the case before us, DCS had grave concerns about the

       wellbeing of the child and expended significant time and resources in

       attempting to locate the child and assess the family. After DCS filed its

       successive motions to compel, C.K. testified under oath. On September 26,

       2023, C.K. testified under oath that the baby was at Riley, but later stated that

       the baby had died on September 18, 2023. On October 11, 2023, C.K. testified

       under oath that she did announce her pregnancy on Facebook but did not post

       any pictures. C.K. went back and forth in her testimony about her pregnancy,

       giving birth to a baby, the death of the child, and her dissemination of

       information about the baby. C.K.’s lies while under oath made it impossible for

       DCS to assess the existence and possible location of the baby and at no point

       during these proceedings was DCS able to confirm a birth certificate or death

       notice for the child. Contradicting herself egregiously under oath before the

       trial court, C.K. retarded or disrupted the proceedings of the court. See I.C. §

       34-47-2-2. As there is evidence to support the trial court’s finding of contempt,

       we do not disturb the trial court’s order.

       CONCLUSION
[16]   Based on the foregoing, we hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion

       by finding C.K. in contempt of court.

       Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024         Page 10 of 11
[17]   Affirmed.

[18]   Brown, J. and Foley, J. concur

       ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT
       David W. Stone, IV
       Anderson, Indiana

       ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
       Theodore E. Rokita
       Attorney General of Indiana
       Monika Prekopa Talbot
       Deputy Attorney General
       Indianapolis, Indiana

       Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 23A-JM-2671 | April 24, 2024   Page 11 of 11