Spitz v. Iowa Dist. Court for Mitchell County

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Erika Spitz and Bradley Gentz, the parents of three minor children, were divorced in 2011. Erika and Bradley were later found in contempt for willfully violating provisions of the dissolution decree. Both Erika and Bradley were given an opportunity to avoid jail by purging their respective contempts. After a hearing, the district court ordered each party to serve time in jail, concluding that neither party had purged their contempt. Erika sought a writ of certiorari. The court of appeals rejected her arguments and annulled the writ. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) Erika’s constitutional rights were not violated at the hearing when she was allowed to proceed without counsel, as she was not entitled to the right to counsel at the hearing; (2) the district court did not err in imposing a time limitation on the hearing; and (3) the district court did not err in refusing to allow the children to testify. View "Spitz v. Iowa Dist. Court for Mitchell County" on Justia Law