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Lawyer Jailed For Contempt Is Freed After 14 Years

Posted by samzenpus on from the all-we-need-is-a-little-patience dept.

H. Beatty Chadwick has been in a staring match with the judicial system for the past 14 years, and the system just blinked. Chadwick was ordered to pay his ex-wife $2.5 million after their divorce. He refused to pay saying that he couldn't because he lost the money in a series of "bad investments." The judge in the case didn't believe him and sent him to jail for contempt. That was 14 years ago. Last week another judge let Chadwick go saying that "continued imprisonment would be legal only if there was some likelihood that ultimately he would comply with the order; otherwise, the confinement would be merely punitive instead of coercive." Chadwick, now 73, is believed to have served the longest contempt sentence in US history.

9 of 408 comments (clear)

  1. Why didn't this happen sooner? by afidel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's seriously scary that this guy was basically in debtors prison for 14 years! Wasn't it a bit obvious after say 6-12 months that the guy either didn't have the money or wasn't going to ever hand it over? I can't believe that the original judge thought it was fair and ok to keep this guy in jail for over a decade on the assumption (not proof) that he was lying.

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    1. Re:Why didn't this happen sooner? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're right, the guy should suffer forever because he made the mistake of getting married.

      If this doesn't illustrate to men everywhere why getting married is a stupid idea, nothing ever will. You only have everything to lose by doing it. But no "she's not like that!" and "we're really in love and she'd never want anything from me!". Then it all goes south or she cheats on you and decides she wants 50% of everything you have or ever will have and becomes vindictive and spiteful and you end up giving her $2.5m or spending 20% of your life in prison. All because she decided you needed to pay for all those years of pussy after all (sounds like a retro-active hooker to me).

      Jut imagine how much more fun you could have had without any commitment and for far less than 50% of everything you'll ever earn? Man, I wish I were a woman. It's no risk and all gain!

    2. Re:Why didn't this happen sooner? by Rich0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't get contempt. Why should judges have the power to imprison people at all?

      By all means, make lying to a judge a crime. Then when somebody does it, they are charged with it, a jury rules against them, and then they are sentenced to a finite prison term.

      Contempt of court essentially allows people to be imprisoned without the consent of a jury - that is just wrong.

    3. Re:Why didn't this happen sooner? by Rich0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Does anybody else see this distinction as being rather weak?

      IMHO, prison time should require a jury verdict to sustain it. I'm all for punishing people for perjury or interference with the functioning of the courts, but that should be a criminal charge like any other.

      This guy spent 14 years in prison based solely on the decision of a single judge, without any kind of trial. That is just over the top.

    4. Re:Why didn't this happen sooner? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm more bothered by the continuing concept that someone deserves massive amounts of your wealth simply because they married you.

    5. Re:Why didn't this happen sooner? by C18H27NO3+ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It is mind-boggling.
      There was the story a few weeks ago about a guy that raped a 4-year-old and was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
      This guy spends 14 years in jail because a judge just doesn't believe he doesn't have his wife's allowance to give.
      People in power that don't have a shred of sense and ruin people's lives aught to be shipped off to a non-existant island somewhere.

  2. Re:Why is this slashdot worthy? by Aladrin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He was imprisoned because the just -though- he was lying. No proof, just a judge's whim. You can't see how that affects you?

    --
    "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
  3. Re:Why is this slashdot worthy? by e9th · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The next time a judge orders you to turn over the passphrases for your SSH/PGP private keys and holds you in contempt until you do so, it will seem very /. worthy.

  4. What a waste of taxpayers money. by hattig · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I fail to see where the benefit is in keeping an old man in jail for so long, at taxpayers expense, is.

    14 years? I've seen figures of $30,000 PA to keep a prisoner captive. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_cost_of_one_prisoner_in_the_U.S.

    So we're talking $420,000 so far spent on this man. Instead he could have had assets seized and been forced into work, and paying tax, and having some money garnished. Or his actual money would have shown up after a few years when he thought people weren't looking.

    It's not as if he was a danger to people on the street - the number one reason to put someone into jail.