Louisiana Education Ass'n v. Richland Parish School Board

421 F. Supp. 973, 26 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1255, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12600
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedOctober 26, 1976
DocketCiv. A. 76-0548
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 421 F. Supp. 973 (Louisiana Education Ass'n v. Richland Parish School Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Louisiana Education Ass'n v. Richland Parish School Board, 421 F. Supp. 973, 26 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1255, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12600 (W.D. La. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

STAGG, District Judge.

The Louisiana Education Association (LEA), the Riehland Parish Education (RPEA) and Ms. Lottie S. Dickson brought this action to enforce an order of this Court of June 12, 1975, in Civil Action 15,796, Hope Smith, et al, v. Richland Parish School Board, et a1, and in Civil Action 12,169, United States v. Richland Parish School Board, et al. Plaintiffs named the School Board, the Superintendent and several Board members in Richland Parish as defendants. A copy of the order, which resulted from a consent decree, is attached as an Appendix to this opinion. Plaintiffs styled their pleading a motion for a “rule to show cause” why defendants should not be held in contempt of court. The pleading alleged a failure to comply with the order’s procedure, such that plaintiff Lottie S. Dickson did not receive a particular job. Plaintiffs requested relief to force defendants to comply with the order and to compensate Ms. Dickson for her alleged loss.

Importantly, plaintiffs sought remedial relief in the form of a contempt order rather than substantial relief in an independent action. For that reason, their claim rests solely on the order and not on any other theory or cause of action independent from it.

The gist of plaintiffs’ claim is that defendants hired Ms. Christine Ford, a white female, for the position of lunchroom supervisor when the Court’s order required the board to hire or promote a black person for the position. More specifically, Ms. Dickson alleged that she should have been the black person to be hired. The proceeding came on for hearing in Monroe, Louisiana, on August 9, 1976. Plaintiffs introduced oral and documentary evidence, then rested. *975 Defendants moved for a directed verdict or to dismiss. The Court discussed with counsel the procedure it should follow from that point forward. Petitioners claimed that respondents bore the burden of proof that they did not violate the order, while the Court and respondents suggested that petitioners bore the burden of proving noncompliance. Petitioners also claimed that the proceeding was not independent; thus, they said, a motion for directed verdict was improper. How the motion was denominated is unimportant. Because a contempt proceeding is a sui generis phenomenon, no specific forms are supplied by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The gravamen of the motion was that defendants need not produce any evidence due to plaintiffs’ failure to carry its burden of showing noncompliance. Thus, it is analogous to and may be considered as a motion for involuntary dismissal pursuant to F.R.C.P. 41(b). The Court took the motion under advisement.

THE NATURE OF THE CONTEMPT PROCEEDING

The power of a court to punish persons for contempt is an inherent power claiming deep historical roots. Shillitani v. United States, 384 U.S. 364, 370, 86 S.Ct. 1531, 1535, 16 L.Ed.2d 622 (1966); Ex parte Robinson, 86 U.S. (19 Wall.) 505, 22 L.Ed. 205 (1874); United States v. Fidanian, 465 F.2d 755 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 1044, 93 S.Ct. 540, 34 L.Ed.2d 494 (1972); United States v. Dickinson, 465 F.2d 496, 510 (5th Cir. 1972), on remand, 349 F.Supp. 227 (M.D.La.1972), aff’d, 476 F.2d 373 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 979, 94 S.Ct. 270, 38 L.Ed.2d 223 (1973); 11 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 2960 at 581 (1973) [hereinafter cited as 11 Wright & Miller]. In an early case, the United States Supreme Court recognized the necessity for the power and its existence:

“The power to punish for contempts is inherent in all courts; its existence is essential to the preservation of order in judicial proceedings, and to the enforcement of the judgments, orders and writs of the courts, and consequently, to the due administration of justice. The moment the courts of the United States were called into existence and invested with jurisdiction over any subject, they became possessed of this power.” Ex parte Robinson, 86 U.S. (19 Wall.) 505, 510, 22 L.Ed. 205 (1874).

Of course, the power to punish for contempt includes the power of a court to redress violations of its own orders. United States v. Fidanian, 465 F.2d 755, 757 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 1044, 93 S.Ct. 540, 34 L.Ed.2d 494 (1972). The court may exercise its power with discretion, and some courts have held that the power should be used sparingly. United States v. Reide, 494 F.2d 644 (2d Cir. 1974); United States v. Dickinson, 465 F.2d 496, 513 (5th Cir. 1972), on remand, 349 F.Supp. 227 (M.D.La.1972), aff’d, 476 F.2d 373 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 979, 94 S.Ct. 270, 38 L.Ed.2d 223 (1973) ; United States v. Panico, 308 F.2d 125 (2d Cir. 1962), vacated on other grounds, 375 U.S. 29, 84 S.Ct. 19, 11 L.Ed.2d 1 (1963). However, a court’s discretion is not unfettered. A court cannot refuse to preserve rights under its own order absent extraordinary circumstances. McComb v. Jacksonville Paper Co., 336 U.S. 187, 191, 69 S.Ct. 497, 499, 93 L.Ed. 365 (1949).

Fundamentally, two kinds of contempt exist. Civil contempt vindicates the rights of aggrieved persons under valid court orders, while criminal contempt vindicates the court’s power and authority without reference to any party. Norman Bridge Drug Co. v. Banner, 529 F.2d 822, 827 (5th Cir. 1976); Universal Athletic Sales Co. v. Salkeld, 511 F.2d 904, 910 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 863, 96 S.Ct. 122, 46 L.Ed.2d 92 (1975); International Business Machines Corp. v. United States, 493 F.2d 112, 115 (2d Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 995, 94 S.Ct. 2409, 40 L.Ed.2d 774 (1974) .

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421 F. Supp. 973, 26 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1255, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12600, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/louisiana-education-assn-v-richland-parish-school-board-lawd-1976.