Hiltbrand v. Hiltbrand, Unpublished Decision (5-14-2001)
Hiltbrand v. Hiltbrand, Unpublished Decision (5-14-2001)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Appellant Cathie I. Hiltbrand appeals a judgment of the Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court, Domestic Relations Division, finding her in contempt of court for failing to return two items of personal property to appellee Jacob Hiltbrand following the dissolution of the parties' marriage:I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING APPELLANT IN CIVIL CONTEMPT OF COURT WHERE THE FINDINGS OF THE TRIAL COURT WERE NOT SUPPORTED BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE.II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN SENTENCING APPELLANT TO AN INDEFINITE TERM OF INCARCERATION FOR CIVIL CONTEMPT OF COURT AS APPELLANT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PURGE HERSELF OF THAT CONTEMPT.
The parties' marriage was dissolved in 1992. Appellant was ordered to return to appellee certain items of personal property, including a blanket chest, purchased by appellee's mother at an auction in 1979, and a pocket watch, which was given to appellee by his father. On November 13, 1998, appellee filed a motion for contempt. A magistrate conducted a hearing on the motion on February 7, 2000. Following the hearing, the magistrate found that the blanket chest and the pocket watch were in the marital residence when appellee departed in September of 1992, and were not there when he moved back into the residence in October of 1994. The magistrate therefore found that the blanket chest and the pocket watch were either disposed of or taken by appellant when she left the marital residence. The court adopted the findings of fact of the magistrate, overruled all objections, and found appellant in contempt of court. He sentenced her to serve an indefinite term of incarceration until she complied with the prior order of the court, giving her an opportunity to purge by delivering the blanket chest to the office of appellee's attorney, and paying $100 for the pocket watch, which is not in her possession.
The judgment of the Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court, Domestic Relations Division, is affirmed.
________ Gwin, J.
Edwards, P.J., and Farmer, J., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.