TAMI D. GUERRIER,
Plaintiff,
v
.
SCOTT R. GUERRIER,
Defendant.
Tate K. Sterrett, and Kary C. Watson, for plaintiff appellee.
Joe T. Millsaps for defendant appellant.
GREENE, Judge.
Scott R. Guerrier (Defendant) appeals from orders filed: 25
June 2001 finding him in civil contempt for failure to comply with
prior orders but delaying enforcement of contempt sanctions (the
contempt order); 24 July 2001 enforcing the sanctions imposed by
the contempt order (enforcement order); 17 September 2001 declaring
Tami D. Guerrier's (Plaintiff) interest in Defendant's G.E. Savings
and Security Program account (401(k) account); and 21 September, a
Domestic Relations Order regarding the 401(k) account and mandating
a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) be entered at a
subsequent date.
On 5 January 2001, Plaintiff filed a motion for contempt
alleging Plaintiff and Defendant had previously been divorced andDefendant had failed and refused to comply with both a previously
entered consent equitable distribution and alimony order and a
child support order.
(See footnote 1)
With respect to violation of the child
support order, it was alleged Defendant had failed to pay child
support, including a portion of the uninsured medical and dental
bills. With respect to violations of equitable distribution, it
was alleged Defendant had failed to transfer a portion of his
401(k) account to Plaintiff, failed to pay Plaintiff a portion of
income derived from certain assets, and failed to provide Plaintiff
with copies of income statements for certain investments held for
the children pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act
(UTMA). Plaintiff requested Defendant be held in contempt of
court.
On 26 January 2001, Plaintiff filed a Motion to Enforce Child
Support Order and Equitable Distribution Judgment. This motion
alleged Defendant withdrew monies from the funds held pursuant to
UTMA,
(See footnote 2)
and unlawfully withdrew funds from the 401(k) account.
Plaintiff requested Defendant be removed as custodian of the
children's UTMA accounts; a judgment be entered against Defendant
in the amount of the funds withdrawn from the UTMA accounts and the
funds withdrawn from the 401(k) account; possession of and title tothe parties primary residence; and entry of a QDRO assigning
Plaintiff all of the interest in the 401(k) account.
On 1 May 2001, the trial court rendered the contempt order
holding Defendant in civil contempt for failure to comply with the
child support order and equitable distribution judgment. The order
and judgment were reduced to writing and filed on 25 June 2001 and
required: Defendant to reimburse Plaintiff for past child support
and one-half of the children's medical expenses under the child
support order; repayment of the funds removed from the children's
investment accounts under the equitable distribution judgment; and
committed Defendant to the custody of the Mecklenburg County
Sheriff until such time as Defendant complied with the contempt
order. Commitment, however, was stayed to give Defendant an
opportunity to purge himself of contempt by compliance with the
order and judgment. On 23 July 2001, Defendant filed notice of
appeal from the contempt order.
On 24 July 2001, the trial court entered the enforcement
order: concluding Defendant remained in contempt of court for
failure to comply with the child support order and equitable
distribution judgment; sanctioning Defendant $100.00; entering
judgments for the amount of the funds removed from the children's
investment accounts; and removing Defendant as custodian of the
children's investment accounts. Defendant filed notice of appeal
to the enforcement order on 27 July 2001. Following Defendant's
notices of appeal to the contempt and enforcement orders, the trial
court entered the 17 September 2001 order declaring Plaintiff'sinterest in Defendant's 401(k) account, and on 21 September 2001,
entered a further order dealing with this account. Defendant gave
separate notices of appeal to these orders.
BIGGS, Judge concurring in part and dissenting in part.
Because I do not agree with the majority that the appeal of
any contempt order automatically affects a substantial right and
is immediately appealable, I respectfully dissent. However, I
agree with the majority's determinations regarding the UTMA
accounts, and concur with those portions of the majority opinion.
The determination of whether an interlocutory appeal affects
a substantial right must be made on a case by case basis. McCallum
v. North Carolina Coop. Extensive Serv. of N.C. State Univ., 142
N.C. App. 48, 542 S.E.2d 227 (2001). What constitutes a
substantial right is strictly construed, Flitt v. Flitt, 149 N.C.
App. 475, 561 S.E.2d 511 (2002), and [t]his Court [North Carolina
Supreme Court] . . . [has] adopted the dictionary definition of
substantial right: a legal right affecting or involving a matter of
substance as distinguished from matters of form: a right materially
affecting those interests which a [person] is entitled to have
preserved and protected by law: a material right. Sharpe
v. Worland, 351 N.C. 159 162, 522 S.E.2d 577, 579 (1999).
Moreover, it is the appellant's burden to present argument inhis brief to this Court to support acceptance of the appeal, as it
'is not the duty of this Court to construct arguments for or find
support for appellant's right to appeal from an interlocutory
order.' Jeffreys v. Raleigh Oaks Joint Venture, 115 N.C. App.
377, 380, 444 S.E.2d 252, 254 (1994). N.C.R. App. P. 28(b)(4)
(effective 31 October 2001) requires the appellant's brief to
include a statement of grounds for appellate review[,] and
directs that [w]hen an appeal is interlocutory, the statement must
contain sufficient facts and argument to support appellate review
on the ground that the challenged order affects a substantial
right. Defendant's brief fails to acknowledge that his appeal is
interlocutory, and presents no argument that a substantial right is
affected.
In certain instances immediate appeal may lie from a finding
of contempt. See, e.g., Sharpe v. Worland, 351 N.C. 159, 522
S.E.2d 577 (1999) (order of contempt for failure to disclose
documents that are subject to an absolute statutory privilege
affects a substantial right and may be immediately appealed), disc.
review denied, 352 N.C. 150, 544 S.E.2d 228 (2000). However, this
does not mean that every contempt order is immediately appealable. In the present case, the majority does not state what substantial
right of appellant's is implicated by this appeal, and I discern no
substantial right of defendant's that would be lost by delaying
appeal until the trial court entered orders pertaining to the other
issues raised in plaintiff's motion, with the exception of those
related to the UTMA accounts. This Court has not previously held that a right of immediate
appeal arises from every order of civil contempt, and should not do
so in the present case. Rather, we should continue to evaluate all
interlocutory appeals on a case-by-case basis.
Accordingly, for the reasons set forth herein, I respectfully
dissent in part and concur in part.
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