Candolfi v. Alterra Group

Melissa Candolfi v. Allterra Group, LLC, Case No. 481, September Term 2021. Opinion by Nazarian, J. CONTEMPT — DIRECT CIVIL CONTEMPT — NATURE OF VALID PURGE PROVISION Direct civil contempt must be used to coerce present or future compliance with a court order rather than punish past, completed conduct. Essential to a court’s imposition of civil contempt is the person’s ability to purge the contempt to avoid a sanction. To serve the coercive purpose of civil contempt, the sanction must be distinct from the purge provision and the valid legal requirement the court seeks to enforce. Circuit…