Thompson v. Thompson

STEADMAN, Associate Judge:

In a Family Division proceeding involving wife abuse, appellant husband was held in criminal contempt of court and sentenced to 15 days in jail. He argues on appeal that the trial court improperly denied his requests for a continuance, and thereby violated his right to effective assistance of counsel. In denying appellant’s request for a continuance, the trial court expressly took into account the fact that appellant had had several weeks’ notice of the hearing and hence ample time to secure counsel. We conclude that the trial court improperly considered this advance…