People v. Little

MCL 600.1701; MSA *66627A.1701 allows a trial court to punish by fine or imprisonment a person guilty of misconduct in certain enumerated cases. The issuance of an order of contempt rests in the sound discretion of the trial court and is not reviewable except for abuse of discretion. In the Matter of Peisner, 78 Mich App 642, 643; 261 NW2d 30 (1977). Criminal contempt orders seek to punish a defendant for a defendant’s past disobedience and are characterized by the imposition of a determinate sentence without any opportunity for the contemnor to purge himself of the contempt. Michigan v Powers, 97…