Behr v. Behr

OPINION

NEWMAN, Justice.

Louis H. Behr (Appellant) appeals from the Order of the Superior Court affirming his ten-day. jail sentence imposed by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County for criminal contempt.1 Because we hold- that statutory criminal contempt does not extend to behavior that fails to disrupt courtroom proceedings, we reverse the Order of the Superior Court and vacate Appellant’s judgment of sentence.

Appellant and his former wife Patricia Franklin were divorced in 1989. They have been involved in protracted litigation regarding the custody and support of their four…