Depuy v. Hoeme

OPALA, Vice Chief Justice.

The issue tendered for our decision is whether the deceased predecessor trial judge’s 1977 oral postdecree, midappeal directives — specifying the work required to satisfy the command of a previously issued mandatory injunction — had res judicata effect in the instant enforcement proceeding before the successor judge. Disposition of this question requires that we initially focus on the previous midappeal enforcement directives. Because no journal entry was ever prepared of this 1977 judicial ruling whose unmemorialized terms vitally affect the inquiry into issues…