State v. Hasney

This is an appeal from a 3-month sentence for willful contempt arising out of the defendant’s refusal to testify, when ordered to do so by a justice of the Superior Court. She based such refusal on the ground that her testimony might tend to incriminate her in violation of her rights under art. V of the amendments to the Constitution of the United States not to be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against herself. The trial justice stayed execution of the sentence pending determination of the defendant’s appeal to this court.

The record discloses the following pertinent facts. In…