Local News in Brief : Contempt Ruling Denied
A federal appeal court Friday overturned a 1986 Los Angeles court order fining the attorney for convicted FBI spy Richard Miller $500 for contempt of court.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco lifted the fine imposed on Stanley Greenberg by U.S. District Judge David Kenyon on June 13, 1986.
Greenberg was fined for criminal contempt for a courtroom outburst that included shouting for a ruling from the judge and twice slamming his hand on the counsel desk.
“Greenberg’s loud voice and hand slamming during the heat of a long and hard-fought trial, although annoying and not condoned by this court, do not constitute the type of ‘exceptional circumstances’ that pose an immediate threat to the judicial process, thereby justifying a summary criminal contempt conviction,” wrote Judge Harry Pregerson, who added that Greenberg’s actions were part of presenting a “vigorous” defense.
Greenberg defended former FBI Agent Miller, who was arrested in 1984 and charged with passing secret documents to the Soviet Union. Kenyon cited him for contempt on two occasions but vacated one of his contempt orders himself.
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