United Color Lab & Digital Imaging, Inc. v. United Studios

In this case we are asked to review a trial court’s decision to hold the defendant in contempt of the court’s order. After the plaintiff filed its lawsuit to recover amounts allegedly owed on certain invoices, the trial court ordered the defendant to file a sworn statement setting forth any amounts it believed it owed to the plaintiff and the “basis” for that statement. The defendant submitted the affidavit of its president who asserted that it owed nothing to the plaintiff and that plaintiff breached the parties’ contract. The defendant subsequently filed an answer denying it owed the money and filed a counter-complaint for breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, and fraud. The plaintiff filed a petition seeking to hold the defendant in contempt of the court’s order, asserting that the affidavit filed by the defendant did not set forth specific facts. The chancery court granted the motion and found the defendant in contempt of the order holding that the affidavit did not contain enough “detail” as required by the order. The defendant appealed to this Court. We reverse.