Litigation Release No. 17874 / December 3, 2002
RELIEF DEFENDANT CATERINA JOHNSON HELD IN CIVIL CONTEMPT
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION V. PAUL R. JOHNSON, ET AL., Case No. 01-7874-CIV-HURLEY (S.D. Fla.)
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on November 13, 2002, the SEC filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, an Application for an Order to Show Cause why Caterina Johnson a relief defendant (C. Johnson) should not be held in civil contempt for failure to comply with a November 7, 2002 Order ordering her to appear for a deposition on November 12, 2002 in Detroit, Michigan. A hearing was held on November 22, 2002 on the SEC's Application and C. Johnson failed to appear to show cause why she should not be held in contempt.
On November 26, 2002, the Honorable Frank J. Lynch, Jr., United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Florida, found C. Johnson in civil contempt and imposed sanctions against her. The Court ordered C. Johnson to appear for her deposition at a time and place designated by the SEC and awarded the SEC reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in connection with the deposition at which she failed to appear.
For further information, see Litigation Release No. 17277 (December 17, 2001), Litigation Release No. 17338 (January 24, 2002), Litigation Release No. 17375 (February 22, 2002), and Litigation Release No. 17819 (October 30, 2002).