In re Yengo
New Jersey Supreme Court
84 N.J. 111, 417 A.2d 533 (1980)
- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
John Yengo (defendant) represented Leo Leone, one of 10 defendants in a gambling-conspiracy trial. The complexity of the case presented difficult trial problems, so the judge instructed the numerous defense attorneys involved that she would not tolerate tardiness or absence without her prior approval. Yengo appeared in court regularly from February 21 until March 2, when he failed to appear and sent an unprepared attorney in his place. The judge tried to get in contact with Yengo several times but was informed Yengo was in Bermuda until March 5. The trial continued without Yengo. Instead of issuing a contempt citation immediately, the judge ordered Yengo to appear in court on March 6 to explain himself. When Yengo returned, he stated he had been in Bermuda for business. The judge found Yengo’s explanation inadequate and summarily found Yengo guilty of direct criminal contempt. Yengo appealed, and the appellate division ruled in Yengo’s favor. The trial court appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Pollock, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
