United States v. Westbrooks

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As part of a grand jury investigation, the grand jury issued a subpoena to Appellant requiring her to produce certain records. When she failed to produce all of the requested documents, the government moved for an order to show cause as to why Appellant should not be held in contempt for failing to comply with the subpoena. At the show-cause hearing, Appellant testified that she did not produce other materials responsive to the subpoena because of the advice of her attorney. The district court ultimately found Appellant guilty of criminal contempt. Appellant appealed, arguing that the district court violated her due process rights by requiring her to prove her advice-of-counsel defense, a burden she claimed belonged to the government. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the conviction, holding that the district court did not improperly shift the burden of proof to Appellant. View "United States v. Westbrooks" on Justia Law

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