H.K. Porter Co. v. National Friction Products
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
568 F.2d 24 (1977)
Relevant factsFree
H.K. Porter (plaintiff) and National Friction Products (defendant) settled their dispute, and the district court's order simply stated the settlement agreement was "adopted and made a part of the decree by reference as the judgment herein." Years later, Porter moved to hold National in civil contempt for allegedly breaching the settlement, but the district court dismissed the motion, and Porter appealed.
IssueFree
Whether holding a party in civil contempt requires that the party have disobeyed an unequivocal command capable of enforcement, described in reasonable detail if the command took the form of an injunction.