Justia: Thirteen years after the divorce was finalized, the Lamar County
Chancery Court found that the former husband, Appellee John David
Gatwood, was in arrears on certain financial obligations imposed by the
divorce decree. Because of various extenuating circumstances, the
chancellor ordered Gatwood to pay off his debt in monthly installments.
More than a year after the chancery court judgment, the former wife's
attorney, Jack Parsons, successfully filed a suggestion for writ of
garnishment, significantly accelerating payment of Gatwood's financial
obligations. Circumstances related to the manner in which the writ of
garnishment was obtained resulted in sanctions against Parsons; the
garnishment proceedings also gave rise to other rulings which were
appealed to this Court. After review, the Supreme Court declined to find
the trial court erred: evidence at trial supported that court's finding
that attorney's fees and sanctions against Parsons and his client were
appropriate. Accordingly, the circuit court's decision was affirmed.