NASSAU- Attorney Donna Major was on Tuesday found guilty of contempt for making scandalous remarks about a judge who found her professionally negligent in a land sale.
Justice Indra Charles will sentence Major on December 8.
The contempt proceedings stem from a civil suit brought against Major by Americans Alan and Sharon Crawford.
The Crawfords alleged that Major caused them to suffer loss due to bad advice regarding the purchase of property in Shanna’s Cove, Cat Island in 2010.
Major acted as the lawyer for the vendor, Christopher Stubbs, as well as for the plaintiffs.
They alleged that, among other things, Major misdescribed the property in the conveyance.
During the trial, the judge, all parties and their lawyers viewed the disputed property on Cat Island in February 2019.
In May 2020, the Court found that Major was professionally negligent and liable to pay damages.
Major asks judge to step down
At this point, Major alleged that the Judge lacked impartiality and asked her step down from the case.
In an affidavit in support of the recusal application, Major alleged that the Crawfords were at the Cat Island airport to “greet” Justice Charles.
Additionally, she claimed the judge and her clerk were driven to the property site in the Crawfords’ vehicle, and that they were accompanied by the couple’s attorney, the late Roy Sweeting.
Major further alleged that Justice Charles asked her if she could convince Stubbs to sell his property to the Crawfords for $100,000.
Justice Charles refused to step down from the case, noting that Major had not made any complaints about the site visit prior to the court’s ruling.
She charged Major with contempt for the “untruths” in her affidavit.
Guilty of contempt for false claims
After multiple attempts to halt the contempt application, contempt proceedings began in February 2021.
During the contempt hearing, Major insisted that the judge, on a previous occasion, admitted to riding in the car with the Crawfords.
When the alleged admission did not appear in the transcripts, Major suggested that they were “doctored.”
Major also called several other witnesses, who claimed they had heard the judge say the same thing.
Also, Major insisted that Sergeant Reuben Stuart did not travel to Cat Island with the judge.
He testified to the contrary, and his name was on the flight’s manifest.
Superintendent Dencil Barr, who was the officer in charge of Cat Island, testified that he greeted Justice Charles and her party at the airport.
Justice Charles ruled, “In my judgment, I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mrs. Major is guilty of contempt of court. I feel sure that she knowingly and intentionally fabricated the contents of her affidavit with the objective of demeaning me and to bring the Court into disrepute and prejudice the due administration of justice.
“She had every opportunity at the resumed hearing of the trial on May 1, 2019 to raise the issue of partiality or favoritism to the Plaintiffs and/or the law firm representing the Plaintiffs. She failed to do so. Her allegation that my logistical arrangements for the visit to Cat Island were mainly provided for by the Plaintiffs is contemptuous and was deliberately calculated to scandalize the Court.”
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