In what is believed to be a first-impression decision in the contempt-of-court context, a Kings County Supreme Court justice has ruled against a husband in a contentious divorce case, who faces a possible criminal contempt finding over spoliation of evidence, who’d demanded an in-person hearing and an indefinite postponement of it based on COVID-19 health concerns.

The husband, referred to as only C.C. in the judge’s decision, and his lawyer Maria Coffinas had argued vigorously that given the possible imprisonment stakes of the contempt of court faced by C.C., an in-person proceeding had to be granted, according to the decision denying C.C.’s motion issued by Justice Jeffrey Sunshine.