Appeals court upholds $800-a-day contempt fine against Catherine Herridge

• The appeals court upheld a $800-a-day contempt fine against Catherine Herridge for Fox News, related to her refusal to comply with a court order to testify about a confidential FBI investigation.
• According to a court filing, the fine was imposed after Fox News correspondent Catherine Herridge refused to comply with a court order requiring her to testify about the FBI investigation, which had involved scientist Yanping Chen.
• Herridge’s material for Fox News in 2017 was based on documents, some of which Chen said she had obtained for research purposes, while the judge found that Chen was not able to prove that the documents had been obtained legally.

The appeals court upheld Herridge’s conviction, ruling that the judge was right to impose the $800-a-day fine for contempt because she refused to testify about the FBI investigation. The appeals court said the decision was based on a court order and the judge’s findings. The Associated Press.

Appeals court upheld the decision to fine Herridge. John Roberts, a federal judge, said the fine was justified, noting that Fox News had not provided a sufficient basis for refusing to comply with the court order, and that Justice Brett Kavanaugh had supported the ruling.

The appeals court ruled on the case brought by scientist Yanping Chen against the FBI. In the materials, it says the FBI investigated Chen, but that the investigation ended without charges. In 2018, the case was brought against the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 2017, Herridge published materials for Fox News about Chen’s case from Chinese-language sources. The articles claimed that, according to the materials, U.S. authorities had violated Chen’s rights by refusing to provide information about her case. According to court documents, the materials were based on interviews with FBI sources. The Independent said the materials were provided by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and that Bruce Brown named the problem in a report for the legal defense of Peruvian privacy.

The Independent also said that Fox News Media violated the court’s order, and that Herridge’s statements at the time of publication were not based on the court’s decision.

Tags: Crime/USA/Politics