An insurance company challenged a judge's decision to hold a sanctions hearing without proper written notice and without allowing the company to know what violations it was accused of. The court ruled the judge abused his power by conducting the hearing based only on oral notice and by asking about confidential mediation discussions. The decision protects parties in construction disputes from surprise hearings and ensures mediation confidentiality is respected.
Judges must give written notice before holding sanctions or contempt hearings—oral notice alone is not enough, even if you hear about it verbally
You have the right to know in writing what specific violations you're accused of before a hearing happens; vague or surprise accusations are grounds to challenge the hearing