Indiana § 34-12-2-6 - Questioning intended to elicit name of third persons prohibited

§ 34-12-2-6. Questioning intended to elicit name of third persons prohibited

Sec. 6. (a) An attorney who appears in a proceeding described in section 4 of this chapter on behalf of a party to the proceeding who is asserting misconduct by the adverse party shall not ask of any witness any question intended or calculated to disclose the name or identity of any third person charged as corespondent or participant in the misconduct.

(b) A party or witness testifying on behalf of a party asserting misconduct by the adverse party shall not name or identify any third person charged as a corespondent or participant in any such misconduct.

(c) If the court in the exercise of a sound discretion so orders, counsel for any party charged with an act of misconduct with a third person may be permitted to cross-examine a witness who has testified to the act of misconduct concerning the identity of the third person. Within limits as the court may prescribe, the witness may answer the questions asked.

(d) In all testimony in proceedings described in section 4 of this chapter, designation of the corespondent or other alleged participant in misconduct by general language not sufficient for identification operates with the same legal effect as complete identification.

(e) The discretion vested in the court by this section shall be exercised in a manner to avoid injustice to litigants, while at the same time avoiding, so far as possible, the public revelation of the name or identity of the third person. To this end the court may impound pleadings or other documents in the case and hear testimony in chambers.

(f) This section shall not be construed to change the grounds for divorce or impair the substantive rights of parties in cases described in this section. This section shall be construed to regulate pleading, practice, and testimony in cases described in this section so as to eliminate extortion and public scandal.

(g) This section also applies to the taking of testimony by deposition or commission as to proceedings before the court.

(h) Any willful violation of this section by any attorney, party, or witness constitutes a direct contempt of the court having jurisdiction of the proceeding in which the violation occurs, and may be punished by the court with a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) as the court considers proper. However, if the adverse party intends to file a motion under section 5(b) of this chapter to make any pleading or paper more specific by stating the name, identity, or other fact descriptive of any corespondent or participant in misconduct of the adverse party in any action or proceeding described in section 4 of this chapter, any party who has given notice of the taking of a deposition shall be notified of this intention in writing before the time fixed for taking the deposition, and the notice may be served upon either the party or the party's attorney.

[Pre-1998 Recodification Citation: 34-4-4-5.]

As added by P.L.1-1998, SEC.7.