Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson has filed an appeal with the Arkansas Supreme Court after the Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld a contempt ruling against him tied to his handling of sheriff’s office payment claims.
Robinson’s attorney, Kenneth P. Castleberry, filed the appeal following the appellate court’s April 8 decision, which affirmed a lower court order requiring Robinson to pay $6,700 in attorney’s fees and costs to Lafayette Woods Jr..
The case stems from a 2022 lawsuit filed by Woods that initially challenged county budget matters before narrowing to focus on Robinson’s denial of payment requests submitted by the sheriff’s department.
According to findings in Jefferson County Circuit Court, Robinson denied 93 claims submitted by the sheriff’s office over a period of time, while no other county department experienced similar denials. Testimony showed the reasons for those denials were applied inconsistently, and in some instances, claims were later approved without any substantive changes.
In November 2023, the circuit court ruled Robinson’s actions were arbitrary and capricious and ordered him to stop rejecting claims in an inconsistent manner. The court directed that any denials must be reasonable, consistent, fair and predictable, and that clear explanations be provided so deficiencies could be corrected.
Woods later filed a petition for contempt, alleging Robinson continued the same practices despite the court’s directive. After a hearing, the circuit court agreed and found Robinson in contempt, citing continued unequal treatment of the sheriff’s department compared to other county offices. The court ordered Robinson to pay $6,700 in attorney’s fees and costs.
On appeal, Robinson argued the court’s order was too vague to enforce and that his decisions were justified under his authority as county judge. He maintained that reviewing claims involves discretion and that denials were based on legitimate concerns such as invoice accuracy, budget coding and documentation.
The Arkansas Court of Appeals rejected those arguments, finding the lower court’s order clearly required Robinson to apply standards consistently across departments.
Judges pointed to testimony showing that claims from the sheriff’s office were denied for issues such as incorrect addresses, coding discrepancies and timing of submissions, while similar issues were allowed in claims submitted by other departments, including the county judge’s own office.
The appellate court emphasized that the issue was not whether reasons existed to deny claims, but whether those reasons were applied fairly and consistently. Evidence presented showed they were not.
The court also noted that determinations regarding witness credibility are made by the circuit court and are given deference on appeal.
Finding that the contempt ruling was supported by the evidence, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision.
With the case now heading to the Arkansas Supreme Court, the next phase will determine whether the state’s highest court will take up the appeal and potentially revisit the lower courts’ findings.
