In Re Berman

The petitioner was ordered confined in the county jail of Los Angeles County for contempt of court in refusing to answer twenty-five questions asked of him upon the taking of his deposition in a cause pending in the Superior Court, the confinement to continue until he should purge himself of the contempt by making answers to the interrogatories. The reason assigned for his refusal was that to answer the questions might tend to incriminate him.

Testimony was given by the former president of the board of directors of the Julian Petroleum Corporation to the effect that petitioner was employed by him some time in the spring of 1925 and placed in charge of the stock transfer department of that company where he continued to work until May 2, 1927. There was also testimony, and the petitioner admitted, that his deposition had been taken in a case pending in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, entitled R. Guenther v. H. J. Barneson et al. All of the questions, for the refusal to answer which the petitioner was committed, relate to this deposition. Thirteen questions and answers therein were separately read to the witness and he was asked if he had not been asked the question and…