When may a court punish a party for lying under oath, and how can that party challenge the punishment?
General information · Not legal advice
Material to check
In a practice file we read the trial record for the moment the party took the oath and the words spoken afterwards, the court's written ruling imposing the penalty with the reasons it gives, and any notice of immediate appeal stamped with the day it was filed.
These are types of material to look for, not evidence already verified by PRO SE.
Where readings differ
One reading keeps every condition of the first paragraph: the person must be a party who has taken the oath, the false statement must be that party's testimony, and the court then imposes a civil penalty not exceeding the maximum the provision sets, by a ruling.
Another reading turns on the later paragraphs: a ruling under this provision may be challenged by immediate appeal, and the provision applies a further rule of the Civil Procedure Act by reference without repeating its terms, so what that applied rule requires is not settled by this text alone.
Your judgment
Where a party's written submissions and oral statements mix factual assertions with argument, which words in the record count as sworn testimony that this provision could reach?
PRO SE does not make this decision or keep a case record on this public site.When to reconsider
We look at this again if the provision is amended to change who may be sanctioned or the ceiling on the penalty, or if a court decision explains what counts as a false statement under oath.