2019 US Virgin Islands Code
Title 32 - Sports and Parks
Chapter 21 - Virgin Islands Casino and Resort Control Act of 1995
Article VIII - Hearings
§ 467. Conduct a hearing; rules of evidence punishment of contempts; rehearing
(a) At all hearings of the Commission in contested cases:
(1) The Commission shall hear all matters directly; provided, however, that the chairman may, in his discretion, designate a member of the Commission, or any other qualified person other than an employee of the Commission, to serve as hearing examiner in a particular matter;
(2) The proceedings at the hearing shall be recorded or transcribed;
(3) Oral evidence shall be taken only upon oath or affirmation;
(4) Each party to a hearing shall have the right to call and examine witnesses; to introduce exhibits relevant to the issues of the case, including the transcript of testimony at any investigative hearing conducted by or on behalf of the Commission; to cross-examine opposing witnesses in any matters relevant to the issue of the case; to impeach any witness, regardless of which party called him to testify; and to offer rebuttal evidence;
(5) If an applicant, licensee, registrant or person who shall be qualified pursuant to this chapter is a party and if such party shall not testify in his own behalf, he may be called and examined as if under cross-examination;
(6) The hearing shall not be conducted according to rules relating to the admissibility of evidence in courts of law. Any relevant evidence may be admitted and shall be sufficient in itself to support a finding if it is the sort of evidence upon which responsible persons are accustomed to rely in the conduct of serious affairs, regardless of the existence of any common law or statutory rule which might make improper the admission of such evidence over objection in a civil action; and
(7) The parties or their counsel may, by written stipulation, agree that certain specified evidence may be admitted, although such evidence may be otherwise subject to objection.
(b) The Commission may take official notice of any generally accepted information or technical or scientific matter in the field of gaming and of any other fact which may be judicially noticed by the courts of the United States Virgin Islands. The parties shall be informed of any information, matters or facts so noticed and shall be given a reasonable opportunity, on request, to refute such information, matters or facts by evidence or by written or oral presentation of authorities, the manner of such refutation to be determined by the Commission. The Commission may, in its discretion, before rendering its decision, permit the filing of amended or supplemental pleadings and shall notify all parties thereof and provide a reasonable opportunity for objections thereto.
(c) If any person in proceedings before the Commission disobeys or resists any lawful order, refuses to respond to a subpoena, refuses to take the oath or affirmation as a witness or thereafter refuses to be examined, or is guilty of misconduct at the hearing or so near the place thereof as to obstruct the proceeding, the person may be punished for contempt in accordance with the Rules of Court if the Commission certifies the facts underlying the contumacious behavior to the Superior Court. Thereafter, the courts shall have jurisdiction in the matter and the same proceeding shall be had, the same penalties may be imposed, and the person charged may purge himself of the contempt in the same way as in the case of a person who has committed contempt in the trial of a civil action before the Superior Court.
(d)
(1) The Commission may, upon motion therefor made within 10 days after the service of the decision and order, order a rehearing before the Commission upon such terms and conditions as it may deem just and proper when the Commission finds cause to believe that the decision and order should be reconsidered in view of the legal, policy or factual matters advanced by the moving party or raised by the Commission on its own motion.
(2) Upon motion made within a reasonable time, but in no event later than one year from the service of the decision and order, the Commission may relieve a party from the decision and order upon a showing that there is additional evidence which is material and necessary and which would be reasonably likely to change the decision of the Commission, and that sufficient reason existed for failure to present such evidence at the hearing of the Commission or on a motion under paragraph (1) of this subsection. The motion shall be supported by an affidavit of the moving party or his counsel showing with particularity the materiality and necessity of the additional evidence and the reason why it was not presented at the hearing or on a motion under paragraph (1) of this subsection. Upon rehearing, rebuttal evidence to the additional evidence shall be admitted. After rehearing, the Commission may modify its decision and order as the additional evidence may warrant.
(3) A motion for relief from a decision and order which is based on any ground other than the presentation of newly discovered evidence shall be governed as to both timeliness and sufficiency by the regulations of the Commission which shall be modeled, to the extent practical, upon the rules then governing similar motions before the courts of the Virgin Islands.
