Handling a verbally abusive person

[Guest N Baker]

Can we ask a verbally abusive person to leave our meeting and if they don't can we then move to a room and lock the door to keep them out, or do we have to go into executive session?

 

[Edgar Guest]

Yes, if the abusive person is not a member.

 

Also yes, but not as easily, if the abusive person is a member (of the body that is meeting).

 

There should be no need to move to another room (but you could call a brief recess and do that if you want) and there's no need to go into executive session. Non-members (of the body that is meeting) have no right to attend, whether the meeting is held in executive session or not.

[Richard Brown]

As Mr. Guest pointed out, the answer depends on whether the person you are referring to is a member of the body that is meeting.

 

If it is the general membership that is meeting, only persons who are members of the organization have a right to attend the meetings of the organization.

 

If it is the board (or a committee) that is meeting, only members of the board (or committee) that is meeting have a right to attend unless the bylaws give others the right to attend.

 

If the person who is causing a disturbance is not a member of the body that is meeting, he (usually) has no right to be there and can be ordered to leave by the chairman or by the body that is meeting.

 

If the person causing the disturbance is a member of the body that is meeting and continues to cause a disturbance after having been warned, the body which is meeting may order him removed from the meeting.