A former aide to John Edwards is returning to court just days after a North Carolina judge nearly sent him to jail over his handling of a videotape purportedly showing the two-time presidential candidate in a sexual encounter.

Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones scheduled a hearing for Friday. He asked Andrew Young earlier this week to provide a full accounting of how he handled items Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, is seeking.

Judge Jones declared on two occasions during a Tuesday hearing that Young would go to jail for contempt following conflicting statements. But Jones relented after Young's attorneys protested.

Hunter has sued Young for invasion of privacy, seeking the return of items including a tape purportedly showing Edwards and Hunter in a sexual encounter.