Also, Lack Of Candor With The Appellate Court In The Writ Petition Was Mentioned. The 4/3 DCA, in West v. Superior Court, Case No. G066888 (4th Dist., Div. 3 Aug. 12, 2026) (unpublished; by-the-court opinion), sanctioned a litigant’s attorney $5,000 for a lack of candor with the appellate court and for filing a frivolous appeal. […]
Defense’s Privilege Objections Found Unpersuasive, But A Request for Appeal Sanctions Was Denied. The lower court in Romero v. Gopher Media LLC, Case No. D086508 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Aug. 5, 2026) (unpublished) imposed $7,870.41 in discovery sanctions on defendants for failing to produce a crucial meeting summary used to justify plaintiff’s employment termination in
Plus The Opinion Had To Be Reported To The State Bar. A Company Hungary KFT v. Bespalov, Case No. B336640a (2d Dist., Div. 4 Aug. 4, 2026) (published) is an opinion where an appellants’ counsel was assessed with a $1,000 contempt sanction for disparaging a trial judge, without evidence, in appellate briefing. The panel found
Also, Attorney Fee’s Reductions Were Affirmed And Appellant Was Ordered to Pay Minimal Appeal Sanctions For AI Hallucinations In Appellate Briefing. The memorable thing about this opinion, Del Biaggio v. Bansen, Case No. A174647 (1st Dist., Div. 4 July 10, 2026) (published), is what it determined in compensating paralegal work under a contractual fees clause
Appeal Of $72,476.87 Sanctions Award Against Ex-Husband Deemed Frivolous. Just to give you a sense of the dollar amounts of appellate sanctions imposed in one Division of the Second District, the Ventura Court of Appeal, in Marriage of Walther, Case No. B340131 (2d Dist., Div. 6 May 20, 2026) (unpublished), found ex-husband’s appeal of a
In A Masterclass Of What Not To Do On Appeal, Self-Represented Appellant Challenged A Fee Award Ordered Against Him By Rehashing Issues Determined Previously On Appeal, Raising Issues Not Previously Raised, Attacking The Character Of Respondent And His Counsel, And Insulting Court Staff And Judicial Officers. In a case that has dragged on in excess
Another Published Opinion In This Area—Be A Human, Read, Check, And Verify AI Research. In re the Domestic Partnership of Campos & Munoz, Case No. D085584 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Mar. 5, 2026) (published) is post-worthy because it builds on prior cases and imposed $5,000 in appeal sanctions, payable to the appellate clerk, for filing
Appeal Involved Review Of A CCP § 128.7 Sanctions Order Below. In Dunn Investment Properties, Inc. v. Johnson, Case Nos. B339562 et al. (2d Dist., Div. 3 Feb. 26, 2026) (unpublished), a lower court sanctioned a party’s law firm and one of its attorneys under CCP § 128.7 to the tune of $11,725 for bringing
Also, Respondents Can Get OSC Response Fees And Costs On The Issue. All practitioners should get attuned to the fact that appellate courts are imposing sanctions more frequently for CRC infractions, including referencing AI hallucinations and filing false paperwork. In Horton v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Case No. D085379 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Dec. 29,
$59,236 Payable To Respondent; $15,000 Payable To Appellate Clerk In Howell Management Services, LLC v. Rota, Case No. D086055 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Dec. 15, 2025) (unpublished), the 4/1 DCA recently found appellant filed a frivolous appeal involving three orders, with AI hallucinations also found in the appellant’s appellate briefing (an unreasonable CRC violation). The
