Cases: Sanctions

Appealability/Discovery/Sanctions: Ninth Circuit Decides That Non-Party’s Appeal Of Interlocutory Orders After Date Of Final Judgment Is Timely

Cases: Appealability, Cases: Discovery, Cases: Sanctions

  Appeals Court Affirms Denial of Sanctions But Remands for Cost-Shifting in Favor of Non-Party in FRCP 45 Subpoena Dispute.      The Ninth Circuit has ended the year with a “bang” as far as clarifying non-party appeal rights and the circumstances under which subpoena compliance cost shifting is mandatory under F.R.Civ.P. 45.      The opinion […]

Prevailing Party/Sanctions/Special Fee Shifting Statute: U.S. District Judge England Denies Clean Water Act Attorney’s Fees To Defendant After Plaintiffs Voluntarily Dismissed Citizsens Suit Due To High Ongoing Litigation Costs

Cases: Prevailing Party, Cases: Sanctions, Cases: Special Fee Shifting Statutes

  District Court Also Denied Plaintiff’s Requests for Sanctions After Defendant Withdrew Rule 11 Motion After Grant of Voluntary Dismissal; Reasons For Both — No Prevailing Party.      The Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1365, allows citizen suits and has a fee-shifting clause which allows a district court, in its discretion, to award litigation

Appeal Sanctions/Family Law: $8,000 In Sanctions To Ex-Wife For Child Support Arrears Reimbursement, Denial Of Discovery Sanctions To Ex-Husband, And $22,000 Appeals Sanctions Against Husband/His Counsel For Frivolous Appeal All Sustained

Cases: Family Law, Cases: Sanctions

  Be careful what you appeal.      In Marriage of O’Neill and Mitruka, Case Nos. Do62049/D062539 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Nov. 26, 2013) (unpublished), the appellate court affirmed these lower court determinations in a family law dispute:      (a) Sustained a $8,000 fee award in favor of ex-wife for obtaining child support arrears reimbursement given

Probate/Sanctions: Trust Beneficiary Hit With $105,300 In Attorneys Fees And Costs To Trustee And Guardian Ad Litem Under CCP § 128.5 Does Not Get Relief On Appeal

Cases: Probate, Cases: Sanctions

  Probate Court Equitable Powers Prevail.      Estate of Sprott, Case No. B237989 (2d Dist., Div. 1 Nov. 22, 2013) (unpublished) is a case where a trust beneficiary of a modest trust estate of around $300,000 rang up over $100,000 in fees on bringing lots of motions which did not prevail. Ultimately, he was hit

Family Law/Sanctions: $43,000 Sanctions Reversed Against Attorney For Violating California State Bar Rules Of Professional Conduct Through Hiring An Ineligible Co-counsel In Family Law Proceeding

Cases: Family Law, Cases: Sanctions

  Basis for Sanction–CRC 2.30(b)–Is Not Well-Founded.      A family law attorney, in Marriage of Bianco, Case No. D062061 (4th Dist., Div. 1 Nov. 22, 2013) (published), was sanctioned $43,000, after a mistrial in a family law matter, because her co-counsel was ineligible to practice law, which might well have constituted a violation of the

Discovery/Sanctions: To Aggregate Or Not, That Is The Question

Cases: Discovery, Cases: Sanctions

  $6,000 Aggregate Sanctions for Three Separate Discovery Motions Did Not Meet $5,000 Minimum Appellate Threshold.      In order to be appealable, an order imposing a monetary sanction must exceed $5,000. (Code Civ. Proc., § 904.1(a)(12).) However, what happens when a litigant appeals a $6,000 reduced sanctions award where the opponent filed three separate discovery

Appeal Sanctions/Sanctions: Lower Court Sanctions Affirmed, But Appellate Court Either Denies Sanctions Or Imposes A Minimal One In The Interests Of Justice

Cases: Appeal Sanctions, Cases: Sanctions

  Two Appeals Demonstrate How Overall Equities Factor Into Appellate Sanctions Decisionmaking Process.      Here are two interesting appeals by a sanctioned client and attorney from lower court decisions, with appellate sanctions being sought by the respondents on appeal. The results are interesting and decided by Acting Presiding Justice Bedsworth on behalf of identical 3-0

Class Action/Paralegal Time/Sanctions: Court Of Appeal Affirms $176,900 Discovery Monetary Sanctions Against One Class Action Counsel, Sustains Awarding The Same Counsel No Fees Based On Tarnished Credibility

Cases: Class Actions, Cases: Paralegal Time, Cases: Reasonableness of Fees, Cases: Sanctions

  Also Sustains Awarding $176,900 To Same Counsel’s Staff For Work Effort, And Remands For Consideration Of Costs Request Appellate Court Finds that Paralegals Do Not Necessarily Have to Meet California B&P Educational/Certification Requirements in Order to Obtain Compensation.      This next case, Ellis v. Toshiba America Information System, Inc. (Sklar), Case Nos. B220286/B227078 (2d

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