Joseph Hage Aaronson

Inherent Power Sanctions: Evidence Preclusion, Attorneys’ Fees for Extrajudicial Conduct Aimed at Jury Pool & Potential Witnesses (Website, Ringless Voicemails) & Ethical Violations of Lawyer-Party (Lack of Candor to the Court & Obstruction)

Diamond Consortium, Inc. v Manookian, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122625 (E.D. Tex. Aug. 3, 2017): Pending before the Court is Plaintiffs' Emergency Motion for Order to Show Cause (Potential Contempt of Court and Sanctions) (the "Emergency Motion") (Dkt. 269), the…

Rule 11 Sanctions — Safe Harbor Must Be Honored Only Once Per Motion — If Denied without Prejudice, Motion May Be Renewed without Additional Safe Harbor — Needn’t Be 100% Identical 2d Time But Must Be Essentially the Same Motion (Case Law Split)

Merritt v. Lake Jovita Homeowners Ass’n, Inc., 2010 WL 11507746 (M.D. Fla. May 11, 2010): *1 BEFORE THE COURT is Defendants Lyons Heritage Pasco, LLC, Lyons Land Pasco, LLC, Bobby Lyons, and Morris Needles’ (the “Lyons Defendants”) Motion for Relief…

Inherent Power Sanctions Require a High Degree of Specificity in Factual Findings of Bad Faith — Fee Award Must Be Causally Related to the Misconduct

Virginia Props., LLC v. T-Mobile NE LLC, 2017 WL 3197539 (2d Cir. July 28, 2017): *1 In April of this year—long after the district court’s imposition of sanctions in the case before us—the Supreme Court addressed “a federal court’s inherent…

Blog Authentication Requires Testimony/Declaration Coupled with Circumstantial Indicia of Authenticity, Such as the Date & Web Address Appearing on Printout — Printouts from Commercial Websites Are Not Self-Authenticating

In re Carrsow-Franklin (Kennerty v. Carrsow-Franklin), 456 B.R. 753 (D.S.C. Bankr. Sept. 16, 2011): This matter comes before the Court on the Motion for Protective Order (“Motion”) filed by Herman John Kennerty (“Kennerty”). A hearing on the Motion was conducted…

Evidence from Provider That Phone Number Is Assigned to Party, and His Admission It Is His Phone, Authenticate Incoming Texts as Likely Received by Him — But the Contents Are Hearsay

People v. Harper, 2017 Ill. App. LEXIS 465 (Ill. Ct. App. July 13, 2017): In October 2014, defendant, Lafayette Harper, was convicted of first degree murder. In December 2014, the trial court sentenced him to 65 years in prison. Defendant…

Civil Service Reform Act Precludes Civil RICO Action by Federal Employee against Coworkers & Supervisors (Issue of First Impression in Ct. App.) — So, Too, Does Title VII — 6½ Year Delay in Deciding SJ No Reason to Reverse

González v. Vélez, 2017 WL 3124431 (1st Cir. July 24, 2017): *1 This is a federal-sector employment discrimination case, in which the plaintiffs have attempted to improve their lot by invoking extravagant theories of liability. The plaintiffs’ theories run headlong …

Rule 16(f) Sanctions — Dismissal for Repeated Failures to Obey Scheduling Orders Despite Multiple Reprieves — Different Result If Deadlines Not Clearly Communicated

McKeague v. One World Techs., Inc., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 10240 (1st Cir. June 8, 2017): This appeal arises out of a civil case in which the plaintiff's two lawyers did nothing to prosecute the plaintiff's claims within generous deadlines,…

Spoliation — No Abuse of Discretion to Impose Monetary Sanctions & Not Adverse Inference Where Ex-Employee 4 Times Attempted to Delete Data from Hard Drive and Was Not Candid in Discovery (No Reference to Rule 37(e))

Integrated Direct Mktg., LLC v. May, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 9369 (4th Cir. May 30, 2017): PER CURIAM: Integrated Direct Marketing, LLC ("IDM") appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment to Drew May and Merkle, Inc. ("Merkle," collectively, "Defendants"),…

Fee-Splitting Agreement Unenforceable for Lack of Client Consent Per Model Rule 1.5(e)(2) (Case law Split), But Quantum Meruit OK — “Defendants … Develop An Argument Grounded in Their Regret Rather Than on Terms of the … Agreement” (Good Quote)

Parker Waichman LLP v. Salas L/C, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108823 (D.P.R. July 13, 2017): Before the Court is defendants John F. Nevares and Associates, P.S.C. ("Nevares")'s, Salas LC ("Salas")'s, and Eric J. Quetglas-Jordan d/b/a Quetglas Law Firm ("Quetglas")'s motion…

FRAP 39’s “Costs” Don’t Include Attorney’s Fees (F.R.Civ.P. 68 Distinguished) — Denial of “Costs” in Appellate Mandate Doesn’t Bar Award of Fees for Success on Appeal under Fee-Shifting Statute Defining Fees as “Costs”

Hines v. City of Albany, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 12042 (2d Cir. July 6, 2017): Constance and Marshay Hines appeal from an order of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (Suddaby, C.J.) denying their…

Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Inherent Power Sanctions: Evidence Preclusion, Attorneys’ Fees for Extrajudicial Conduct Aimed at Jury Pool & Potential Witnesses (Website, Ringless Voicemails) & Ethical Violations of Lawyer-Party (Lack of Candor to the Court & Obstruction)

Rule 11 Sanctions — Safe Harbor Must Be Honored Only Once Per Motion — If Denied without Prejudice, Motion May Be Renewed without Additional Safe Harbor — Needn’t Be 100% Identical 2d Time But Must Be Essentially the Same Motion (Case Law Split)

Inherent Power Sanctions Require a High Degree of Specificity in Factual Findings of Bad Faith — Fee Award Must Be Causally Related to the Misconduct

Blog Authentication Requires Testimony/Declaration Coupled with Circumstantial Indicia of Authenticity, Such as the Date & Web Address Appearing on Printout — Printouts from Commercial Websites Are Not Self-Authenticating

Evidence from Provider That Phone Number Is Assigned to Party, and His Admission It Is His Phone, Authenticate Incoming Texts as Likely Received by Him — But the Contents Are Hearsay

Civil Service Reform Act Precludes Civil RICO Action by Federal Employee against Coworkers & Supervisors (Issue of First Impression in Ct. App.) — So, Too, Does Title VII — 6½ Year Delay in Deciding SJ No Reason to Reverse

Rule 16(f) Sanctions — Dismissal for Repeated Failures to Obey Scheduling Orders Despite Multiple Reprieves — Different Result If Deadlines Not Clearly Communicated

Spoliation — No Abuse of Discretion to Impose Monetary Sanctions & Not Adverse Inference Where Ex-Employee 4 Times Attempted to Delete Data from Hard Drive and Was Not Candid in Discovery (No Reference to Rule 37(e))

Fee-Splitting Agreement Unenforceable for Lack of Client Consent Per Model Rule 1.5(e)(2) (Case law Split), But Quantum Meruit OK — “Defendants … Develop An Argument Grounded in Their Regret Rather Than on Terms of the … Agreement” (Good Quote)

FRAP 39’s “Costs” Don’t Include Attorney’s Fees (F.R.Civ.P. 68 Distinguished) — Denial of “Costs” in Appellate Mandate Doesn’t Bar Award of Fees for Success on Appeal under Fee-Shifting Statute Defining Fees as “Costs”

Recent Articles

Rule 37(d) Sanctions — For Failure to Serve Answers, Objections, Or Written Response to Discovery Requests — Are Not Limited to Intentional Misconduct; Even Innocent Mistakes May Be Covered

Sanctions: (1) Rule 11 Does Not Apply to Litigation Papers Initially Filed in State Court — Only Reaffirmance in Federal Court Post-Removal Is Subject to Sanction — (2) “The Fact That A Legal Theory Is A Long-Shot Does Not Necessarily Mean It Is Sanctionable” (Good Quote)

Supreme Court: Relief under Rule 60(b)(6) Requires Extraordinary Circumstances Even If It Is Invoked to Allow Amendment of The Complaint–Rule 15’s Liberal Approach to Amendment Does Not Change That (Reversing Second Circuit)

FRAP 38 Sanctions — Eleventh Circuit Generally Does Not Impose FRAP 38 Sanctions on Pro Se Litigants, But May Do So If They Have Persisted Despite Judicial Warnings of Frivolousness

Inherent Power Sanctions: No Dismissal with Prejudice If Lesser Sanctions Will Suffice — The Liberal Pleading Standard of Swierkiewicz “Is Still Good Law”

Statements in Briefs As Judicial Admissions

Supreme Court: TRO As Appealable Order — And District Court Inaction As Tantamount to Refusing An Injunction And Thus Appealable

“Slow-Playing Discovery” in Response to Court Order, Prejudicing Opponent, Violates Rule 37(b)(2)(A)

Archives

New York Office