United States ex rel. Baltazar v. Warden

302 F.R.D. 256, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 127531, 2014 WL 4436990
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedSeptember 8, 2014
DocketCase No. 07 C 4107
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 302 F.R.D. 256 (United States ex rel. Baltazar v. Warden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States ex rel. Baltazar v. Warden, 302 F.R.D. 256, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 127531, 2014 WL 4436990 (N.D. Ill. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER

Daniel G. Martin, United States Magistrate Judge.

For the reasons and to the extent stated below, Plaintiffs Amended Motion for Protective Order and Relief to Remedy Defense Counsel’s Deposition Misconduct [140] is granted in part. In all other respects, Plaintiffs protective order motion is denied. Plaintiffs Motion for Leave to Submit Supplemental Authority in Support of Amended Motion for Protective Order [155] and Second Motion for Leave to Submit Supplemental Authority in Support of Amended Motion for Pi’otective Order [171] are gi’anted. Discovery, including the continued deposition of Plaintiff, x’emains stayed pending further order of the Court. Plaintiffs affidavit of expenses and fees incuxTed in bringing the motion is due by 9/15/2014. Defendants may respond by 9/22/2014.

STATEMENT

Plaintiff Kelly Baltazar (“Baltazar”) charges defense counsel Michael Hannafan (“Attorney Hannafan”) with inappropriate and unprofessional conduct at Baltazar’s deposition. Specifically, Baltazar accuses Attorney Hannafan of the following misconduct: (1) preventing Baltazar from testifying; (2) misrepresenting the record; (3) using a settlement letter in violation of Federal Rule of Evidence 408; (4) abusive, repetitive, and irrelevant questioning and conduct towards Baltazar and her counsel; (5) invading privilege; (6) wasting time; and (7) prematurely terminating the deposition. Baltazar seeks entry of a protective order and other relief under Rules 26(c)(1), 30(d)(3), and 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as well as the Civility Rules of the 7th Circuit and Rules of Professional Conduct and 28 U.S.C. § 1927 for Attorney Hannafan’s conduct during her deposition. Baltazar requests that this Court order that: (1) her deposition to be continued in the Court’s attorney-witness room; (2) her deposition be stricken; (3) hex-deposition be reconvened, subject to questioning only by her counsel and barring Attorney Hannafan and counsel for Defendants from questioning; (4) to the extent Attorney Hannafan or Defendants’ counsel be allowed to participate in the re-convened deposition, limit their time to one hour and bar any conduct which includes raising their voices, arguing with or interrupting the witness, making sarcastic, abusive or harassing comments, repeating any questions already asked, sneering, ridiculing or any similar-misconduct; (5) defense counsel is not permitted to characterize Baltazar in any way, including to state she is a liar; (6) defense counsel is not permitted to purposefully misrepresent the record or violate Federal Rule of Evidence 106 and the rule of completeness; (7) defense counsel is not permitted to purposefully waste time; and (8) awarding Baltazar her attorneys’ fees and costs in defending the deposition and bringing the instant motion.

Defendants respond that Attorney Hanna-fan did nothing improper and his conduct does not warrant sanctions. Defendants say Baltazar’s motion “borders on hysteria and shows that her counsel is addicted to overstatement.” (Doc. 142 at 1). Defendants contend that their deposition of Baltazar was an investigation into relevant topics. Defendants point out that Baltazar’s counsel could have sought to terminate or limit her deposition as abusive pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(d)(3)(A), but they did not do so.

“In general, counsel should not engage in any conduct during a deposition that would not be allowed in the presence of a judicial officer.” Advisory Committee Notes to 1993 [259]*259Amendments to Rule 30(d)(3). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c)(1) provides that courts may issue a protective order to protect a party from annoyance, embarrassment, or oppression for good cause. Potential limits include specifying the terms of discovery, forbidding inquiry into certain matters, limiting the scope of discovery, and designating the persons who may be present while discovery is conducted. Rule 30(d)(3) provides that at any time during a deposition, a party may move to terminate or limit it “on the ground that it is being conducted in bad faith or in a manner that unreasonably annoys, embarrasses, or oppresses the deponent or party.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(d)(3)(A). “The court may order that the deposition be terminated or may limit its scope and manner as provided in Rule 26(c).” Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(d)(3)(B). Rule 30(d)(2) permits an “appropriate sanction — including reasonable expenses and attorney’s fees incurred by any party — on a person who impedes, delays, or frustrates the fair examination of the deponent.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(d)(2).

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1927, “[an] attorney ... who so multiples the proceedings in any case unreasonably and vexatiously may be required by the court to satisfy personally the excess costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees reasonably incurred because of such conduct.” 28 U.S.C. § 1927. “Sanctions may only be awarded under 28 U.S.C. § 1927 against an individual who has demonstrated ‘subjective or objective bad faith.’” Moriarty ex rel. Local No. 727 v. Svec, 429 F.3d 710, 722 (7th Cir.2005) (quoting Pac. Dunlop Holdings, Inc. v. Barosh, 22 F.3d 113, 120 (7th Cir.1994)).1 Finally, “[district courts have broad discretion in supervising discovery, including deciding whether and how to sanction ... misconduct.” Hunt v. DaVita, Inc., 680 F.3d 775, 780 (7th Cir. 2012). The Court has carefully reviewed the deposition transcript and the video recording of the deposition in full and addresses each type of alleged misconduct below.

A. Interrupting Baltazar

Baltazar first asserts that Attorney Hannafan repeatedly interrupted her before she had completed her answer to- a question. The Court has reviewed the examples submitted by Baltazar and has found interruptions by Attorney Hannafan. The record does reveal that Attorney Hannafan tried to prevent Baltazar from explaining her answers. The Court does not condone the practice of interrupting a witness before she has completed an answer but does not conclude that the examples cited satisfy the relevant standards for imposing sanctions. The interruptions did not prevent a fair examination of Dr. Baltazar. The interruptions also did not unnecessarily prolong the proceedings or demonstrate bad faith sanetionable under 28 U.S.C. § 1927.

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302 F.R.D. 256, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 127531, 2014 WL 4436990, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-ex-rel-baltazar-v-warden-ilnd-2014.