Valdez v. Kreso, Inc.

144 F. Supp. 2d 663, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5991, 2001 WL 476370
District Court, N.D. Texas·Decided May 4, 2001·No. 3:00-cv-01757·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION and ORDER

McBRYDE, District Judge.

I.

Background

This action was instituted November 1, 2000, by the filing of a complaint by Maria Hernandez Valdez (“plaintiff’), individually and as next friend of Edgar Reza, a minor, against Kreso, Inc. (“Kreso”) and Traileze Veterinary Products, Inc. (“Traileze”). 1 Plaintiff sought recovery from Kreso and Traileze for damages allegedly suffered by reason of the exposure in August 1997 of her son, Edgar Reza, to a product that had been sold for use as an animal dip. Kreso and Traileze moved for dismissal on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction over their persons. By memorandum opinion and order and final judgment signed March 28, 2001, the court granted the motion to dismiss and ordered the action dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction.

On March 29, 2001, the court ordered plaintiff and her counsel, Jimmie A. Franklin, (“Franklin”) to appear before the court at 10:00 a.m. on April 25, 2001, to show cause why sanctions should not be imposed against them for violating Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b) in the respects mentioned in the order. Franklin responded by filing at 9:41 a.m. the morning of the hearing a document titled “Plaintiff and Jimmie A. Franklin’s Response to Show Cause Order” and by giving testimony at the hearing, at which he and plaintiff both appeared. Pursuant to a directive given by the court to Franklin at the hearing, Franklin filed the day following the hearing a written memorandum of law related to two legal issues pertinent to whether Franklin and his client complied with their Rule 11 obligations.

The court has concluded that Rule 11 sanctions should be imposed on Franklin, as provided in this memorandum opinion and order, but that no sanctions should be imposed on plaintiff.

II.

Pertinent Provisions, and Goal, of Rule 11

Subdivision (b) of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 reads in pertinent part as follows:

(b) REPRESENTATIONS TO COURT. By presenting to the court (whether by signing, filing, submitting, or later advocating) a pleading, written motion, or other paper, an attorney or unrepresented party is certifying that to the best of the person’s knowledge, information, and belief, formed after an inquiry reasonable under the circumstances,—
(1) it is not being presented for any improper purpose, such as to harass *665 or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation;
(2) the claims, defenses, and other legal contentions therein are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law or the establishment of new law;
(3) the allegations and other factual contentions have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified, are likely to have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery; ....

Compliance with Rule 11 is measured by an objective standard of reasonableness under the circumstances. Smith v. Out Lady of the Lake Hosp., Inc., 960 F.2d 439, 444 (5th Cir.1992) (discussing the pre-1993 version of Rule 11). The “formed after inquiry reasonable under the circumstances” language of the post-1993 version causes the objective standard to persist. See Gurary v. Winehouse, 235 F.3d 792, 797 (2d Cir.2000).

The court may enter an order on its own initiative describing the specific conduct that appears to violate subdivision (b) and directing an attorney or party to show cause why it has not committed such a violation. Fed.R.Civ.P. 11(c)(1)(B). Once a party and his attorney have been given notice and a reasonable opportunity to respond, the court, if it determines that subdivision (b) of Rule 11 has been violated, may impose an appropriate sanction upon the attorney or party who committed the violation. Fed.R.CivP. 11(c). “When imposing sanctions, the court shall describe the conduct determined to constitute a violation of [the] rule and explain the basis for the sanction imposed.” Fed.R.CivP. 11(c)(3). The part of Rule 11 pertaining to the nature of the sanctions to be imposed will be discussed at a later point in this memorandum opinion and order.

When applying Rule 11, the court should bear in mind that it is “aimed at curbing abuses of the judicial system.” Cooter & Gell v. Hartmarx Corp., 496 U.S. 384, 397, 110 S.Ct. 2447, 110 L.Ed.2d 359 (1990). And, as the Fifth Circuit explained in F.D.I.C. v. Calhoun:

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are designed to ensure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of civil claims in federal courts. Fed.R.Civ.P. 1. One way the rules forward these goals is to impose a duty to base claims upon factually and legally supportable grounds and to punish litigants and lawyers who unreasonably pursue frivolous suits.

34 F.3d 1291,1296 (5th Cir.1994).

Because of the indication in the record of this action that Franklin and his client violated their certification obligations under Rule 11(b), the court entered an order on its own initiative describing the specific conduct that appears to violate the rule and directing that Franklin and his client show cause why they had not violated the rule in those respects.

III.

Franklin Has Committed Serious Violations of Rule 11(b)

A. The Mere Bringing and Maintenance of This Action in This Court Violated Rule 11(b).

This was the second action Franklin brought for plaintiff against Kreso and Traileze based on the same set of facts. The first was brought against Kreso and Traileze and other parties in a state district court in Fort Worth, Texas, in September 2000. Kreso and Traileze contested in the state court the power of a court of Texas to exercise jurisdiction over their *666 persons. Affidavits and related documents were filed in the state court establishing that the persons of Kreso and Traileze are not subject to the jurisdiction of a Texas court.

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Valdez v. Kreso, Inc., 144 F. Supp. 2d 663, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5991, 2001 WL 476370 (N.D. Tex. 2001).

144 F. Supp. 2d 663 (Valdez v. Kreso, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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