Free Motion to Compel - District Court of Delaware - Delaware

Case 1:07-cv-00078-JJF

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
SAMI ALMAKHADHI,

Plaintiff,
v.

DELAWARE PARK LLC,
Defendant.

: : : : : : : :

No. 07-78-JJF

PLAINTIFF'S SECOND MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY AND FOR SANCTIONS I.
INTRODUCTION AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY The Court is by now familiar with the procedural history of this case. Accordingly,

Mr. Almakhadhi includes only the relevant history.
On February 12, 2007, Plaintiff Sami Almakhadhi initiated this lawsuit pro se. On

June 24, 2007, this Court entered a Scheduling Order, providing that written discovery "shall be commenced so as to be completed by October 31, 2007." The Court also set a dispositive motion deadline of November 27, 2007.
On September 12, 2007, after the parties had engaged in written discovery,

undersigned counsel filed a Motion for Pro Hac Vice appearance, which the Court granted on October 2, 2007.1
On October 26, 2007, Mr. Almakhadhi served his Second Set of discovery requests by

mail and electronic mail. (See, collectively, Exhibit A.) At Mr. Almakhadhi's November 8,

On October 2, 2007, through counsel, Mr. Almakhadhi filed a Motion for Leave to Amend his Pro Se Complaint. Mr. Almakhadhi's Motion for Leave to Amend is outstanding.
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2007 deposition, counsel for Delaware Park represented to the undersigned that Delaware Park would not be responding to Mr. Almakhadhi's Second Set of discovery requests because they were "untimely."
On November 13, 2007, the undersigned contacted counsel for Delaware Park

seeking confirmation that Delaware Park was refusing to respond to Mr. Almakhadhi's Second Set of discovery requests, so that Mr. Almakhadhi could seek the assistance of the Court. (See Exhibit B.) Rather than provide an answer to this good-faith query, Delaware Park instead engaged in obfuscation. (See Exhibit C.)
Continuing its gamesmanship, on November 16, 2007, Delaware Park served its

objections to Mr. Almakhadhi's Second Set of discovery requests by mail only. (See, collectively, Exhibit D.) The entirety of Delaware Park's objections is 17 pages. Delaware Park made no effort to communicate its objections by facsimile or by electronic mail, despite its knowledge of the Court's schedule. Because of Delaware Park's needless delay, the undersigned received them on November 20, 2007.
On November 14, 2007, Mr. Almakhadhi filed a Motion to Compel and for Sanctions

concerning Delaware Park's improper and incomplete discovery responses to Mr. Almakhadhi's First Set of discovery requests. In apparent response to that Motion to Compel, on November 16, 2007, Delaware Park sent a letter allegedly supplementing certain of its responses. (See Exhibit E.) Importantly, Delaware Park also revealed for the first time that it possessed relevant documents which it has withheld since as early as the Department of Labor's investigation. (Id.) Indeed, Delaware Park is only now making efforts to review documents in storage. (Id.) Mr. Almakhadhi raised his concerns about these revelations to Delaware Park. (See Exhibit F.) Delaware Park did not respond.

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Because Delaware Park continues to engage in gamesmanship and refuses to fulfill

its discovery obligations, Mr. Almakhadhi is compelled to again seek the assistance of the Court. Delaware Park's improper actions have prejudiced Mr. Almakhadhi's ability to prepare a dispositive motion by the Court's November 27, 2007 deadline. Indeed, Delaware Park's admissions that it has withheld relevant documents in this case has cast doubt on all of Delaware Park's discovery responses. II.
MR. ALMAKHADHI'S POSITION AND REASONING ON THE ISSUES "Our system of civil litigation cannot function if parties . . . suppress information

called for upon discovery." Averbach v. Rival Mfg. Co., 879 F.2d 1196, 1201 (3d Cir. 1989) (quoting Rozier v. Ford Motor Co., 573 F.2d 1332, 1345 (5th Cir. 1978)), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1023 (1990). Instead, the aim of the liberal discovery rules is to "make a trial less a game of blind man's bluff and more a fair contest with the basic issues and facts disclosed to the fullest practicable extent." U.S. v. Procter & Gamble Co., 356 U.S. 677, 683 (1958). As the Supreme Court stated in Hickman v. Taylor, "civil trials . . . no longer need be carried on in the dark. The way is now clear . . . for the parties to obtain the fullest possible knowledge of the issues and facts before trial." 329 U.S. 495, 501 (1947).
Delaware Park seeks to drag this litigation back to the dark days before the Federal

Rules were enacted. Its gamesmanship includes not only delaying needlessly this litigation and multiplying its costs, but has now been revealed to include the concealment of evidence. Delaware Park's refusal to respond to Mr. Almakhadhi's Second Set of discovery requests demonstrates, again, that it is withholding relevant, potentially dispositive, documents.

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Delaware Park has refused to provide any response to Mr. Almakhadhi's Second Set

of discovery, using only boilerplate objections. In violation of the text and spirit of the Federal Rules, Delaware Park's obstructionism has prejudiced Mr. Almakhadhi. As Delaware Park intended with its tactics, it is now impossible for Mr. Almakhadhi to prepare a dispositive motion by the Court's deadline, much less to adequately prepare for trial. III. CONCLUSION Wherefore, Mr. Almakhadhi respectfully requests that the Court compel Delaware Park to provide any information it has responsive to Mr. Almakhadhi's Second Set of discovery requests; extend Mr. Almakhadhi's dispositive motion deadline until 30 days after Delaware Park's complete responses to his discovery requests; prohibit Delaware Park from filing a dispositive motion; award to Mr. Almakhadhi the entirety of the attorney fees he has incurred to date; provide an adverse jury instruction at the trial of this matter; and issue any other sanctions the Court deems appropriate.

Respectfully submitted, /s/ Frank Conley Frank J. Conley, Esquire THE CONLEY FIRM 7715 Crittenden Street, Suite 113 Philadelphia, PA 19118 (215) 836-4789 [email protected] Glenn Brown, Esquire Bar No. 4669 Real World Law 916 N. Union St #2 Wilmington, DE 19805 (302) 225-8340 [email protected]

Date: 21 November 2007

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