Free Motion for Sanctions - District Court of Delaware - Delaware

Case 1:06-cv-00055-GMS

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE TESLA INDUSTRIES, INC., a Delaware corporation, Plaintiff, v. DAVID C. WALDMANN, Defendant. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Civil Action No.: 06-55-GMS

PLAINTIFF TESLA INDUSTRIES, INC.'S MOTION FOR SANCTIONS, PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 37(b) Plaintiff, Tesla Industries, Inc., by and through its attorney, Louis J. Rizzo, Jr., Esquire, hereby moves this Honorable Court for Sanctions, Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 37(b) against the Defendant, David C. Waldmann. In support of its motion, Plaintiff avers the following: 1. Trial in this matter is scheduled to commence on June 17, 2008. A Pretrial

Conference was conducted on May 27, 2008. 2. Defendant's Pretrial Brief identified at page 6, "misconduct" on the part of Tesla

which included "falsifying documentary evidence". A true and correct copy of the relevant portion of Defendant's Pretrial Brief is attached hereto as Exhibit "A". 3. Prior to the Pretrial Conference, Plaintiff requested that the allegedly falsified

documentary evidence be identified, pursuant to Rule 26(a)(3). Defendant refused to identify the documents.

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4.

At the Pretrial Conference, Plaintiff identified the discovery dispute relating to

identification of the allegedly falsified documentary evidence. Following a discussion regarding this issue, this Honorable Court ordered the following: "You are going to have to have a further meet and confer and identify these documents that are referenced in the Trial Brief..." Pretrial Conference transcript at page 17, line 16 (emphasis added). A true and correct copy of the Pretrial Conference transcript is attached hereto as Exhibit "B". 5. In the days following the Pretrial Conference, counsel for Plaintiff had several

telephonic and electronic communications with counsel for the Defendant to confer on this issue. However, Defendant refused to identify the allegedly falsified documentary evidence referenced in his Pretrial Brief. After several failed attempts to obtain the identification of the documents which had been ordered by the Court, Plaintiffs were faced with no alternative but to seek the Court's intervention, particularly in view of the rapid approach of trial. 6. Rule 37(b)(2)(B) provides that the Court may enter an appropriate order as a

sanction against a party for failing to obey a prior discovery order of the Court, including an order refusing to allow the disobedient party to support designated claims or defenses, or prohibiting that party from introducing designated matters in evidence. 7. Defendant's refusal to identify the documents at issue, in violation of the Court's

Order at the Pretrial Conference, necessitates the imposition of sanctions in order to prevent unfair prejudice to the Plaintiff. Plaintiff has been significantly prejudiced in its ability to effectively prepared for trial because the documentary evidence in question has not been identified on a timely basis, as required by Rule 26 and by this Honorable Court's Order at the Pretrial Conference.

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WHEREFORE, Plaintiff, Tesla Industries, Inc., respectfully requests that its Motion for Sanctions, Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 37(b) against the Defendant, David C. Waldmann, be granted. REGER RIZZO & DARNALL LLP

/s/ Louis J. Rizzo, Jr., Esquire Louis J. Rizzo, Jr., Esquire 1001 Jefferson Plaza, Suite 202 Wilmington, DE 19801 (302) 652-3611 Attorney for Plaintiff Dated: June 11, 2008

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE TESLA INDUSTRIES, INC., a Delaware corporation, Plaintiff, v. DAVID C. WALDMANN, Defendant. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Civil Action No.: 06-55-GMS

ORDER AND NOW, TO WIT, this _____ day of ____________________, 2008, having considered Plaintiff Tesla Industries, Inc.'s Motion for Sanctions, Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 37(b), and the Response thereto if any; IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff, Tesla Industries, Inc.'s Motion for Sanctions Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 37(b) has been GRANTED, and Defendant is precluded from offering into evidence or presenting argument on any allegedly falsified discovery documents.

BY THE COURT:

________________________________ The Honorable Gregory M. Sleet

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE TESLA INDUSTRIES, INC., a Delaware corporation, Plaintiff, v. DAVID C. WALDMANN, Defendant. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Civil Action No.: 06-55-GMS

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I, the undersigned, do hereby certify on this 11th day of June, 2008 that a true and correct copy of Plaintiff Tesla Industries, Inc.'s Motion for Sanctions, Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 37(b) has been served electronically to the following: John D. Demmy, Esquire Stevens & Lee, P.C. 1105 North Market Street, 7th Floor Wilmington, DE 19801 John A. Adams, Esquire Susanin Widman & Brennan, P.C. 455 South Gulph Road, Suite 240 King of Prussia, PA 19406 REGER RIZZO & DARNALL LLP

/s/ Louis J. Rizzo, Jr., Esquire Louis J. Rizzo, Jr., Esquire 1001 Jefferson Plaza, Suite 202 Wilmington, DE 19801 (302) 652-3611 Attorney for Plaintiff Dated: June 11, 2008

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