Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_03-cv-05502/USCOURTS-caed-1_03-cv-05502-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Contract Dispute

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOHN LYDDON,

 Plaintiff,

 v. 

ALFONSO ROCHA-ALBERTSEN, et

al., 

 Defendants.

1:03-CV-05502 OWW TAG

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S

MOTION FOR SANCTIONS AND

ATTORNEYS FEES

1. INTRODUCTION

This is a dispute between Plaintiff John Arthur Lyddon

(“Lyddon”) and two attorneys, Hilario Alonso Cuéllar Abúndiz

(“Cuéllar”)and Alfonso Rocha-Albertsen (“Rocha”), who represented

Lyddon during the course of a land transaction in Mexico. Before

the court for decision is Plaintiff’s sanctions motion against

Defendant Cuéllar for failure to appear at his court ordered

deposition. 

2. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

This motion was originally set for hearing on February 27,

2006 along with several other sanctions motions, motions in

limine, and motions for summary judgment. (Minute Order, January

1, 2006). At the end of the February 27th hearing, motions in

limine and this motion for sanctions were still pending. Another

hearing on these matters was set for April 21, 2006. The April

21 hearing was rescheduled to April 26, 2006 due to the

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 The order also compelled Cuéllar to produce several

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documents for discovery. 

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unavailability of the court. At the April 26 hearing, rulings

were made on the motions in limine but not Plaintiff’s sanctions

motion. The sanctions motion was renewed at the close of the

bench trial and set for hearing on May 16, 2006. 

3. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On August 1, 2005 Plaintiff made a motion to compel

Defendant Cuéllar’s appearance for deposition after he failed to

appear at a deposition initially arranged in Tijuana, Mexico on

September 27, 2004. (Doc. 107.) In his motion Plaintiff

requested monetary sanctions to cover the expenses counsel

incurred in a fruitless trip to Mexico. (Id.) Magistrate Judge

Goldner issued an order compelling defendant Cuéllar to appear at

a new deposition . (Doc. 109, filed Sept. 8, 2005.) Defendant

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Cuéllar was ordered to pay $4,000.00 to Plaintiff and was issued

the following warning:

Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz and his counsel are

admonished that Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz’s

failure to comply with this Order by failing

to attend his deposition on September 22,

2005, by failing to produce the identified

documents at such deposition, or by failing

to timely pay Plaintiff the sum of $4,000.00,

will result in this Court’s recommendation to

the District Court that issue and/or

terminating sanctions be issued against

Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz for his failure

obey a court order under Fed. R. Civ. P.

37(b)(2). Such sanctions may include an order

striking Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz’s answer

and entering his default judgment.

(Doc. 109 at 4.) 

On September 2, 2005 Plaintiff deposed Defendant Cuéllar but

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Cuéllar did not produce all documents called for. Plaintiff was

also frustrated by Cuéllar’s refusal to answer questions on

advice of his counsel. In addition, Defendant apparently failed

to pay the $4,000.00 sanction as previously ordered by the court. 

Plaintiff filed another motion for sanctions, requesting a

court order that Cuéllar complete the production of documents and

answer the objected to deposition questions. (Doc. 119-1, filed

Oct. 11, 2005.) Plaintiff also requested an additional

$4,000.000 in sanctions to cover the cost of an anticipated

second deposition of Cuéllar in Tijuana, Mexico. 

The magistrate judge granted this motion for additional

sanctions, specifically identifying the documents Cuéllar failed

to produce in response to the previous court order, and ordering

him to produce those documents, along with certain others. (Doc.

159, filed January 27, 2006.) Cuéllar was ordered to pay the

past-due $4,000.00 in sanctions by November 4, 2005 and, if the

$4,000.00 was not paid by that date, an additional $500 per day

for each day after November 4 that the $4,000.00 remained unpaid. 

(Id.) The magistrate judge again admonished defendant Cuéllar

for his repeated failures to comply with orders of the court. 

Cuéllar was ordered to pay an additional $1,000.00 sanction and

compensate Plaintiff for attorney’s fees and deposition costs

incurred in attending Cuéllar’s continued deposition. (Id.)

Once again, Cuéllar and his counsel were warned: 

Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz and his counsel are

again admonished that Defendant CuéllarAbundiz’s failure to comply with this Court’s

Order by failing to attend his Continued

Deposition as ordered herein, by failing to

produce the identified documents at the

Continued Deposition, or by failing to timely

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pay Plaintiff all sums ordered pursuant to

this Order, will result in a recommendation

to the District Court that issue and/or

terminating sanctions be issued against

Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz for his failure to

obey a court order under Fed.R.Civ.P.

37(b)(2). Such sanctions may include an order

striking Defendant Cuéllar- Abundiz’s answer

and entering his default judgment.

At issue is whether Cuéllar complied with Magistrate

Goldner’s order to pay sanctions to Plaintiff. 

4. DISCUSSION

Defendant Cuéllar has filed an opposition to pay any further

sanctions in this matter. However, Judge Goldner has already

sanctioned Cuéllar and ordered him to pay in her January 27, 2006

order. In his opposition, Cuéllar claims that he complied with

Judge Goldner’s September 6, 2005 order to pay $4,000.00 to

plaintiff. Defendant Cuéllar states that the money was paid by

wire to an account number provided by Plaintiff’s attorney. He

further claims that an additional $1,000 was paid by cashiers

check to Plaintiff’s attorney. Plaintiff’s attorney confirmed at

the hearing on this motion that Defendant Cuéllar did, in fact,

pay these amounts. The remaining outstanding fees are the

attorney’s fees for Defendant’s failure to appear at his

deposition on September 27, 2004 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Defendant Cuéllar argues that the amount estimated by

Plaintiff’s attorney for his travel costs relating to this

deposition is excessive and unreasonable and should be reduced.

Plaintiff’s attorney’s fees must be calculated according to the

reasonable commercial rates of travel and expenses, and the

prevailing rates for comparably qualified attorneys. Based on

reasonable commercial rates, the parties agreed in open court

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that Plaintiff is entitled to the following attorney’s fees and

expenses:

One Night Accommodation at 

Hotel Lucerna in Tijuana, Mexico: $90.00

Cost of Spanish Interpreter: $750.00

Cost of Deposition Transcript: $1,786.50

Cost of Deposition Videographer: $792.50

Attorneys Fees for Travel Time and Deposition: $2,500.00

Total Amount of Attorney’s Fees and Expenses: $5,919.00

Defendant Cuéllar’s failure to timely pay this amount will

result in an order striking his testimony and entering a default

judgment against him.

5. CONCLUSION

Plaintiff’s motion for payment of sanctions and attorney’s fees

is GRANTED. Defendant Cuéllar-Abundiz must pay $5,919.00 for

sanctions pursuant to the provisions of Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(b)(2)

by cashiers or certified check to Roger K. Vehrs, Esq. on or

before May 25, 2006. 

SO ORDERED

May 31, 2006 /s/ OLIVER W. WANGER

OLIVER W. WANGER

United States District Judge

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