Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00798/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00798-4/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Elk Horn Gas, Inc.
Defendant
Scott Johnson
Plaintiff

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SCOTT JOHNSON,

Plaintiff,

v.

ELK HORN GAS, INC.,

Defendant.

No. 2:14-cv-0798 MCE DB

ORDER

On January 6, 2017, this matter came before the undersigned for hearing of plaintiff’s

motion to compel and for sanctions. Attorney Sara Gunderson appeared on behalf of the plaintiff. 

Neither the defendant, nor defense counsel appeared at the duly-noticed hearing. At the hearing, 

plaintiff’s counsel represented that she has not received any communication from defense counsel 

since the motion to compel and for sanctions was filed. Furthermore, defendant did not file an 

opposition to the motion to compel and for sanctions, nor did counsel respond to plaintiff’s 

requests to meet and confer concerning the motion. 

Local Rule 230(l) provides in part: “Failure of the responding party to file written 

opposition or to file a statement of no opposition may be deemed a waiver of any opposition to 

the granting of the motion.” Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 provides that the Court “must” 

require the losing party or attorney or both to pay the costs/fees award, in the absence of an 

exception. Fed. R. Civ. P. 3737(a)(5)(A). The rule further provides that the court may order 

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sanctions if “a party, after being properly served with interrogatories under Rule 33 or a request 

for inspection under Rule 34, fails to serve its answers, objections, or written response.” Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 37(d)(1)(A)(ii). 

Defendant, who is represented by counsel, did not provide any written response to the 

interrogatories or requests for production that were propounded by plaintiff, nor did defendant 

respond to the motion or appear at the hearing to offer an explanation or defense of the failure to 

provide the discovery.

Upon consideration of the arguments on file and at the hearing, and for the reasons set 

forth on the record at the hearing, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Plaintiff’s December 8, 2016 motion to compel responses to interrogatories and 

responses to requests for production (ECF No. 32) is granted;

2. Plaintiff’s December 8, 2016 motion for sanctions (ECF No. 32) against defense 

counsel is granted pursuant to Federal Rule 37; and

3. Defense counsel1shall, pursuant to Federal Rule 37, pay plaintiff $1,6002 within 

fourteen days of the date of this order, for attorney’s fees and costs incurred by plaintiff’s counsel 

in pursuit of the requested discovery.

Dated: January 6, 2017

 

1

 Federal Rule 37(d)(3) provides that the court, in its discretion, may levy the sanctions against 

the party, the attorney, or both. The court is imposing this sanction against defense counsel and 

not defendant. Defense counsel is an officer of this court and is on the docket as defendant’s 

counsel of record in this case. Plaintiff’s counsel’s communications concerning discovery have 

all been through defense counsel who appears to have stopped responding entirely to all matters 

in this case. Given these facts, the court finds it appropriate to impose the sanctions on defense 

counsel, rather than defendant.

2

 Plaintiff’s counsel supported the amount of the sanctions with a declaration from counsel. 

(ECF No. 32-2.) The court is satisfied that the amount is reasonable. 

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DB \ ORDERS \ ORDERS.CIVIL \ john0798.oah.010617

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