Opinion ID: 1900982
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: appellant leftwich

Text: Generally, an award of expenses and attorney's fees, pursuant to Super.Ct.Civ.R. 37, is committed to the sound discretion of the trial court. We will disturb this ruling only upon a showing of an abuse of discretion. Firestone v. Harris, 414 A.2d 526 (D.C.1980); Super.Ct.Civ.R. 37(b)(2). Appellant Leftwich argues that the trial court abused its discretion by failing to find either that she was substantially justified in failing to obey the December 17 discovery order setting her deposition or that other circumstances made the award unjust. She alleges two bases in support of her argument. First, she claims that she had a colorable and bona fide contention that the court lacked jurisdiction to order discovery. However, this claim was raised in her Motion to Quash and rejected by the trial court prior to the deposition date. Second, she claims that appellee sought discovery in bad faith, for the sole purpose of harassment, embarrassment, oppression and undue burden, as set forth in her Motion for Protective Order, filed February 17, 1981. However, the motions judge heard this argument and nonetheless ordered the deposition to take place, noting that if it turns out they [appellee and his counsel] were frivolous or improvident or so on, you've got all kinds of remedies for abuse of discovery. . . . It was not for the parties to resort to self-help and fashion their own remedies. Furthermore, the record reveals no justification for appellant Leftwich's failure to attend her deposition on December 22, 1980. She did not file her Motion for a Protective Order until February 17, 1981, approximately two full months after the date set for her deposition. She undertook no other steps prior to the deposition date which could justify her nonattendance at her deposition, such as the filing of a motion for an injunction against further discovery in this court. See D.C.App.R. 8. Accordingly, we find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in awarding attorney's fees against her under Rule 37(b) for her failure to comply with the December 17 discovery order. Appellant Leftwich next claims that the trial court abused its discretion by awarding appellee expenses and fees which were totally unrelated to appellant Leftwich's failure to permit discovery. We agree. The amount of attorney's fees awarded by the trial court was based solely upon an affidavit submitted by appellee's attorneys. This award was made pursuant to Rule 37(b)(2) which authorizes the award of reasonable expenses and attorney's fees caused by the failure to obey an order permitting discovery. Super.Ct.Civ.R. 37(b)(2). However, appellee's affidavit included claims for (1) fees totaling approximately $1,650 for services rendered prior to appellant Leftwich's failure to appear at the deposition on December 22, 1980, (2) fees incurred in taking and reviewing the depositions of appellant Floyd, the neighbor, and the moving company, and (3) fees incurred for the transcripts of the depositions of appellant Floyd and the moving company. These fees do not appear to be related to appellant Leftwich's failure to appear for her deposition. Further, the fees listed in Exhibit C, an itemization of an associate's time spent which allegedly relates to the failure to appear, are so vaguely described that it is difficult if not impossible to determine whether or not they relate to appellant Leftwich. Therefore, we vacate the award of attorney's fees against appellant Leftwich and remand to the trial court for a hearing to determine what expenses reasonably can be attributable to appellant Leftwich's failure to obey the discovery order.