Win!

Congratulations to Garros Chan on securing an order granting a Motion for Sanctions in a federal civil rights case pursued by two career pro per plaintiffs. After pressing the Plaintiffs at deposition to tell the Defense how and when a dozen law enforcement and government employees violated their constitutional rights, Plaintiffs became combative and evasive. After making a strong record, Garros ended that deposition with the plan to go to the magistrate to spotlight Plaintiffs’ obstructive behavior. Utilizing the informal discovery process offered by many magistrates, Garros secured an order compelling both Plaintiffs to appear for a resumed deposition and answer his questions.

After more gamesmanship (including the sudden need for an interpreter), Plaintiffs failed to comply with that court order. One Plaintiff showed up but still claimed “defective notice” and then refused to answer any of Garros’ simple but pointed questions asking them to provide facts that support their many claims. The other Plaintiff failed to show up altogether. Garros then moved for monetary and evidentiary sanctions.

In the end, the court granted the motion in full and awarded over $11,000 in monetary sanctions, while also imposing evidentiary sanctions that prohibit Plaintiffs from offering “any testimony or evidence” specific to the very issues they need to prove to win their case.

Well done, Garros!