Calif. Judge Assesses $12,000 Sanction for Deposition Antics

OAKLAND, Calif. - A California judge has awarded sanctions against a plaintiff and his attorneys for their alleged conduct during a re-opened deposition that was scheduled after the plaintiff recognized several products that he failed to identify in prior testimony. Macias v. Lone Star Industries Inc., et al., No. RG 05-210491 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

On Oct. 28, Robert B. Freedman of the Alameda County Superior Court awarded approximately $12,000 in sanctions to Clemco Industries Corp. and Empire Abrasive Equipment Co., determining that plaintiff's counsel at times during the deposition engaged in "serious misconduct."

Judge Freedman, however, refused …