Doc
Post
E-signatures
PlayMaker
Second Chair
Verbatim
Sign in
→
Request access
Maturin v. T-Mobile USA, Inc.
(2025)
Case details
Full caption
Carlos Maturin v. T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Country
United States
Jurisdiction
New Mexico (NM)
Court
New Mexico Supreme Court
Decided
2025
Disposition
Motion Granted
Majority
Steven C. Yarbrough (J.) (unanimous Court)
IN
THE
UNITED
STATES
DISTRICT
COURT
FOR
THE
DISTRICT
OF
NEW
MEXICO
CARLOS
MATURIN,
Plaintiff,
vs.
Civ.
No.
24-1125
JCH/SCY
T-MOBILE
USA,
INC.,
Defendant.
PROPOSED
FINDINGS
AND
RECOMMENDED
DISPOSITION
Presently
before
the
Court
are
Plaintiff’s
and
Defendant’s
cross
motions
for
sanctions.
Docs.
56,
67,
73.
The
Honorable
Judith
C.
Herre
ra
referred
these
mo
tions
to
me
for
a
recommended
disposition.
Doc.
68.
For
the
reas
ons
discussed
below,
I
recommend
the
Court
deny
both
parties’
request
for
te
rminating
sanctions
against
the
other,
but
impose
various
lesser
sanctions
on
Plaintiff.
BACKGROUND
Plaintiff
filed
this
lawsuit
on
November
1,
2024,
alleging
that
he
suffers
from
a
chronic,
life-long
disability
and
that
his
former
employer,
T-Mobile
USA,
Inc.,
engaged
in
retaliatory
and
discriminatory
conduct
in
violati
on
of
the
Americans
with
Disabi
lities
Act
and
the
Family
and
Medical
Leave
Act,
eventually
leading
to
his
constructive
discharge.
Doc.
1.
Shortly
after
Defendant
appeared
in
the
case,
but
before
the
Court
issued
a
sc
heduling
order,
Plaintiff
filed
a
motion
to
strike
Defendant’s
answer,
Doc.
16,
and
a
motion
for
sanctions,
Doc.
21.
The
Court
denied
the
bulk
of
the
motion
to
strike
(except
as
to
a
jurisdictional
affirmative
defense)
and
denied
the
motion
for
sanctions,
finding
that
Pl
aintiff’s
grounds
for
requesting
sanctions
were
“completely
baseless,”
or
“l
ack[ed]
merit.”
Doc.
36
at
15.
Indeed,
the
Cour
t
found
that
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
1
of
14
2
Plaintiff’s
motion
for
sanctions
is
itself
frivolous,
lacking
in
merit,
and
based
on
a
misunderstanding
of
the
process
by
which
cas
es
proceed
under
the
Federal
Rules
of
Civil
Procedure.
Moreover,
in
his
mo
tion
Plaintiff
requests
monetary
sanctions
in
the
amount
of
“$355.69
qui
ntillion
($355,687,428,096,000,000,000)”.
(Pl.’s
Mot.
27,
ECF
No.
21.)
That
reques
t
is
quite
simply
ludicrous.
Id.
at
17.
As
such,
the
Court
warned
“Plaintiff
to
familiarize
himself
with
the
rules
and
to
carefully
consider
his
own
future
filings
to
ensure
that
they
satisfy
Rule
11(b).”
Id.
at
18.
Thereafter,
Plaintiff
filed
a
moti
on
for
judicial
notice,
Doc.
38,
which
the
Court
denied,
Doc.
53.
On
February
20,
2025,
the
Court
held
a
schedul
ing
conference
and
set
case
management
deadlines.
Doc.
25.
Under
the
scheduling
orde
r,
discovery
was
due
by
August
19,
2025
and
pretrial
motions
were
due
by
September
18,
2025.
Id.
The
Court
also
set
a
telephonic
status
conference
for
May
22,
2025,
to
discuss
the
status
of
discovery
and
whether
to
set
a
settlement
conference.
Doc.
26.
On
April
17,
2025,
Defendant
filed
a
motion
to
co
mpel
discovery,
arguing
that
Plaintiff
failed
to
respond
to
certain
wri
tten
discovery
requests.
Do
c.
47.
Given
this
pending
discovery
motion,
the
Court
vacated
the
status
conference.
Doc.
52.
On
July
9,
2025,
the
Court
granted
in
part
and
denied
in
part
Defendant’s
motion
to
compel
,
ordering
Plaintiff
to
respond
to
certain
interrogatories
and
requests
for
produc
tion
by
August
8,
2025.
Doc.
55.
Plaintiff
then
objected,
under
Rule
72(a),
to
the
portion
of
this
Order
that
grante
d
in
part
Defendant’s
motion
to
compel.
Doc.
65.
On
July
1,
2025,
Plaintiff
filed
a
motion
for
te
rminating
sanctions.
Doc.
54.
On
July
11,
2025,
before
Defendant
filed
a
response,
Plai
ntiff
filed
the
present
Amended
Motion
for
Terminating
Sanctions
Due
to
Systemic
Disc
overy
Abuse
and
Litiga
tion
Misconduct.
Doc.
56,
61;
see
also
Doc.
62
(response);
Doc.
69
(reply).
Gi
ven
the
amended
motion
for
terminating
sanctions,
the
Court
denied
as
moot
the
orig
inal
motion
for
terminating
sanctions.
Doc.
59.
Shortly
thereafter,
Plaintiff
filed
a
motion
to
stay
proceedings
pending
resolution
of
the
motion
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
2
of
14
3
for
sanctions,
Doc.
57,
which
the
Court
denie
d,
Doc.
71.
On
August
4,
2025,
Defendant
filed
its
cross
motion
for
sanctions
.
Doc.
67.
Plaintiff
failed
to
res
pond
to
this
motion
and,
on
August
26,
2025,
Defendant
filed
a
supplement
to
its
motion
for
sanctions.
Doc.
73.
Plaintiff
also
failed
to
respond
to
the
supplement.
The
Honorable
Judith
C.
Herrera
referred
the
cross
motions
for
sanctions
to
me
for
a
recommende
d
disposition.
Doc.
68.
Plaintiff
moved
to
vacate
the
referral
order,
Doc.
72,
which
is
still
pending.
LEGAL
STANDARDS
“Federal
courts
have
the
inherent
power
to
manage
their
own
proceedings
and
to
control
the
conduct
of
those
who
appear
before
them.
In
invoking
the
inherent
power
to
punish
conduct
which
abuses
the
judicial
process,
a
court
must
exercise
discretion
in
fa
shioning
an
appropriate
sanction,
which
may
range
from
dis
missal
of
a
lawsuit
to
an
asse
ssment
of
attorney’s
fees.”
Chambers
v.
NASCO,
Inc.
,
501
U.S.
32,
33
(1991).
Additionally,
seve
ral
Rules,
as
relevant
to
this
case,
provide
the
Court
author
ity
to
issue
sanctions.
Federal
Rule
of
Civil
Procedure
37(b)(2)(A)
pr
ovides
that
if
a
part
y
“fails
to
obey
an
order
to
provide
or
permit
discovery,”
the
cour
t
may
“issue
further
just
orders,”
including
“dismissing
the
action
or
proceedi
ng
in
whole
or
in
part,”
or
“rendering
a
default
judgment
against
the
disobedient
party.”
Fed.
R.
Civ.
P.
37(
b)(2)(A)(v)-(vi).
“Instead
of
or
in
addition
to
the
orders
above,
the
court
must
order
the
disobedi
ent
party,
the
attorney
advising
that
party,
or
both
to
pay
the
reasonable
expe
nses,
including
attorney’s
fees,
caused
by
the
failure,
unless
the
failure
was
substantially
justifie
d
or
other
circumstances
make
an
award
of
expenses
unjust.”
Fed.
R.
Civ.
P.
37(b)(2)(C).
Federal
Rule
of
Civil
Pro
cedure
11
provides
that
By
presenting
to
the
court
a
pleading,
written
motion,
or
other
paper--whether
by
signing,
filing,
submitting,
or
later
advocating
it
--an
attorney
or
unrepresented
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
3
of
14
4
party
certifies
that
to
the
best
of
the
person’s
knowledge,
information,
and
belief,
formed
after
an
inquiry
reasona
ble
under
the
ci
rcumstances:
(1)
it
is
not
being
presente
d
for
any
improper
purpose,
such
as
to
harass,
cause
unnecessary
delay,
or
needlessly
increase
the
cost
of
litigation;
(2)
the
claims,
defenses,
and
other
legal
c
ontentions
are
warranted
by
existing
law
or
by
a
nonfrivolous
argument
for
extendi
ng,
modifying,
or
reve
rsing
existing
law
or
for
establishing
new
law.
.
.
.
Fed.
R.
Civ.
P.
11(b)(1)-(2).
“If,
after
notice
and
a
reasonable
opportunity
to
respond,
the
court
determines
that
Rule
11(b)
has
been
violate
d,
the
court
may
impose
an
appropriate
sanction
on
any
attorney,
law
firm,
or
party
th
at
violated
the
rule
or
is
responsible
for
the
violation.”
Fed.
R.
Civ.
P.
11(c)(1).
Such
sanctions
may
include
“nonmonetary
direc
tives;
an
order
to
pay
a
penalty
into
court;
or,
if
imposed
on
mo
tion
and
warranted
for
effective
deterrence,
an
order
directing
payment
to
the
movant
of
part
or
all
of
the
reasonable
attorney’s
fees
and
other
expenses
directly
resulting
from
the
violation.”
Fed.
R.
Civ.
P.
11(c)(4).
“Because
dismissal
with
prejudice
defeats
al
together
a
litigant’s
ri
ght
to
access
to
the
courts,
it
should
be
used
as
a
weapon
of
last,
rather
than
first,
resort.”
Ehrenhaus
v.
Reynolds
,
965
F.2d
916,
920
(10th
Cir.
1992)
(internal
quotati
on
marks
and
citation
omitted).
Therefore,
“[b]efore
choosing
dismissal
as
a
just
sanction,
a
court
should
or
dinary
consider
a
number
of
factors,
including:
(1)
the
de
gree
of
actual
prejudice
to
th
e
defendant;
(2)
the
amount
of
interference
with
the
judicial
pr
ocess;
(3)
the
culpability
of
th
e
litigant;
(4)
whether
the
court
warned
the
party
in
advance
that
dismissal
of
the
action
would
be
a
likely
sanction
for
noncompliance;
and
(5)
the
effi
cacy
of
lesser
sanctions.”
Id.
at
920-21
(10th
Cir.
1992)
(internal
citations
omitted)).
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
4
of
14
5
DISCUSSION
1.
Plaintiff’s
Motion
for
Sanctions
In
over
103
pages
of
briefing,
Plaintiff
re
quests
“terminating
sanctions”
against
Defendant
for
discovery
violations.
See
e.g.
,
Doc.
56
at
1
(“This
request
arises
from
Defendant’s
egregious
discovery
misconduct,
wi
thholding
of
relevant
materials,
suppre
ssion
of
comparator
evidence
and
policies,
fraudulent
cer
tifications,
litigation
sabotage
,
and
systemic
abuse
of
the
judicial
process.”).
Fatal
to
Pl
aintiff’s
request
for
sanctions
is
that
he
has
not
identified
any
specific
discovery
violation.
Ind
eed,
Rule
37(b)(2)(A)
provides
fo
r
sanctions
against
a
party
who
fails
to
obey
a
court
order
for
discovery.
But
Plain
tiff
has
not
filed
a
motion
to
compel
and
there
is
no
court
order
directing
Defendant
to
provide
discovery.
For
example,
Plaintiff
argues
that
Defendant
failed
to
produce
three
documents:
bereavement
policy,
code
of
conduct,
and
leave
of
absence
(FMLA)
policy.
Doc.
56
at
6-7.
Plain
tiff,
however,
did
not
mo
ve
to
compel
their
production
before
jumping
to
a
re
quest
for
sanctions
and
so
the
Court
has
had
no
opportunity
to
determine
whether
Defendant
faile
d
to
provide
the
sought-after
di
scovery
as
part
of
the
normal
discovery
process.
1
Plaintiff
also
argues
that
Defendant
improperly
filed
its
motion
to
compel,
including
failing
to
first
meet
and
confer—arguments
which
this
Court
already
rejected
when
deciding
the
motion
to
compel.
See
Doc.
55.
I
also
find
no
merit
in
Plaintiff’s
allegations
of
abuse
of
the
judicial
process.
For
example,
in
his
supplement
to
the
motion
for
sanctions
,
Plaintiff
alleges
that
Defendant
willfully
obstructed
discovery
by
transmitti
ng
discovery
material
“through
li
nks
preset
to
expire
before
[the]
discovery
deadlines.”
Doc.
61
at
2.
In
resp
onse,
Defendant
explains
that
Plaintiff
never
1
Plaintiff
also
attached
to
his
motion
for
sancti
ons
the
bereavement
policy,
code
of
conduct,
and
leave
of
absence
policy,
Doc.
56
at
38,
39,
62,
so
it
is
unclear
what
furthe
r
information
he
seeks
as
to
those
documents.
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
5
of
14
6
requested
renewed
links;
even
so,
it
promptly
provided
Plaintiff
another
link
to
access
the
material.
Doc.
62
at
4-5.
Such
an
action
does
not
evidence
willful
obstruction
of
the
discovery
process.
In
sum,
because
there
has
been
no
findi
ng
that
Defendant
committed
any
discovery
violations
or
abused
the
judicial
process,
I
recommend
the
Court
deny
Plaintiff’s
request
for
sanctions,
including
Plaintiff’s
request
for
damages.
2
Lastly,
in
its
response
to
Plaintiff’s
motion
fo
r
sanctions,
Defendant
requests
an
award
of
“attorney’s
fees
and
costs
incurred
in
respondi
ng
to
this
frivolous
mo
tion
pursuant
to
Rule
37(a)(5)(B).”
Doc.
62
at
13.
Federa
l
Rule
of
Civil
Procedure
37(a
)(5)(B)
provides
that
if
a
Court
denies
a
motion
for
an
order
compelling
disclo
sure
or
discovery,
the
Court
must
award
“reasonable
expenses
incurred
in
opposing
the
motion,”
unless
the
“motion
was
substantially
justified
or
other
circumstances
make
and
award
of
expenses
unj
ust.”
Here,
however,
Plaintiff’s
motion
was
not
for
an
order
comp
elling
disclosure
or
discovery.
Indeed,
fatal
to
Plaintiff’s
motion
is
that
he
did
not
move
to
compel
discovery
before
s
eeking
terminating
sanctions
for
discovery
violations.
Thus,
Rule
37(a)(5)(B)
is
inapplicable.
Defendant
also
requests
“that
the
Court
cons
ider
whether
additional
sanctions
against
Plaintiff
are
appropriate
given
hi
s
pattern
of
filing
procedurally
defective
motions,
his
violation
of
Local
Rule
26.6,
and
his
failure
to
comply
w
ith
his
own
discovery
obligations
while
seeking
extreme
sanctions
against
T-Mobile.”
Doc.
62
at
13.
Because
Defendant
filed
a
separate
motion
2
In
its
response
brief,
Defendant
ar
gues
that
Plaintif
f
cannot
satisfy
the
Ehrenhaus
factors
required
for
terminating
sanc
tion.
Doc.
62
at
5
(citing
Ehrenhaus
v.
Reynolds
,
965
F.2d
916,
920-
21
(10th
Cir.
1992)).
Because
I
find
that
no
sanc
tions
are
appropriate,
I
need
not
address
the
Ehrenhaus
factors
to
determine
if
termin
ating
sanctions
ar
e
appropriate.
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
6
of
14
7
seeking
other
such
sanctions,
I
will
address
this
re
quest
below,
together
with
Defendant’s
motion
for
sanctions.
2.
Defendant’s
Motion
for
Sanctions
Defendant
requests
sanctions
agai
nst
Plaintiff
due
to
his
“ong
oing
efforts
to
mislead
this
Court
through
fabricated
legal
citations,
frivolous
pleadings
f
iled
despite
express
judicial
warnings,
and
bad-faith
litigation
tactics
designed
to
harass
and
burden
T-Mobile.”
Doc.
67
at
1.
Specifically,
it
alleges
that
Plaintiff
has
(1)
“fal
sified
legal
citations
across
multiple
pleadings,
including
fabricating
case
name
s,
citations,
and
holdings”;
(2)
“continued
filing
frivolous
motions
after
this
Court’s
express
warning
in
its
March
4,
2025
Order”;
and
(3)
“failed
to
comply
with
his
own
discovery
obligations
while
simulta
neously
seeking
termina
ting
sanctions
against
T-Mobile.”
Id.
at
1-2.
Defendant’s
argument
in
favor
of
points
one
and
two,
however,
are
collapsed
into
a
single
argument:
Plaintiff’s
fa
brication
of
citations,
in
addition
to
being
sanctionable
on
their
own,
also
render
his
filings
frivolous.
3
Having
verified
Defendant’s
assertion
of
false
citations,
I
summarize
those
citations
below:
4
3
Defendant
also
summarily
alle
ges
that
Plaintiff
has
filed
fr
ivolous
motions
including
“the
original
Motion
for
Terminating
Sanctions,
the
First
Amended
Mo
tion
for
Terminating
Sanctions,
a
procedurally
improper
Motion
to
Stay
on
July
14,
2025,
and
procedurally
improper
Objections
and
Motion
to
Set
Aside.”
Doc.
67
at
14.
Defe
ndant
makes
no
further
argument,
such
as
explaining
how
the
motions
were
procedurally
im
proper,
and
so
I
do
not
consider
this
argument
when
addressing
its
re
quest
for
sanctions.
4
In
addition
to
arguing
that
Plai
ntiff
relied
on
fictional
legal
au
thority,
Defendant
argues
that
Plaintiff
mischaracteri
zed
the
holding
of
several
real
cases.
Doc.
67
at
5,
6-9,
10-11,
12.
Intentionally
mischaracterizing
the
holding
of
a
case
would
provide
grounds
for
sanctions
whereas
an
unintentional
mischar
acterization
made
in
good
faith
by
a
pro
se
litigant
would
not.
The
Court
has
insufficient
information
to
conclu
de
that
Plaintiff
intentionally
mischaracterized
the
holdings
of
real
cases
Plaintiff
cited.
Ther
efore,
Defendant’s
allegations
that
Plaintiff
mischaracterized
the
holdings
of
real
cases
provide
insufficie
nt
grounds
to
support
sanctions.
See
Hall
v.
Bellmon
,
935
F.2d
1106,
1110
(10th
Cir.
1991)
(“A
pro
se
litigant’s
plea
dings
are
to
be
construed
liberally
and
held
to
a
less
stringent
standard
th
an
formal
pleadings
drafted
by
lawyers.”).
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
7
of
14
8
Plaintiff’s
first
Motion
for
Sanctions
,
Doc.
21,
page
2:
Plaintiff
cites
Rogers
v.
NYU
Langone
Hospitals,
2023
WL
2705769,
which
does
not
exist;
Plaintiff’s
second
Motion
for
Sanctions,
Doc.
54,
pages
3,
7,
13:
Plaintiff
cites
Ford
v.
BNSF
Ry.
Co.
,
709
F.3d
715
(10th
Cir.
2013),
which
does
not
exist;
5
Plaintiff’s
second
Motion
for
Sanctions,
Doc.
54,
page
3,
7,
8,
11,
18:
Plaintiff
cites
Keller
v.
Bd.
of
Educ.
,
182
F.R.D.
871,
873
(D.N.M.
1998),
which
does
not
exist;
6
Plaintiff’s
Rule
72
Objections,
Doc.
65,
page
3:
Plaintiff
again
cites
Ford
v.
BNSF
Ry.
Co.
,
709
F.3d
715
(10th
Cir.
2013)
,
which
does
not
exist;
and
Plaintiff’s
Rule
72
Objections,
Doc.
65,
pages
3,
7:
Plaintiff
again
cites
Keller
v.
Bd.
of
Educ.
,
182
F.R.D.
871
(D.N.M.
1998),
which
does
not
exist.
As
to
Defendant’s
third
allegation—that
Plaint
iff
failed
to
comply
with
his
own
discovery
obligations
while
simultaneously
seeking
terminating
sanctions
against
T-Mobile—in
its
supplement
Defendant
explains
that
despite
th
e
Court’s
July
9,
2025
Or
der
granting
in
part
Defendant’s
motion
to
compel
a
nd
ordering
Plaintiff
to
provide
certain
discovery
responses
by
August
8,
Doc.
55,
Plaintiff
has
not
provided
th
e
required
discovery
responses.
Further,
Defendant
explains
that,
on
July
16,
2025,
it
sent
Pl
aintiff
a
notice
of
deposition
to
take
place
on
August
15,
2025,
Doc.
60,
along
with
an
email
asking
Plaintiff
to
advise
defense
counsel
if
a
better
date
works
for
him,
sometime
between
his
August
8
deadline
to
provide
discovery
5
A
similarly
named
case
exists
from
a
different
court:
Ford
v.
BNSF
Ry.
Co.
,
No.
C16-1383
RSM,
2017
WL
6209582,
at
*1
(W.D.
Wash.
Dec.
8,
2017).
6
A
similarly
named
case
exists
from
a
different
year:
Keller
v.
Bd.
of
Educ.
of
City
of
Albuquerque,
N.M.
,
182
F.
Supp.
2d
1148
(D.N.M.
2001).
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
8
of
14
9
responses
and
the
August
19
close
of
discovery,
Doc.
73-1
at
9.
7
Plaintiff
failed
to
request
a
different
time
for
his
deposition
and
failed
to
show
up
for
the
August
15
deposition.
Doc.
73-1
at
3.
The
sanctions
Defendant
requests
are
dismissa
l
of
Plaintiff’s
lawsuit,
“compensation
for
the
expenses
incurred
in
res
ponding
to
Plaintiff’s
falsified
ci
tations
and
fri
volous
motions,
monetary
sanctions
proportionate
to
the
severity
of
Plaintiff’s
misconduct,
and
consideration
of
further
sanctions
the
Court
deems
appropriate
to
address
Plaintiff’s
pattern
of
false
citations.”
Doc.
67
at
16.
I
will
first
address
Defendant’s
requ
est
for
terminating
sanctions
before
turning
to
its
request
for
monetary
sanctions.
In
decidi
ng
whether
to
recommend
te
rminating
sanctions,
I
must
consider
the
Ehrenhaus
factors.
The
degree
of
actual
prejudice
to
the
defendant.
I
find
the
degree
of
actual
prejudice
to
Defendant
is
limited.
As
to
the
false
citations,
th
ree
of
the
citations
appeared
in
Plaintiff’s
motions
that
have
been
denied
in
Defendant’s
favor.
See
Doc
36
(denying
Plaintiff’s
motion
for
sanctions);
Doc.
59
(denying
Plai
ntiff’s
second
motion
for
sanctions
).
While
the
other
two
false
citations
appear
in
a
motion
that
is
still
pending,
Plaintiff’s
Object
ions
(Doc.
65),
they
are
repeats
of
citations
used
in
the
denied
motions.
And
to
the
extent
the
c
itations
would
change
the
outcome
of
the
pending
motion,
the
Court
is
now
sufficiently
aware
that
t
hose
citations
are
to
cases
that
do
not
exist.
The
missing
discovery
and
Plaintiff’s
missed
deposition
likely
cause
more
prejudice
to
Defendant
as
it
has
been
unable
to
engage
in
basi
c
discovery
with
Plaintiff.
However,
Defendant
has
moved
for
summary
judgment
on
all
claims
asserted
by
Pl
aintiff,
indicating
it
has
enough
7
On
July
28,
2025,
Defendant
amended
the
notice
of
deposition
to
chan
ge
the
location
only.
Doc.
64;
Doc.
73-1
at
14.
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
9
of
14
10
factual
information
for
dispositive
motions
pr
actice.
Doc.
75.
The
main
prejudice
Defendant
points
to
is
that
it
“expended
si
gnificant
time
and
resources
to
prepare
for
Plaintiff’s
deposition,
all
for
nothing.”
Doc.
73
at
4.
This
prejudice
can
be
cured
by
a
lesser
sancti
on
than
dismissal,
as
discussed
further
below.
The
amount
of
interference
with
the
judicial
process.
This
factor
weighs
against
Plaintiff.
As
to
the
false
citations,
the
Cour
t
expects
litigants
to
have
verified
the
citations
used
in
all
briefing.
To
the
extent
Plaintiff
used
artificial
in
telligence
for
assistance
with
briefing,
Plaintiff
is
reminded
and
advised
that
any
in
formation
coming
from
artificial
intelligence
must
be
reviewed
for
accuracy
before
filing
with
the
Cout,
as
is
a
litigant’s
duty
under
Rule
11.
As
to
the
discovery
violations,
the
Cour
t
has
already
expended
time
and
resources
addressing
Defendant’s
motion
to
compel
and
ordering
Plaintiff
to
provide
discovery,
Doc.
55,
which
Plaintiff
failed
to
comply
with.
The
Cour
t
is
now
forced
to
expend
additional
time
and
resources
crafting
sanctions
related
to
Plaintiff’s
failure
to
comply.
The
culpability
of
the
litigant.
This
factor
also
weighs
agai
nst
Plaintiff.
After
Plaintiff
filed
his
first
brief
with
a
cita
tion
to
a
non-existent
case,
Defend
ant
filed
a
response
specifically
pointing
out
the
false
c
itation.
Doc.
28
at
5-6
(response
to
motion
for
sanction,
pointing
out
that
the
case
Rogers
v.
NYU
Langone
Hospitals
does
not
exist).
Despite
this
alert,
Plaintiff
cited
non-
existent
cases
in
two
subsequent
motions.
Do
c.
54
at
3,
7,
8,
11,
13,
18;
Doc.
65
at
3,
7.
Also,
I
find
Plaintiff
culpable
for
failing
to
provide
the
discovery
which
the
Court
has
already
ordered
him
to
provide
and
for
fa
iling
to
attend
his
deposition
without
any
communication
to
Defendant.
Indeed,
Plaintiff
di
d
not
file
a
response
to
either
Defendant’s
motion
for
sanctions
or
its
supplement,
so
he
has
provided
no
explanation
for
the
missing
discovery.
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
10
of
14
11
Whether
the
court
warned
the
party
in
advan
ce
that
dismissal
of
the
action
would
be
a
likely
sanction
for
noncompliance.
When
denying
Plaintiff’s
first
motion
for
sanctions,
the
Court
warned
“Plaintiff
to
familiarize
himself
with
the
rules
and
to
carefully
consider
his
own
future
filings
to
ensure
that
they
satis
fy
Rule
11(b).”
Doc.
36
at
18.
Warning
Plaintiff
of
his
obligations
under
Rule
11,
however,
is
different
than
a
warning
that
violations
of
the
Rule
11,
such
as
citing
non-existent
cases,
or
failing
to
provide
discovery
would
result
in
dismissal
of
his
case.
Accordingly,
this
factor
weighs
in
favor
of
Plaintiff.
The
efficacy
of
lesser
sanctions.
The
four
Ehrenhaus
factors
discussed
above
balance
fairly
evenly.
However,
I
find
that
this
last
fa
ctor—the
efficacy
of
le
sser
sanctions—tips
the
balance
towards
imposing
a
lesse
r
sanction
than
dismissal
of
the
case.
Starting
first
with
sanctions
for
Plaintiff’s
use
of
false
citations,
Defenda
nt
argues
that
“[v]
erifying
Plaintiff’s
fabricated
authorities
has
placed
a
substantial
burden
on
the
De
fendant,
consuming
considerable
time
and
resources
in
responding
to
his
motions
.”
Doc.
67
at
13.
The
Court
has
no
doubt
that
Plaintiff’s
use
of
false
citations
increased
the
amount
of
time
Defendant
needed
to
respond
to
Plaintiff’s
motions.
Further,
Plaintiff’s
use
of
false
citations
caused
Defendant
to
spend
extra
time
gathering
and
verifying
Plaintiff’s
false
citations
for
its
presen
t
motion
for
sanctions.
Requiring
Plaintiff
to
pay
the
reas
onable
attorney’s
fees
and
expe
nses
Plaintiff’s
use
of
false
citations
caused
Defendant
to
e
xpend,
however,
is
an
effective
lesser
sanction.
As
a
result,
I
recommend,
under
the
Court’s
inhe
rent
power,
ordering
Plaintiff
to
pay
reasonable
attorney’s
fees
and
costs
that
Defendant
incurred
invest
igating
the
false
citati
ons
when
responding
to
Plaintiff’s
various
motions
and
to
pay
Defendant’s
reasonable
attorney’s
fees
and
costs
related
to
the
present
motion
for
sanctions
(D
oc.
67)
and
supplement
(Doc.
73).
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
11
of
14
12
Additionally,
to
the
extent
Plai
ntiff
is
using
artificial
inte
lligence
in
drafting
any
court
filings,
I
recommend
that
Plaintiff
be
required
to
disclose
such
usage
and
certify,
under
Rule
11,
that
he
has
verified
all
info
rmation,
including
all
case
citations,
provided
by
the
artificial
intelligence.
As
to
Plaintiff’s
discovery
obligations,
I
r
ecommend
that
the
Cour
t
order
Plaintiff
to
provide
the
discovery
previously
ordered
in
the
Court’s
Order
granting
the
motion
to
compel
(Doc.
55),
and
that
he
be
ordere
d
to
appear
for
a
deposition.
I
al
so
recommend
that,
under
Rule
37(b)(2)(C),
Plaintiff
be
requi
red
to
pay
for
Defendant’s
reasonable
expenses,
including
attorney’s
fees,
related
to
Plaintiff’s
failure
to
appear
for
the
August
15
deposition.
That
is,
I
do
not
recommend
that
the
Court
awar
d
fees
and
expenses
for
Defendant
’s
prep
work
for
Plaintiff’s
deposition,
as
that
work
can
be
used
at
Plaintiff’s
reset
de
position.
I
only
recommend
that
Plaintiff
pay
Defendant’s
attorneys
fees
and
costs
related
to
the
act
ual
missed
deposition.
Because
Plaintiff
did
not
file
a
response
to
Defe
ndant’s
motion
for
sanctions
or
the
supplement,
he
offered
no
explanation
for
missing
his
depositi
on.
As
such,
I
do
not
find
that
his
failure
to
appear
for
the
deposition
was
subs
tantially
justified
or
that
an
y
other
circumstances
make
an
award
of
expenses
unjust.
See
Fed.
R.
Civ.
P.
37(b)(2)(C).
RECOMMENDATION
For
the
reasons
discussed
above,
I
recommend
that
the
Court
DENY
Plaintiff’s
Amended
Motion
for
Terminating
Sanctions
Due
to
Syst
emic
Discovery
Abuse
and
Litigation
Misconduct
(Doc.
56).
I
further
recommend
that
the
Court
GRANT
IN
PART
and
DENY
IN
PART
Defendant’s
Motion
for
Sanctions
Against
Plai
ntiff
for
Bad
Faith
Conduct
and
Frivolous
Pleadings
(Doc.
67)
and
Defendant’s
Supplement
to
it
s
Motion
for
Sanctions
Against
Plaintiff
for
Bad
Faith
Conduct
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
12
of
14
13
and
Frivolous
Pleadings
(Doc.
73).
I
recommend
that
the
Cour
t
deny
Defendant’s
request
to
dismiss
Plaintiff’s
case,
but
that
it
grant
the
following
sanctions:
require
Plaintiff
to
pay
Defendant’s
reas
onable
expenses,
including
attorney’s
fees,
necessary
to
investigate
any
of
the
false
citations
Plaint
iff
used
in
any
filings;
require
Plaintiff
to
pay
Defendant’s
reas
onable
expenses,
including
attorney’s
fees,
related
to
Defendant’s
motion
for
sanctions
(Doc.
67)
and
the
supplement
(Doc.
73);
require
Plaintiff
to
pay
Defendant’s
reas
onable
expenses,
including
attorney’s
fees,
related
to
Plaintiff’s
failure
to
ap
pear
at
his
August
15,
2025
deposition;
within
10
days
of
the
Court
adopting
this
Proposed
Findings
and
Recommended
Disposition
(“PFRD”),
require
Plaintiff
to
provide
complete
discovery
responses
as
ordered
in
the
Court’s
July
9,
2025
Order
Granti
ng
in
Part
and
Denyi
ng
in
Part
Motion
to
Compel
(Doc.
55);
within
5
days
of
the
Court
adopting
this
PFR
D,
require
Plaintiff
to
provide
Defendant
a
list
of
5
dates,
all
which
fall
on
business
days
(not
weekends
or
fe
deral
holidays)
within
the
subsequent
30
days,
that
he
is
available
fo
r
his
deposition
and
requi
re
that
he
attend
a
deposition
as
set
by
Defendant
on
one
of
those
dates;
and
in
all
future
court
filings,
require
Plaintif
f
to
disclose
whether
he
used
artificial
intelligence
in
drafting
the
filing
and,
if
he
di
d,
require
him
to
certify,
under
Rule
11,
that
he
has
verified
all
information,
including
al
l
case
citations,
provide
d
by
the
artificial
intelligence.
Lastly,
I
recommend
the
Court
warn
Plaint
iff
that,
should
the
Court
adopt
these
recommendations,
failure
to
comply
with
any
Court
order
or
sancti
on
may
result
in
dismissal
of
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
13
of
14
14
his
case.
I
also
recommend
that
Defendant
may
renew
its
motion
for
sanc
tions
should
Plaintiff
fail
to
complete
any
of
the
ordered
obligations.
____________________________________
STEVEN
C.
YARBROUGH
UNITED
STATES
MAGISTRATE
JUDGE
THE
PARTIES
ARE
FURTHER
NO
TIFIED
THAT
WITHIN
14
DAYS
OF
SERVICE
of
a
copy
of
these
Proposed
Findings
and
Reco
mmended
Disposition
they
may
file
written
objections
with
the
Clerk
of
the
District
Court
pursuant
to
28
U.S.C.
§
636(b)(1).
A
party
must
file
any
objections
with
the
Clerk
of
th
e
District
Court
within
the
fourteen-day
period
if
that
party
wants
to
have
appellate
revie
w
of
the
proposed
findings
and
recommended
disposition.
If
no
objections
are
filed,
no
appellate
review
will
be
allowed.
Case
1:24-cv-01125-JCH-SCY
Document
84
Filed
11/25/25
Page
14
of
14
Provenance
Know exactly where this document came from.
Members see the sourcing behind every authority on DocPost — so you can check the record yourself and cite with confidence.
Request access