Sanctions Award Against Pro Se Plaintiff Upheld

Tred R. Eyerly | Insurance Law Hawaii

    The plaintiff’s failure to timely name an expert witness in his bad faith action led to sanctions being awarded against him in favor of the insurer. Black v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co., 2020 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2477 (Cal. Ct. App. April 23, 2020).

    After Black’s claim was denied by Fireman’s Fund, he communicated with company through letters, emails and phone conversations. Black complained that Fireman’s Fund handled his claim improperly, engaged in illegal activities and had ties to the Nazi regime in Germany. Fireman’s Fund sued Black alleging that his communications amounted to civil extortion, interference with contractual relations, interference with prospective economic advantage, and unfair business practices. Fireman’s Fund eventually dismissed its complaint without prejudice. 

    Black, however, had filed a cross-complaint in which he asserted a number of claims, including bad faith. Black designated attorney Randy Hess as an expert on insurance claims. Over the next year and a half, Fireman’s Fund repeatedly attempted to take Hess’s deposition. In March 2018, Fireman’s Fund moved to compel the deposition or exclude the testimony. The court set a July 20, 2018 deadline for the disposition to take place or else the testimony would be excluded. 

    In mid-July 2018, a new law firm entered its appearance for Black, and asked to postpone Hess’s deposition to July 20. Fireman’s Fund agreed. Then the firm asked for a 45-day extension for Black to locate and designate a new expert to replace Hess. Fireman’s Fund declined. Black moved ex parte to extend the expert discovery period. The court denied the motion. 

    Black filed another motion, seeking “a short continuance to allow a further expert designation and expert deposition.” Fireman’s Fund opposed the motion and sought $7,862.50 in sanctions. The court denied the motion, finding that Black was given 18 months’ notice of Hess’s reluctance or refusal to act as an expert. The court also awarded sanctions. 

    The Court of Appeals affirmed. In April 2017, early in the discovery period, Hess told Black that he would not act as an expert or appear at a deposition unless he was paid. A year later, Hess told Black he had withdrawn as an expert because he had not been paid. 

    Between April 2017 and July 2018, Black could have reached an agreement with Hess or found another expert. He failed to do either, forcing Fireman’s Fund to spend additional time and money to pursue and protect its discovery interests. Sanctions were warranted because in his motion, Black did not identify an additional expert witness, making the motion little more than another effort to delay the proceeding.

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