Overreaching Request for Discovery Sanctions Warrants Reduction of Fee Award

The court denied in part defendant's motion for discovery sanctions and further reduced the award by another one-third for defendant's overreaching. "The Court agrees with Plaintiff that the amount of fees that [defendant] requests in its Memorandum is excessive and that [defendant] broadly misconstrued the Court’s order awarding reasonable expenses and attorneys’ fees. . . . Defendant’s request for $132,629.48 for an 18 page emergency motion for sanctions, a 19 page reply and oral argument at a relatively brief hearing is unreasonably excessive. . . . While [defendant's] conduct does not require a complete denial of its application for fees and costs, it does justify a further reduction of the amount to be awarded to Defendant based on its overreaching with respect to its application. . . . Because [defendant] unreasonably sought to recover much higher fees for legal services unrelated to the motion for sanctions, and which are also not supported by adequate billing records, the Court exercises its discretion to reduce the award of attorneys’ fees and costs to [defendant] by one-third. . . . The Court therefore awards Defendant . . . attorneys’ fees and costs related to its motion for sanctions in the total amount of $10,667.00."

JS Products, Inc. v. Kabo Tool Company, 2-11-cv-01856 (NVD October 15, 2014, Order) (Foley, Jr., M.J.)