Inherent power

Court’s common law inherent power to sanction.

March 24, 2026

Well-Reasoned “Hallucination” Analysis

There is nothing new about “hallucinations” from GenAI.  A recent decision explains and applies what now appears to be settled law under Fed.R.Civ.P. 11. Brownfield v. Cherokee Co. School Dist., 2026 WL 777230 (E.D. Ok. Mar. 19, 2026).  A recent appellate decision applying Fed.R.App.P. 38 and common-law inherent authority is Whiting v. […]
May 19, 2025

Court Recommends Denial of Rule 37(e)(2) Motion, While Providing Guidance Under Rule 37(e)(1)

In Cooper v. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., 2025 WL 1416943 (D. Md. May16, 2025)(Coulson, J.), the Court did justice and partially rescued a party that overreached by moving for sanctions under Rule 37(e)(2) while not making an alternative, “belts and suspenders” request under Rule 37(e)(1). Defendants moved for “game ending” sanctions […]
May 14, 2021

The Duty of Inquiry and Sanctions for Failure to Investigate Client’s Claim

In two recent decisions, the District of Maryland has imposed sanctions for failure to properly investigate a client’s documents.  Taken together, Bioiberica Nebraska and Membreno show that the Court expects a reasonable inquiry into information that is within a party’s possession, custody, or practical control.  Filings or representations that contradict such information […]
December 25, 2020

No Sanctions Despite Truncated Search

In In Re: Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (Bhr) Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2775, Master Docket No. 1:17-md-2775 (D. Md. Dec. 23, 2020), the Court denied a sanctions motion, attributing a failure to produce  an inconsistent email to search parameters that were too narrow.  The Court held that […]