The Ultimate Sanction, Part II.

As noted yesterday, the federal judge who dispensed the sanctions was disturbed, in part, by the defense's efforts to drive up the plaintiff's (and his counsel's) expenses through frivolous and bad-faith actions. An Irvine, California attorney was on the receiving end of these tactics: Maureen Graves. Ms. Graves estimated that Lozano Smith's client, Bret Harte School District, spent nearly $500,000 on a case that she once had been willing to settle for $8,000. Ms. Graves works alone out of her garage, and took the case of special education student Robert Moser for no hourly fee. Moser and his parents requested a hearing in 1997 because they felt Bret Harte district ignored the high school student's medical condition and failed to properly assess his learning difficulties. The case ended up in federal court and lasted more than seven (7) years. (Hat tip: Parent Advocates.)