Cooperative Entertainment, Inc. v. Alibaba Cloud US LLC

Background

Cooperative Entertainment, Inc. filed the action on February 20, 2025, apparently represented by Jennifer Ishimoto. On April 14, 2025, William P. Ramey III applied to appear as additional counsel through a process that allows an out-of-state lawyer to request permission to practice in a particular case. Ramey declared under penalty of perjury that he had been granted that permission zero times in the preceding 12 months.

The court found that declaration false. Court records showed that Ramey had been granted permission to appear in at least five Northern District of California cases during that period. The court also discussed a recent order by Judge Kang in an earlier related proceeding that imposed $45,264 in monetary sanctions against Ramey and required him to attach that order to future applications for permission to appear in California federal courts for five years.

Ruling on the Application

The court denied Ramey’s application with prejudice. It gave two independent reasons: Ramey’s false statement about his prior appearances and his extensive unauthorized practice of law, false statements about his admission status, and related misconduct described in Judge Kang’s order. The court also stated that Ramey appeared to have violated at least the spirit of Judge Kang’s order by failing to attach it to his original application, although he corrected that omission in a later filing.

Order to Show Cause Regarding Sanctions

The court ordered Ramey to explain why sanctions should not be imposed under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, the court’s inherent authority, or another applicable authority. Proposed sanctions included a $1,000 payment to the court, referral to the court’s Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility for consideration of additional consequences, and a requirement to provide this order and any later sanctions order to the recipients identified in Judge Kang’s order. Ramey’s response was due April 30, 2025. The opinion orders him to respond to proposed sanctions; it does not state that those sanctions had already been imposed.

Declaration by Plaintiff

The court separately ordered Cooperative Entertainment to file a declaration by Jennifer Ishimoto by the same deadline. The declaration must state whether Ramey authored any filings in the action before he applied for permission to appear. The declaration must be separate from Ramey’s response.