Firsov v. Airlines
- Susan Van Keulen
- 5:25-cv-02898
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Sergey Firsov v. Frontier Airlines, Judge Van Keulen denied Firsov’s motion to reconsider an earlier judge-disqualification order.
Sergey Firsov, whose motion for reconsideration was denied; Frontier Airlines, Inc., the defendant.
What happened
In Sergey Firsov v. Frontier Airlines, Sergey Firsov asked the court to reconsider its November 20, 2025 order concerning a motion to disqualify the judge.
The court said Firsov had not first obtained permission to file a reconsideration motion as required by the court’s local rules. It also found that the motion did not show a valid reason to reconsider the earlier order.
Judge Susan Van Keulen also considered the motion under Rules 59(e) and 60(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, but found no basis for relief because the motion generally repeated arguments and evidence already considered. She denied the motion.
The detailed version
- Firsov v. Airlines · No. 5:25-cv-02898
- Susan Van Keulen
- Dec. 2, 2025
Background
Sergey Firsov moved for reconsideration of the court’s November 20, 2025 order concerning a motion to disqualify the undersigned judge. The court decided the motion without a hearing or additional briefing.
Court’s Analysis
The court denied the reconsideration motion for two reasons. First, Firsov did not comply with Civil Local Rule 7-9(a), which requires a party to obtain the court’s permission before noticing a motion for reconsideration. Second, the motion did not show any ground warranting reconsideration under Civil Local Rule 7-9(b).
Although Firsov styled the filing as a motion for reconsideration, he also cited Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e), which concerns altering or amending a judgment, and Rule 60(b), which concerns relief from a final judgment, order, or proceeding. The court considered both provisions and found that Firsov had not shown that relief was appropriate under either rule. The court stated that the motion generally rehashed arguments and evidence it had already considered.
Disposition
The court denied Firsov’s motion for reconsideration and denied the motion filed at Docket No. 61. The order addressed reconsideration of the earlier disqualification-related order and did not decide the underlying merits of the dispute between Firsov and Frontier Airlines. Judge Susan Van Keulen signed the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.