Ward v. Lawrence
- Jon Tigar
- 4:19-cv-00183
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 1
In Ward v. Lawrence, Judge Tigar ordered Anjali Ward and Lila Cast to explain their failure to attend a case-management conference.
Plaintiffs Anjali Ward and Lila Cast face possible monetary sanctions and possible dismissal of the case if they do not respond to the order or attend the scheduled hearing.
What happened
In Ward v. Lawrence, Anjali Ward and Lila Cast did not appear at a December 7, 2021 case-management conference. The order does not state why they were absent.
The court ordered both plaintiffs to submit written explanations by January 25, 2022, addressing why they should not face monetary sanctions for failing to appear as ordered. It also scheduled a hearing for February 1, 2022.
Judge Jon S. Tigar warned that failing to respond or attend the hearing could lead the court, in its discretion, to dismiss the case for failure to prosecute. This order did not impose sanctions or dismiss the case.
The detailed version
- Ward v. Lawrence · No. 4:19-cv-00183
- Jon Tigar
- Dec. 8, 2021
Background
Plaintiffs Anjali Ward and Lila Cast failed to appear at a case-management conference held on December 7, 2021. The opinion does not explain why they failed to appear.
Order to Show Cause
The court ordered Ward and Cast to show cause, meaning to explain in writing, why the court should not impose monetary sanctions for their failure to appear as ordered. The court stated that a district court may impose sanctions under its inherent authority for willful disobedience of a court order.
Their written response was due January 25, 2022. The court scheduled a show-cause hearing for February 1, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. The order warned that failing to file a written response or failing to attend the hearing could, in the court’s discretion, result in dismissal of the case for failure to prosecute. The order did not itself impose monetary sanctions or dismiss the case.
Disposition
Judge Jon S. Tigar issued an order to show cause and set response and hearing dates. The opinion does not state what happened after that order.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.