Yousefzadeh v. Hill-Rom, Inc.

Background

Mahmoud Yousefzadeh, who was representing himself, filed a motion titled “Notice of Motion and Motion for Dismissing Conducted Activities by Attorney Brandon Haugrud and Depositions.” He asked the court to dismiss all activities that attorney Brandon Haugrud had conducted in the case. Yousefzadeh argued that Haugrud was not authorized to represent Hill-Rom Company, Inc. because Haugrud had not signed Hill-Rom’s answer to the amended complaint or a letter accompanying a deposition notice. The opinion states that Yousefzadeh did not cite legal authority or a specific rule supporting his argument.

Court’s analysis

The court first determined that Yousefzadeh had not complied with the court’s local procedural rules. There was no indication that he had met and conferred with Hill-Rom before filing the motion, and he had not contacted the magistrate judge to obtain a hearing date. The court stated that these procedural failures alone would have been sufficient to deny the motion. It also reiterated that representing himself did not excuse Yousefzadeh from complying with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the court’s local rules.

The court separately concluded that the motion had no legal support. It found that Haugrud was licensed to practice in Minnesota, admitted to the bar of the federal court, and in good standing. Haugrud had also filed a notice of appearance on March 21, 2018, on behalf of Hill-Rom. The court held that this notice showed that Haugrud was representing Hill-Rom in the case.

Ruling

The court denied Yousefzadeh’s motion. It left prior consistent orders in effect and warned that future filings appearing intended only to delay the case could result in appropriate remedies or sanctions, including costs, fines, attorney’s fees, limits on evidence, striking pleadings, dismissal with prejudice, or default judgment. The order was signed by Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung.