Knopf v. Esposito
- Sarah Netburn
- 1:17-cv-05833
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Knopf v. Esposito, Judge Cote ordered a telephone conference about attorney Eric Berry’s communications with witness Michael Sanford and possible sanctions.
The order directly concerned non-party witness Michael Sanford and the plaintiffs’ attorney, Eric Berry, and required the parties to participate in the telephone conference.
What happened
Knopf v. Esposito concerns requests by non-party witness Michael Sanford to discuss the conduct of the plaintiffs’ attorney, Eric Berry, and whether Berry should be sanctioned.
The court ordered a telephone conference for February 25, 2021, to consider whether Berry should be barred from further oral communication with Sanford and to set a schedule for any motion seeking sanctions. The order did not decide whether Berry should be barred or sanctioned.
Judge Denise Cote issued the order on February 23, 2021. The conference was to be held by telephone because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The detailed version
- Knopf v. Esposito · No. 1:17-cv-05833
- Sarah Netburn
- Feb. 23, 2021
Background
Through letters dated February 19 and February 23, 2021, non-party witness Michael Sanford asked for a conference concerning the conduct of the plaintiffs’ attorney, Eric Berry, and whether Berry should be sanctioned. The order cites a prior related proceeding concerning the case.
Order
The court ordered a conference for Thursday, February 25, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. The conference was to address whether the court should issue an order forbidding Berry from having any further oral communication with Sanford and to establish a schedule for any motion to sanction Berry.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was ordered to take place by telephone. The order provided dial-in information and instructed the parties to use a landline if available. The opinion does not state that the court actually barred Berry from communicating with Sanford or imposed sanctions.
Disposition
The court ordered the conference; it did not decide the requested communication restriction or any sanctions motion in this order. Judge Denise Cote signed the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.