Sweigert v. Goodman

Background

Plaintiff George Sweigert filed several motions asking the court to take judicial notice of filings in other federal lawsuits involving Defendant Jason Goodman. Judicial notice is a procedure allowing a court to accept certain facts without requiring ordinary proof. The motions were identified as being related to discovery and preliminary injunctive relief, but the court noted that Sweigert did not explain that connection.

Court’s Analysis

The court recognized that Federal Rule of Evidence 201 can permit judicial notice of documents filed in other courts. But it stated that judicially noticed facts must be relevant to the case. Sweigert did not explain why the fact that the other filings existed was relevant here. The court also stated that court documents generally may not be judicially noticed to establish the truth of the matters asserted in the other litigation; they may instead be used to establish the fact that the other litigation and filings occurred.

The court also addressed Sweigert’s discovery filings. It found that his multiple, multi-part filings were unnecessary and were clogging the docket. The court cited five responses to a February 23, 2021 order and at least four declarations from Thomas Schoenberger, stating that a single filing would have been sufficient.

Ruling

Judge Stewart D. Aaron denied Sweigert’s motions for judicial notice. The court directed Sweigert not to make similar filings without a proper basis and prohibited him from filing further discovery responses without leave of court. The court stated that any legitimate discovery disputes must be raised in compliance with the court’s Individual Practices and warned that failure to comply may result in sanctions. The Clerk was also asked to mail a copy of the order to the pro se defendant, Jason Goodman.