RAFAEL LIZARRAGA JR VS REBECCA V ORIORDAN - According to the judge's tentative ruling, and the complaint and the Los Angeles court online case docket, Robert Waechter is the attorney for plaintiffs in this case.

From the tentative ruling this is what happened:

Attorney Robert Waechter represents the plaintiffs in this case.

The defendants served discovery requests for Mr. Waechter's clients to answer. This consisted of written questions to provide responses to and requests to produce documents.

Responses are generally due in about thirty days.

However, after not receiving a response defense counsel wrote to Mr. Waechter about the situation and provided an extension of time to answer.

Still no response from Waechter's office.

So defense counsel wrote again about the discovery and provided yet another extension of time to answer.

And for the third time, still no response from attorney Robert Waechter.

Defendants then filed a motion to compel and requested sanctions.

And again, still nothing from Waechter. He did not seem to care to even oppose the motion for sanctions.

The judge then reviewed the law.

The order says sanctions can be imposed against anyone misusing the discovery process, or any attorney advising the misuse of discovery.

After considering the situation, the motion and supporting documents, the judge determined that attorney Robert Waechter deserved to be personally sanctioned.

This is not a situation where the client was solely at fault. Based on the circumstances for when an attorney can be sanctioned, the judge said sanctions against Robert Waechter, Esq., were appropriate.

The total amount of sanctions was $912.50, a large amount.

The court jointly ordered Mr. Waechter's clients to also pay the sanctions, and further ordered them to respond to all discovery, without objection.

Would you hire Robert Waechter to be your attorney?

This is a harsh opinion where the judge lays out when an attorney can be sanctioned: anyone engaged in misuse of litigation or an attorney advising the misuse of litigation.

Under either standard it is a devastating critique of attorney Waechter.

There is no indication in the tentative ruling that Mr. Waechter ever did anything - despite numerous opportunities provided by the other attorney.

In other words, this is not about simply losing a motion or a judge disagreeing with a legal position, but this is repeated misconduct with a judge coming down hard on an attorney for what they have done.

Attorney Robert Waechter has been suspended twice by the California State Bar.

In both incidents it appears he was suspended for not paying his bar membership dues. Perhaps he could not afford to pay them?

Robert Waechter was admitted to the California Bar in 1973. Bar Number 58549.

LAW OFFICE OF ROBERT J. WAECHTER
1875 West Redondo Beach Boulevard, Suite 301
Gardena, California 90247


Law School: University of Michigan