Judge Defends $1M Sanction Against Attorney

A Philadelphia judge who ordered nearly $1 million in sanctions against a medical malpractice defense attorney defended his action this week. In an opinion, the judge wrote that the lawyer intended to to violate a court order precluding certain witness testimony because she thought it would further her client’s case, and that her action added $1 million to the legal costs of the opposing party. The sanctioned attorney says her bank accounts have been frozen and a lien placed on her home as part of the effort to collect the $946,197 in fines. Her attorney has requested the sanctions proceedings be halted while she pursues an appeal.