In re Con-Way Freight Inc.

720 F.3d 1136 (9th Cir. 2013) · United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · June 27, 2013 · No. No. 13-71160

Summary

The Ninth Circuit denied Con-Way Freight Inc.’s petition for a writ of mandamus, finding the petition frivolous and wholly without merit. The court ordered counsel to show cause why monetary sanctions should not be imposed individually for filing the petition.

Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Writing for the Court
Michael Daly Hawkins; Ronald M. Gould; Paul J. Watford
Jurisdiction
Federal
Decision date
June 27, 2013
Docket number
No. 13-71160
Procedural posture
Con-Way Freight Inc. petitioned the Ninth Circuit for a writ of mandamus directed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Ninth Circuit denied the petition and ordered petitioner's counsel to show cause why monetary sanctions should not be imposed for filing a frivolous petition.
Standard of review
Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy, and the petitioner must satisfy the factors identified in Bauman v. United States District Court.
Precedential value
Published Ninth Circuit opinion
Parties
Con-Way Freight Inc. v. United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Disposition
writ_denied

Topics

writ of certiorariappellate proceduresanctionscivil procedure

Practice areas

appellate procedurecivil proceduresanctions

Questions Presented

  1. Whether Con-Way Freight demonstrated that the extraordinary remedy of mandamus was warranted.
  2. Whether the petition was sufficiently frivolous to warrant an order requiring petitioner's counsel to show cause why monetary sanctions should not be imposed.

Holdings

  1. Con-Way Freight did not demonstrate that the case warranted intervention by the Ninth Circuit through the extraordinary remedy of mandamus; the petition was therefore denied.
  2. The petition was frivolous and wholly without merit, warranting an order requiring petitioner's counsel to show cause why monetary sanctions should not be imposed individually.

Key quotations

Petitioner has not demonstrated that this case warrants the intervention of this court by means of the extraordinary remedy of mandamus. (3)
Indeed, we find the petition to be frivolous and wholly without merit. (3)

Factual background

The supplied opinion contains little substantive background concerning the underlying district-court dispute. Con-Way Freight sought a writ of mandamus from the Ninth Circuit concerning proceedings in the Northern District of California. The court concluded that the petition did not warrant mandamus intervention and was frivolous and wholly without merit.

Procedural history

The matter arose from proceedings in the Northern District of California, case No. 3:09-cv-03670-JSW. Con-Way Freight sought extraordinary mandamus relief in the Ninth Circuit. The court denied the petition as unwarranted, frivolous, and wholly without merit, and referred the sanctions show-cause response to the Appellate Commissioner.

Court Document

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