Robert P. Sullivan

A case conference was held to resolve several procedural issues in an estates action.

The court set a schedule for an upcoming costs hearing and ordered the defendants to answer discovery questions they had improperly taken under advisement, noting that counsel's lack of instructions does not excuse failing to answer proper questions.

The court also set a timetable for the plaintiff's proposed motion to strike a new action commenced by the defendants, deferring issues regarding the deemed undertaking rule and a potential judicial bias motion.

In a supplementary endorsement, the court clarified a statement made in a previous endorsement regarding the defendants' counsel and his law clerk.

The court confirmed that the counsel had not sent his law clerk to appear before the court and that he committed no act of unprofessionalism.

The court noted that the plaintiff decided not to seek costs against the defendants' counsel under Rule 57.07 and encouraged the parties to focus on resolving the issues between the clients.

The plaintiff brought a motion seeking several orders, including the exclusion of parties from examinations for discovery, the return of an insurance policy to the estate, the exclusion of the defendants' daughter from discoveries, and the striking of certain allegations from the defendants' affidavit material.

The court granted all relief sought by the plaintiff, finding compelling evidence to exclude parties from discoveries due to credibility concerns and ordering the return of the insurance policy.

The court also struck scandalous and irrelevant evidence from the defendants' affidavit.

Costs were reserved for later determination.

The court issued case management directions to compel the defendants to comply with previous orders for an accounting and production of documents in an estate litigation matter.

The defendants had repeatedly delayed and failed to comply with orders from 2012.

The court set strict deadlines for affidavits of documents, examinations for discovery, expert reports, and pre-trial conference memoranda, emphasizing that there would be no further delays.

The court also warned of potential striking of pleadings if non-compliance continued.