A California federal judge on Wednesday sanctioned an attorney representing Kern County and its sheriff’s office for bad faith conduct during discovery in a lawsuit over 500 acres of bulldozed hemp crops, saying the lawyer’s arguments reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of his duties.
In his order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher D. Baker reprimanded John R. Whitefleet of Porter Scott Attorneys, calling his claims that none of his clients’ emails were relevant to the case brought by Apothio LLC “alarming and astounding.”
The sanctions accompany Apothio’s third motion to compel after the court found that Whitefleet and his clients failed to comply with prior orders to produce documents critical to the company’s allegations that Kern County and state regulators conspired to bulldoze its hemp crop.
Background: Bulldozed Hemp and Legal Battles
Apothio’s amended complaint filed in May 2022 alleges that the Kern County Sheriff’s Office colluded with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, securing a warrant based on false information and destroying 500 acres of crops before Apothio could seek a court injunction.
In August, U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston partially dismissed the complaint but allowed Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment claims to proceed. She later dismissed the Fourteenth Amendment claims in February, finding state law remedies were adequate.
