Judge Barbara Meiers of Los Angeles; incompetent boob

The state of California presented Barbara Ann Meiers with a law license in 1969 after she graduated from New York University NYU  School of Law.  

In one matter, Judge Meiers presided over a case that involved issues involving discovery. During the pendency of the case, the parties agreed that the defendant would appear for a fourth day of deposition testimony pending further production of documents.

Subsequently, he deposition was re-set, by court order, for June 22, 2016, but defendant Bral did not show up. However, no one had told him of the deposition being scheduled.

After the no show by Mr. Bral, Judge Meiers sanctioned the defendant $2.5 million for his failure to appear for a fourth day of his deposition. In doing so, Barbie ordered that Bral’s answer be stricken and that the matter proceed as a default and granted judgment for $2,514,631—damages of $1,765,202 plus $749,429 in prejudgment interest.

Subsequently, the defendant and his attorney appealed Barbies so-called $2.5 million sanction. The Court of Appeals reversed Barbie’s asinine award and in doing so said in part:

• “Based on the totality of the circumstances, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion.”
• “The foregoing indicated that Bral’s failure to appear for his deposition and produce documents on June 22, 2016, was the fault of his attorneys, that he did not willfully disobey the trial court’s discovery orders, and that he was committed to giving Beitler discovery.”
• “Notably, Beitler’s counsel did not dispute that documents had been produced or that Bral had been made available for his deposition.”
• “Rather, Beitler’s counsel merely stated that neither of those things was confirmed by anything in the record.”
• “Moreover, the trial court [Barbie] did not make a finding that a less severe sanction would be futile.’
• “Nor did the trial court find that Bral had acted in willful violation of a discovery order or that Beitler had suffered detriment that could not be ameliorated”
• “Rather, the trial court essentially punished Bral for failing to file a declaration.”

It goes without saying that Barbie doesn’t much give a damn when she’s overturned (rebuked in truth) by the appellate court since she is well aware that no California judge has ever been tossed off the bench for being incompetent.

As we speak (ca. April 2019) Barbie continues to sit as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge in Los Angeles, California.