The First Appellate District affirmed an order awarding sanctions and attorney fees. The court held that the record supported the imposition of sanctions on a party whose young attorney’s hostile and uncooperative conduct hindered cooperation with the opposing party and dramatically increased the costs of litigation.
After 42 years of marriage, Jill Davenport separated from husband Ken. Sixteen years later she filed a petition for dissolution. At the time, the marital estate consisted of some $57 million in assets, primarily in the form of real estate. Jill was represented by the law firm of O’Brien Watters and Davis, LLP, with partner Michael Watters, listed as the individual attorney. The case was almost immediately taken over, however, by junior associate Andrew Watters, who had become a member of the State Bar only a few months before.
