| ► Judge Ronald Styn of San Diego; moronic loser |
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Judge Ronald Styn of San Diego; moronic loser  The state of California provided Ronald Lee Styn with a law license in 1966 after he graduated from Santa Clara University Law School.
In 1995, former Gov. Pete Wilson was duped into appointing Raymond to a judgeship on the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
In one matter, Judge Styn was assigned to hear a case involving State Farm as a defendant in a class action lawsuit. During the pendency of the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s attorneys demanded that State Farm provide access to personal and payment information regarding the members and/or potential members of the class to the attorneys.
State Farm objected to the discovery requests, which subsequently led both parties to agree to refer the dispute to a discovery referee. The referee overruled State Farm’s objection, which then led to State Farm filing objections with Judge Styn. However, Judge Styn sided with the referee in overruling State Farm’s objections.
After State Farm prevailed at trial, it filed a memorandum of costs wherein it sought to recover $713,463 in costs it incurred in sending out notices to putative (alleged) class members. In response, plaintiff’s attorney filed a motion to tax the $713,463 as costs. Judge Styn then granted the motion to tax costs in its entirety.
Subsequently, State Farm appealed Judge Styn’s taxation of cost order. The Court of Appeal reversed Styn’s decision by ruling he had abused his discretion in taxing the costs of mailing the notices to putative class members.
The Court of Appeal noted that certain cost items may be awarded if they are “reasonably necessary to the conduct of the litigation.” However, the court noted that when a party (plaintiffs) demands discovery involving significant “special attendant costs” beyond those typically involved in responding to routine discover, the demanding party (plaintiffs) should bear those costs of the party is not successful in prevailing in the litigation.
The appellate court specifically reasoned that costs State Farm incurred in providing the notice were “special attendant” costs beyond those involved in responding to routine discovery.
You’d like to think that a judge would at a minimum have realized that the $713,463 incurred by State Farm was not a normal discovery cost. Moreover, the Moron absolutely knew that State Farm was victorious in this lawsuit when he denied their motion to be reimbursed by the plaintiffs.
As we speak (ca. January 2014), Judge Lee continues to sit on the bench as a San Diego County Superior Court Judge in San Diego, California.
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