Civil Procedure
Judge Scolds Harvard Prof in RIAA Case
Posted Mar 11, 2009, 07:17 pm CST
By Martha Neil
It was initially U.S District Judge Nancy Gertner's idea that a pro se defendant in a high-profile file-sharing case should seek help from a renowned Harvard Law School professor.
But she didn't hesitate to lecture the errant law prof—and threaten him with sanctions—for ignoring discovery rules, recounts Robert Ambrogi in a Legal Blog Watch post.
"Nothing entitles the defendant to engraft his own conditions on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or the local rules of this court, or to dispense with them where they fail to suit his counsel's teaching style," Gertner scolded professor Charles Nesson in a Boston court hearing this week.
Nesson is representing Joel Tenenbaum in the Recording Industry Association of America case.
Related coverage:
Ars Technica: "RIAA defendant enlists Harvard Law prof, students"
CyberOne: "RIAA v. Joel Tenenbaum"
ABAJournal.com: "US Appeals Court Orders Expedited Briefs in Webcast Challenge"
ABAJournal.com: "RIAA to Stop Suing Over Music Downloads; ISPs are New Copyright Cops"
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