Patrick Townsend v. Holman Consulting Corporation

881 F.2d 788 58 USLW 2161 , 14 Fed.R.Serv.3d 43 Patrick TOWNSEND, Karen Townsend, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. HOLMAN CONSULTING CORPORATION, Defendant, and Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby; Trust Services of America, Inc.; American Insurance Administrators; International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 12, AFL-CIO, Defendants-Appellees. Nos. 87-5825, 87-6154. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Oct. 5, 1988. Decided Aug. 7, 1989. Fred L. Wright, Torrance, Cal., for plaintiffs-appellants. Robert G. Wilson, Wilson & Reitman, Los Angeles, Cal., for the Towers defendants-appellees. Della Bahan, Reich, Adell & Crost, Los Angeles, Cal., for the IUOE # 12 defendants-appellees. Appeals from the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Before PREGERSON, REINHARDT and NOONAN, Circuit Judges. REINHARDT, Circuit Judge: 1 With this case, we return to a subject which has occupied much of this court's time in the last several years: the appropriateness of monetary sanctions leveled by a district judge against an attorney under Fed.R.Civ.P. 11. The rule states in relevant part: 2 The signature of an attorney or party…