Lawyer Who Interrupted One Too Many Times Gets Rare Sanction

A lawyer who angered an Iowa federal judge by repeatedly raising objections has received an unusual punishment: an order to produce a training video that denounces such tactics.

U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett issued the sanction last week to attorney June Ghezzi, who works in the Chicago office of the law firm Jones Day.

Bennett criticized Ghezzi’s pretrial conduct in a case in which she successfully defended Abbott Laboratories against a lawsuit alleging its infant formula contained dangerous bacteria that caused a baby to suffer brain damage. He wrote that, during depositions, Ghezzi “proliferated hundreds of unnecessary objections and interruptions” that coached witnesses and delayed the proceedings.

Bennett says the video must be made available to Jones Day lawyers.

Jones Day said it will appeal, arguing Ghezzi acted appropriately.