Little v. Pacific Seafood Procurement, LLC et al

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
BRAND LITTLE, et al.,
Plaintiffs,
v.
PACIFIC SEAFOOD PROCUREMENT,
LLC, et al.,
Defendants.
Case No. 23-cv-01098-AGT
ORDER IMPOSING FEES –
ATTORNEY HUECHI WONG
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(f), and consistent with the Court’s
ruling at the April 3 show-cause hearing, the Court orders Huechi Wong, attorney of record
for Defendants Nor-Cal Seafood Inc. and Kevin Lee, to pay $1,612.50 in attorneys’ fees to
Plaintiffs to reimburse Plaintiffs’ counsel Stuart Gross for the time he spent preparing for
and attending the April 3 show-cause hearing. See Dkt. 696, Gross Decl. ¶¶ 2–5.
The Court imposes this sanction because Mr. Wong “fail[ed] to appear” at several
“scheduling or other pretrial conference[s].” Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(f)(1)(A). Specifically, Mr.
Wong missed four case management conferences—on May 30, 2025, September 5, 2025,
January 23, 2026, and March 6, 2026—and didn’t respond to two orders to show cause
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regarding his absences. See Dkts. 352, 399, 587, 643.
At the April 3 show-cause hearing, Mr. Wong didn’t “substantially justif[y]” his ab-
sences or lack of response to court orders. Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(f)(2). He said he was struggling
with burnout, which is understandable given the demands of the legal profession; but burnout
doesn’t justify missing court appearances and ignoring court orders.
Pursuant to Rule 16(f)(2), Wong must pay the “reasonable expenses—including at-
torney’s fees—incurred because of [his] noncompliance.” Mr. Gross’s declaration docu-
ments reasonable attorney’s fees, in light of Mr. Gross’s 22 years of experience, for the time
he spent preparing for and attending the April 3 show-cause hearing. Gross Decl. ¶¶ 2–4.
Wong must make the $1,612.50 payment ordered herein by June 26, 2026. The Court
will send a copy of this order to the State Bar. See Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6086.7(a)(3).
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: May 29, 2026
______________________________
Alex G. Tse
United States Magistrate Judge
Case 3:23-cv-01098-AGT Document 723 Filed 05/29/26 Page 2 of 2