The operators of the self-accredited ISO registrar Guberman-PMC LLC, Daryl Guberman and Don LaBelle, have been declared in contempt of court in a lawsuit filed against them by Oxebridge.
Oxebridge is suing Guberman, LaBelle and Guberman-PMC for a variety of civil violations including defamation, illegal wiretapping, civil conspiracy, abuse of process and copyright issues.
Guberman and LaBelle failed to attend at a prior telephonic hearing earlier in January, despite an Order to do so. They then flooded the court with multiple filings and emails sent to the Judge’s chambers declaring that they did not recognize the Federal Court’s jurisdiction over them. The filings prompted the Judge to issue an extraordinary warning that the men faced “coercive incarceration” if they continued to defy the Court’s orders. Nevertheless, the two men did not show at a mandatory January 27th mediation session, and then failed to show at a subsequent Show Cause hearing for contempt of court on January 28th. This resulted in a declaration by the Judge that the two men, as well as the Guberman-PMC corporation, will be held in contempt of court.
The District Judge will issue a formal ruling on the contempt charges shortly. LaBelle and Guberman face having to pay punitive fines, daily coercive fines, attorney’s fees and costs, as well as extradition and arrest.
Oxebridge’s attorney is pressing for incarceration of Guberman and LaBelle, given that they have made it clear they do not intend on litigating, while nevertheless continuing their online defamation. Oxebridge also moved to have their pleadings struck and a default judgment be awarded in Oxebridge’s favor.
UPDATE 30 January 2020:
The official Certification of Facts Demonstrating Contempt of Court issued by the magistrate judge against LaBelle and Guberman may be read here. The men have until February 21 to provide a written reason “why they should not be held in civil contempt and as a sanction their pleadings be stricken and a default judgment entered against them on all claims.”
