LOUIS DANIEL HAYNES INDIVIDUALLY AND AS THE SURVIVING SON OF LOUIS FLANIGAN DECEASED AND SHERRY SAMUELS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS SURVIVING DAUGHTER OF INELL FLANIGAN DECEASED INSOLIDO v. OMNI ENERGY TRANSPORTATION CORP OMNI ENERGY SERVICES CORP CHARLES HOLSTON INC DANIEL PARKS STARR INDEMNITY LIABILITY COMPANY JACKIE OWENS OWENS TRUCKING LLC PROGREEIVE INSURANCE COMPANY BRANDON WADE AGGREGATE TRANSPORT SERVICE LLC HOUSTON SPECIALTY INSURANCE IN SOLIDO (2026)

The trial court described the behavior of plaintiff's counsel, Joel Brent Goudarzi, at the depositions of the defense witnesses as “abusive and disrespectful,” “unprofessional, bullying and demeaning.” It further found that Mr. Goudarzi employed aggressive tactics in deposing those witnesses, observing:

The depositions began in a cordial manner but usually quickly turned aggressive. Mr. Goudarzi would word questions in a way to get the answer he wanted. If the deponent did not answer the way Goudarzi wanted, he then quickly became a bully. He would begin badgering them about the need to tell the truth and then imply that they were lying, sometimes explicitly calling the deponent a liar. He would also start bragging about his past successes and start intimidating the deponent with threats of a focus group, a large verdict that would be the deponent's fault, or insisting that he would not talk settlement unless the deponent was fired. After employing all these tactics, he would start asking many smaller questions, until he led the deponent back to the original question, in hopes of getting the answer he wanted, even if the new answer was not what the deponent believed or testified to earlier.

In my view, Mr. Goudarzi exhibited “an outrageous disregard for the sacred profession we ․ have chosen.” See In re McCool, 15-0284, p. 41 (La. 6/30/15), 172 So. 3d 1058, 1089 (J. Crichton, concurring). “[B]eing a zealous advocate does not equate to such repugnant disrespect for the system we are charged to honor and serve.” Id., 15-0284, p. 41, 172 So. 3d at 1090. Mr. Goudarzi's conduct in this state warrants no less than the revocation of his pro hac vice status.

McCALLUM, J., concurs in the denial of the writ application and the pro hac vice revocation, and assigns reasons.