Cbs Broadcasting, Inc v. ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION EchoStar Communications Corporation, EchoStar…

NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
No. 04-2861
CBS BROADCASTING, INC.
v.
ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS
CORPORATION
EchoStar Communications Corporation,
EchoStar Satellite Corporation,
Satellite Communications Operating
Corporation and DirectSat Corporation,
Appellants
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
D.C. Misc. No. 02-mc-00402
District Judge: The Honorable Gary L. Lancaster
Argued: April 7, 2005
Before: BARRY, AMBRO, and GREENBERG, Circuit Judges
(Opinion Filed:April 21, 2005)

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Cynthia A. Ricketts, Esq. (Argued)
Mark A. Nadeau, Esq.
Mitchell W. Fleischmann, Esq.
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
40 North Central Avenue
Suite 2700
Phoenix, AZ 85004
-AND-
David J. Hickton, Esq.
John Sieminski, Esq.
Burns, White & Hickton
120 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Counsel for Appellants
Neil K. Roman, Esq. (Argued)
Covington & Burling
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
-AND-
Michael J. Manzo, Esq.
Nancy E. Rostek, Esq.
Klett, Rooney, Lieber & Scherling
One Oxford Centre, 40 Floorth
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Counsel for Appellees
OPINION
BARRY, Circuit Judge
Echostar Communications Corp. (“Echostar”) appeals from an award of discovery

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sanctions by the District Court. Although we have grave doubts as to the propriety of any
such sanctions on the record presented, we need not reach that question because Echostar
was denied notice and an opportunity to be heard before sanctions were ordered. See
Angelico v. Lehigh Valley Hospital, Inc., 184 F.3d 268, 279 (3d Cir. 1999). We will,
therefore, vacate the District Court’s orders of April 17, 2003, May 27, 2004, and May
28, 2004 and remand this matter to the District Court for further proceedings in the event
that appellee continues to press its claim for sanctions.

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