Kenneth Ray Lee, Thomas J. Lyons & Associates v. First Lenders Insurance Services, Inc.

LOKEN, Circuit Judge.

Nine automobile purchasers filed this suit as a putative class action against numerous defendants in July 1994. The complaint alleged violations of the Minnesota Retail Installment Sales Act, the Minnesota usury laws, the federal Truth in Lending Act, and RICO; breaches of warranty; common law fraud; and illegal insurance sales. In August 1996, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of three defendants. Those defendants then moved for sanctions under 28 U.S.C. § 1927. The district court awarded $15,000 to each defendant against plaintiffs’ counsel, Thomas J.…