Merchant Consulting Group, Inc. v. Beckpat, LLC (17-11405).

Merchant Consulting served a third-party subpoena on Blue Square Resolutions, a Scottsdale Arizona entity, seeking documents in its trademark infringement case against Beckpat. When Blue Square failed to respond or otherwise make contact with Merchant, Merchant filed a motion for contempt pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(g). In granting the motion, Magistrate Judge Kelley found that the subpoena was properly served by mailing it to Blue Square, noting that in Massachusetts, service is proper where effectuated by a means reasonably calculated to complete delivery and the respondents had actual notice of the subpoena. She found that Massachusetts was the proper forum to enforce the subpoena, because the subpoena called for documents to be produced in Massachusetts, making this state the district where compliance was required, particularly given that Blue Square never raised an objection to production in Massachusetts. Having found Blue Square in contempt, Judge Kelley ordered Blue Square to comply with the subpoena within ten days, with a recommendation to the District Court that failure to do so should result in an order to show cause why monetary sanctions should not be imposed. She further recommended that Blue Square be ordered to pay Merchant 2019s legal fees associated with bring the motion for contempt.