§ 1955.33 Sanctions for failure to comply with orders.

(a) If a party or an official or agent of a party fails, without good cause, to comply with an order including, but not limited to, an order for the taking of a deposition, written interrogatories, the production of documents, or an order to comply with a subpoena, the administrative law judge or the Secretary or both, for the purpose of permitting resolution of relevant issues and disposition of the proceeding without unnecessary delay despite such failure, may take such action as is just, including but not limited to the following: (1) Infer that the admission, testimony, documents, or other evidence would have been adverse to the party; (2) Rule that for the purposes of the proceeding, the matter or matters concerning which the order or subpoena was issued be taken as established adversely to the party; (3) Rule that the party may not introduce into evidence or otherwise rely, in support of any claim or defense, upon testimony by such party, officer or agent, or the documents or other evidence; (4) Rule that the party may not be heard to object to introduction and use of secondary evidence to show what the withheld admission, testimony, documents, or other evidence would have shown; (5) Rule that a pleading, or part of a pleading, on a motion or other submission by the party, concerning which the order or subpoena was issued, be stricken or that decision on the pleading be rendered against the party, or both. (b) Any such action may be taken by written or oral order issued in the course of the proceeding or by inclusion in the initial decision of the administrative law judge or an order or opinion of the Secretary. The parties may seek, and the administrative law judge may grant, such of the foregoing means of relief or other appropriate relief as may be sufficient to compensate for the lack of withheld testimony, documents, or other evidence.