Paul Kohler
How Judge Kohler decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
Enforces discovery obligations and the filing-fee/IFP gate firmly: recommends Rule 37 default-judgment sanctions for parties who repeatedly ignore discovery orders, and recommends dismissal plus restricted-filer designations for litigants who refuse to pay the fee or seek IFP and have a history of abusive filings.
“The Report and Recommendation recommended default judgment against Gifford and the dismissal of Gifford's counterclaims. ... based on his failures to properly participate, provide relevant discovery, or comply with court orders.”
Cautions
Applies Twombly/Iqbal plausibility rigorously on 12(b)(6) R&Rs and gives full effect to prior settlement agreements that waive future claims -- recommending dismissal WITH prejudice where amendment would not cure the bar (Desai). On no-objection waiver he applies the Tenth Circuit firm-waiver rule strictly.
“Judge Kohler correctly determined that the Amended Complaint provides only conclusory allegations without any supporting facts to state a plausible claim.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The Report and Recommendation issued by United States Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler on August 13, 2024 recommends that Defendants' Motion to Dismiss be granted and the case be dismissed with prejudice. ... the Report and Recommendation is ADOPTED in its entirety and this case is DISMISSED with prejudice.”
“On September 26, 2025, Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler filed a Report & Recommendation ('R & R') recommending granting the Motions to Dismiss filed by Defendants Darin Adams and Matthew Topham, and Chad Dotson, respectively. ... With no objections, the R & R was adopted in full.”
“The Report and Recommendation recommended default judgment against Gifford and the dismissal of Gifford's counterclaims. ... The Report and Recommendation was adopted and default judgment was entered against Gifford based on his failures to properly participate, provide relevant discovery, or comply with court orders.”
“Judge Kohler, seeing no response to the previous order, issued a Report and Recommendation concluding that this action should be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. ... the Court hereby ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation (ECF No. 10) and DISMISSES Plaintiff's complaint and this action.”
“recommending this action be dismissed because Plaintiff Milan Michael Kotevski has refused to pay a filing fee, or seek and obtain leave to proceed in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C. 1915. Judge Kohler also recommends the Court impose filing restrictions ... the Court overrules Mr. Kotevski's objections and adopts the recommendation ... ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation (ECF No. 21) and DISMISSES Plaintiff's action”
“The Court affirms the administrative ruling.”
“The Court affirms the administrative ruling.”
“Default judgment is therefore not appropriate at this time, and the Court declines to enter such judgment against the Ramsdell Defendants”
“the Court denies Defendants' Motion to Strike and denies without prejudice Plaintiff's Motion for Sanctions.”
“both Motions are granted, which renders moot Defendants' Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings.”
“As such, the Motions to Amend are denied.”
“ORDERED that Plaintiff's Motion to Strike (Docket No. 43) is DENIED.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
As the resident magistrate judge in the Southern Region at St. George, Judge Kohler handles a docket dominated by consent Social Security disability appeals that he decides on the merits, often after oral argument, alongside other civil cases and referred matters. This describes caseload composition, not motion outcomes.
Put Judge Kohler's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Kohler actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Kohler's own signed orders and cites them.