Sanctions.

§ 26.4 Sanctions. (a) The hearing officer may sanction a person, including any party or representative, for failing to comply with an order, rule, or procedure governing the proceeding; failing to prosecute or defend an action; or engaging in other misconduct that interferes with the speedy, orderly, or fair conduct of the hearing. (b) Any sanction, including, but not limited to, those listed in paragraphs (c), (d), and (e) of this section, shall reasonably relate to the severity and nature of the failure or misconduct. (c) If a party refuses or fails to comply with an order of the hearing officer, including an order compelling discovery, the hearing officer may enter any appropriate order necessary to the disposition of the hearing including a determination against the noncomplying party, including but not limited to, the following: (1) Draw an inference in favor of the requesting party with regard to the information sought; (2) In the case of requests for admission, regard each matter about which an admission is requested to be admitted; (3) Prohibit the party failing to comply with the order from introducing evidence concerning, or otherwise relying upon, testimony relating to the information sought; or (4) Strike any part of the pleadings or other submissions of the party failing to comply with the order. (d) If a party fails to prosecute or defend an action brought under subpart A of this part, the hearing officer may dismiss the action or may issue an initial decision against the non-prosecuting or defending party. (e) The hearing officer may refuse to consider any motion, request, response, brief, or other document that is not filed in a timely fashion.