Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_12-cv-01699/USCOURTS-caed-2_12-cv-01699-44/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 31:3729 False Claims Act

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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

XAVIER BECERRA

Attorney General of California 

VINCENT DICARLO

Supervising Deputy Attorney General 

BERNICE L. LOUIE YEW, State Bar No. 114601 

Deputy Attorney General 

E-mail: Bernice.Yew@doj.ca.gov 

EMMANUEL R. SALAZAR, State Bar No. 240794 

Deputy Attorney General 

E-mail: Emmanuel.Salazar@doj.ca.gov 

2329 Gateway Oaks Drive, Suite 200 

Sacramento, CA 95833-4252 

Telephone: (916) 621-1835 

Fax: (916) 274-2929 

Attorneys for State of California 

(Additional counsel listed on signature page)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, et al., ex 

rel. LOYD F. SCHMUCKLEY, JR., 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

RITE AID CORPORATION, 

Defendant. 

2:12-CV-1699 KJM EFB 

PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND 

SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

Related to ECF No. 260 

STATE OF CALIFORNIA ex rel. LOYD F. 

SCHMUCKLEY, JR., 

 Plaintiff, 

 v. 

RITE AID CORPORATION, 

 Defendant. 

Case 2:12-cv-01699-KJM-JDP Document 299 Filed 03/25/20 Page 1 of 7
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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER 

TO THE HONORABLE COURT: 

 Plaintiff-Intervenor State of California (“California”), Qui Tam Plaintiff Loyd F. 

Schmuckley, Jr. (“Relator,” together with California, “Plaintiffs”), and Defendant Rite Aid 

Corporation (“Defendant” or “Rite Aid,” together with Plaintiffs, the “Parties”), by and through 

their respective counsel of record, for good cause shown, hereby request this Court to amend the 

scheduling order. Specifically, the Parties request to move by approximately two months the 

filing dates relating to Plaintiffs’ motion to amend the pleadings. The motion, if granted, will 

allow the Parties more time to complete discovery on documents Plaintiffs requested, i.e., 

California’s Request for Production of Documents (“RPD”), Set No. 7 and Relator’s RPD Set 

Nos. 2 and 3, including the filing and hearing of any pending and potential discovery motions. 

Moreover, the Parties request the additional time due to the Parties’ current constraints arising 

out of the COVID-19 virus. 

 On January 25, 2019, the Court ordered the Parties to submit a joint statement concerning 

Rite Aid’s Eleventh Affirmative Defense (Improper Defendant). ECF No. 187. On February 8, 

2019, the Parties filed a joint statement in which they proposed to the Court that the Plaintiffs 

should have until July 15, 2019 to either stipulate with Rite Aid for an agreed-upon amendment 

to correct the naming of Rite Aid in this matter, or to otherwise seek leave of the Court to amend 

their pleadings to do so. ECF No. 188 at 1. 

On June 28, 2019, due to the continuance of the hearing on Rite Aid’s motion regarding 

the sampling methodology and to allow the Parties adequate time to meet and confer, the Parties 

jointly moved for an order allowing Plaintiffs until August 26, 2019 to either stipulate with Rite 

Aid for an agreed-upon amendment to correct the naming of Defendant in this matter, or to 

otherwise seek leave of the Court to amend their pleadings. ECF No. 224. The Court, finding 

good cause, granted the motion. ECF No. 227. Subsequently, the Parties continued to meet and 

confer regarding the issues involved with Rite Aid’s Eleventh Affirmative Defense (Improper 

Defendant). 

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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

On July 19, 2019, California propounded Request for Production of Documents, Set No. 

7, and Relator propounded Request for Production of Documents, Set No. 2, both of which seek 

documents relevant, in part, to Rite Aid’s purported “improper defendant” defense. 

On November 5, 2019, in response to a motion to compel, the Court ordered Rite Aid to 

provide a supplemental response and produce additional documents by November 25, 2019 

responsive to various document requests, including California’s RPD, Set No. 7. ECF No. 258. 

On November 8, 2019, the Court granted the Parties’ joint motion to extend time to 

conduct discovery and meet and confer regarding Defendant’s Eleventh Affirmative Defense 

(Improper Defendant). ECF No. 259. The Court ordered, among other things, that Rite Aid 

produce privilege logs relating to California’s RPD, Set No. 7 by December 20, 2019, and that 

the Parties complete the depositions of Rite Aid 30(b)(6) witnesses relating to Rite Aid’s 

“improper defendant” defense by January 31, 2020. The Parties thereafter met and conferred on 

the scheduling of depositions of Rite Aid’s 30(b)(6) witnesses, which they scheduled to take 

place in Pennsylvania in January and February 2020. 

On December 12, 2019, Relator propounded his RPD Set No. 3, seeking certain 

additional financial documents from Rite Aid. Rite Aid timely served its responses to Relator’s 

RFP Set No. 3 on January 13, 2020. 

On December 19, 2019, the Court issued an order granting in part and denying in part 

California’s motion for sanctions arising out of Rite Aid’s responses to California’s RPD Set No. 

7. ECF No. 273. The Court ordered Rite Aid to produce by January 10, 2020 unredacted copies 

of all financial statements previously produced in response to California’s RPD Nos. 30 and 31, 

and to serve a supplemental discovery response. 

On December 20, 2019, Rite Aid timely produced a privilege log pursuant to the Court’s 

above-described November 8, 2019 order. Rite Aid also made a related, supplemental document 

production at that time. 

On January 8, 2020, California filed a motion for sanctions against Rite Aid for purported 

violations of court orders ECF No. 258 and 260. After the February 26, 2020 hearing on this 

motion, the Court ordered Rite Aid to submit a declaration supporting Rite Aid’s claims of 

Case 2:12-cv-01699-KJM-JDP Document 299 Filed 03/25/20 Page 3 of 7
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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

privilege by March 18, 2020, and for Plaintiffs to submit a response by April 8, 2020. ECF No. 

290. 

On January 10, 2020, pursuant to the Court’s December 19, 2109 order (ECF No. 273), 

Rite Aid produced additional documents in response to California’s RPD Set No. 7, Relator’s 

RPD Set No. 2, as well as documents responsive to Relator’s RPD Set No. 3. 

On January 21, 2020, the Court granted the Parties’ joint motion to amend the scheduling 

order by striking the deadline to complete the deposition of Rite Aid’s 30(b)(6) witness relating 

to its “improper defendant” defense. ECF No. 282. 

On March 13, 2020, Plaintiffs deposed Rite Aid’s Director of Treasury Services. 

Plaintiffs expect to request additional discovery from Rite Aid based on that deposition. 

On March 16, 2020, the Court moved Rite Aid’s deadline to submit documents for in 

camera review and a supporting declaration to April 8, 2020. ECF No. 295. 

On the same date, the Parties agreed to extend the upcoming deadlines relating to the 

motion to amend pleadings, due to the above-described ongoing discovery efforts. With respect 

to constraints arising out of the COVID-19 virus, the California Attorney General’s Office is 

currently implementing workplace restrictions while responding to mission-critical tasks. Rite 

Aid is in the midst of work with the federal government regarding COVID-19 testing centers, 

and Rite Aid’s lead counsel is located in San Francisco and subject to workplace restrictions 

resulting from the shelter-in-place orders announced for the Bay Area on March 16, 2020. 

Based on the above, the Parties believe that more time is needed to complete discovery 

relating to the issues surrounding Rite Aid’s “improper defendant” defense, and resolution of any 

pending and further discovery disputes. Moreover, more time is needed to allow the Parties to 

manage current constraints arising out of the COVID-19 virus. 

Accordingly, the Parties jointly submit that good cause exists to amend the scheduling 

order, ECF No. 260, as follows: 

Event Current Deadline Proposed Modified Date 

Plaintiffs’ motion to amend 

the pleadings 

File by April 3, 2020 File by June 12, 2020 

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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

Defendant’s opposition to 

motion to amend

File by May 1, 2020 File by July 10, 2020 

Plaintiffs’ reply re motion to 

amend

File by May 15, 2020 File by July 24, 2020 

Hearing on Plaintiffs’ motion 

to amend the pleadings 

TBD TBD 

The Parties are meeting and conferring regarding moving other dates in the scheduling 

order, ECF No. 260. The Parties will apprise the Court about these other dates. 

The Parties maintain their respective positions and reservations of rights as set forth in 

the Joint Statement while these discussions and discovery efforts continue. ECF No. 188 at 3-4. 

The Parties also maintain that no Party may claim prejudice based on the extended discussions in 

connection with a motion to amend the pleadings. 

 Respectfully submitted, 

Dated: 3/17/2020 XAVIER BECERRA 

Attorney General of the State of California 

By /s/ Emmanuel R. Salazar 

Emmanuel R. Salazar 

Deputy Attorney General 

Attorneys for Plaintiff-Intervenor 

STATE OF CALIFORNIA 

Dated: 3/16/2020 WATERS & KRAUS, LLP 

By /s/ Wm. Paul Lawrence, II (authorized on 

3/16/2020) 

 

Wm. Paul Lawrence, II (admitted pro hac vice) 

Washington D.C. Metro Office 

37163 Mountville Road 

Middleburg, VA 20117 

Telephone: (540) 687-6999 

Fax: (540) 687-5457 

E-mail: plawrence@waterskraus.com 

Attorneys for Qui Tam Plaintiff 

LOYD F. SCHMUCKLEY, JR. 

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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

 

Dated: 3/17/2020 MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP 

By /s/ Kevin M. Papay (authorized on 3/17/2020) 

Benjamin P. Smith 

Kevin M. Papay 

One Market, Spear Street Tower 

San Francisco, CA 94105-1596 

Telephone: +1.415.442.1000 

Fax: +1.415.442.1001 

E-mail: Kevin.Papay@morganlewis.com 

Attorneys for Defendant 

RITE AID CORPORATION 

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PARTIES’ JOINT MOTION TO AMEND SCHEDULING ORDER; ORDER 

ORDER 

 The Court, having considered the Parties’ Joint Motion to Amend the Scheduling Order, 

finds good cause and ORDERS that the schedule for the Parties as follows: 

Event Current Deadline Proposed Modified Date 

Plaintiffs’ motion to amend 

the pleadings 

File by April 3, 2020 File by June 12, 2020 

Defendant’s opposition to 

motion to amend

File by May 1, 2020 File by July 10, 2020 

Plaintiffs’ reply re motion to 

amend

File by May 15, 2020 File by July 24, 2020 

Hearing on Plaintiffs’ motion 

to amend the pleadings 

TBD TBD 

All other dates in the currently effective scheduling order, ECF No. 260, remain the same. 

 IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: March 24, 2020. 

Case 2:12-cv-01699-KJM-JDP Document 299 Filed 03/25/20 Page 7 of 7