Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-00678/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-00678-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Product Liability

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

TERRI ORTIZ, as an individual consumer 

and on behalf of ADRIAN ALEXANDER 

ORTIZ-FLORES, a minor; CHUCK 

TIDWELL, as an individual consumer and 

on behalf of WILLIAM TIDWELL, a 

minor; KRISTIN MATTHIS, as an 

individual consumer and on behalf of 

KENDALL MATTHIS, a minor and on 

behalf of all others similarly situated, 

 

 Plaintiffs, 

vs. 

 

MCNEIL-PPC, INC., a New Jersey 

corporation, 

 Defendant. 

CASE NO. 07 CV 0678 BEN (CAB) 

ORDER GRANTING JOINT MOTION TO 

FURTHER MODIFY DATES SET FORTH 

IN THE JANUARY 25, 2008 

SCHEDULING ORDER 

[Doc. No. 36] 

 On January 25, 2008, this Court issued a scheduling order. [Doc. No. 21]. On April16, 

2008, this Court entered an Order Granting Joint Motion to Modify Dates Set Forth in the January 

25, 2008 Scheduling Order [Doc. No. 34].. On May 6, 2008, the parties filed a joint motion to 

further continue certain dates set forth in that scheduling order. GOOD CAUSE APPEARING 

THEREFORE, the joint motion is GRANTED. The January 25, 2008 Scheduling Order shall be 

modified as follows: 

Case 3:07-cv-00678-MMA-CAB Document 37 Filed 05/15/08 Page 1 of 3
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 1. Any motion for class certification must be filed on or before June 17, 2008. Please be 

advised that counsel for the moving party must obtain a motion hearing date from the law clerk for 

the judge who will hear the motion. Be further advised that the period of time between the date 

you request a motion date and the hearing date may vary from judge to another. Please plan 

accordingly. For example, you may need to contact the judge’s law clerk in advance of the motion 

cut-off to assess the availability of the Court’s calendar. Failure of counsel to timely request a 

motion date may result in the motion not being heard. 

 Briefs or memoranda in support of or in opposition to any pending motion shall not exceed 

twenty-five (25) pages in length without leave of the judge who will hear the motion. No reply 

memorandum shall exceed ten (10) pages without such leave of court. Briefs and memoranda 

exceeding ten (10) pages in length shall have a table of contents and a table of authorities cited. 

 2. The Mandatory Settlement Conference shall be continued to June 17, 2008, at 3:00 

p.m. in the chambers of Magistrate Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo. Counsel shall submit 

confidential settlement statements directly to chambers no later than June 10, 2008. Each 

party’s settlement statement shall set forth the party’s statement of the case, identify controlling 

legal issues, concisely set out issues of liability and damages, and shall set forth the party’s 

settlement position, including the last offer or demand made by that party, and a separate 

statement of the offer or demand the party is prepared to make at the settlement conference. 

Settlement conference briefs shall not be filed with the Clerk of the Court, nor shall they be 

served on opposing counsel. 

3. Pursuant to Local Civil Rule 16.3, all party representatives and claims adjusters for 

insured defendants with full and unlimited authority1

 to negotiate and enter into a binding 

 

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 “Full authority to settle” means that the individuals at the settlement conference must be 

authorized to fully explore settlement options and to agree at that time to any settlement terms acceptable to 

the parties. Heileman Brewing Co., Inc. v. Joseph Oat Corp., 871 F.2d 648 (7th Cir. 1989). The person 

needs to have “unfettered discretion and authority” to change the settlement position of the party. Pitman 

v. Brinker Intl., Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485-486 (D. Ariz. 2003). The purpose of requiring a person with 

unlimited settlement authority to attend the conference includes that the person’s view of the case may be 

altered during the face to face conference. Id. at 486. A limited or a sum certain of authority is not 

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Case 3:07-cv-00678-MMA-CAB Document 37 Filed 05/15/08 Page 2 of 3
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settlement, as well as the principal attorney(s) responsible for the litigation, must be present and 

legally and factually prepared to discuss and resolve the case at the mandatory settlement 

conference. Retained outside corporate counsel shall not appear on behalf of a corporation as the 

party who has the authority to negotiate and enter into a settlement. Fialure to attend the 

conference will be considered grounds for sanctions. 

 4. All other dates set forth in the January 25, 2008 Scheduling Order [Doc.No.21] shall 

remain the same. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: May 15, 2008 

 __________________________________ 

 CATHY ANN BENCIVENGO 

 United States Magistrate Judge 

 

adequate. Nick v. Morgan’s Foods, Inc., 270 F.3d 590 (8th Cir. 2001). 

Case 3:07-cv-00678-MMA-CAB Document 37 Filed 05/15/08 Page 3 of 3