Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-02501/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-02501-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 380
Nature of Suit: Other Personal Property Damage
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Personal Property

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Page 1 - STIPULATION TO STAY DISCOVERY AND RESET 

CASE MANAGEMENT SCHEDULE 

Tonkon Torp LLP 

888 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600 

Portland, Oregon 97204 

503-221-1440

TONKON TORP LLP

Michael C. Willes, SBN 273145 

michael.willes@tonkon.com 

888 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600 

Portland, OR 97204-2099 

Phone: 503.221.1440 

Fax: 503.274.8779 

Attorneys for Apex Directional Drilling, LLC 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

APEX DIRECTIONAL DRILLING, LLC, an

Oregon limited liability company authorized 

to do business in the State of California, 

Plaintiff, 

v.

SHN CONSULTING ENGINEERS & 

GEOLOGISTS, INC., a California 

corporation,

Defendant.

Case No. 15-CV-02501-RS 

STIPULATION TO STAY DISCOVERY 

AND RESET CASE MANAGEMENT 

SCHEDULE

Plaintiff Apex Directional Drilling, LLC ("Apex") and Defendant SHN Consulting 

Engineers & Geologists, Inc. ("SHN"), by and through their counsel, hereby stipulate and jointly 

request that the Court stay discovery and reset the Case Management Schedule to accommodate 

mediation among Apex, SHN, and third parties. This Stipulation is filed concurrently with the 

Declaration of Michael Willes, in compliance with Civil L.R. 6-2(a). 

Apex filed the Complaint (ECF No. 1) initiating this Action on June 5, 2015. Apex 

alleges that SHN made faulty representations regarding subterranean conditions that contractors 

such as Apex would encounter while working on a large sewer project for the City of Eureka, 

California. SHN denies these allegations.

ORDER

Case 3:15-cv-02501-RS Document 34 Filed 12/07/15 Page 1 of 3
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Page 2 - STIPULATION TO STAY DISCOVERY AND RESET 

CASE MANAGEMENT SCHEDULE 

Tonkon Torp LLP 

888 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600 

Portland, Oregon 97204 

503-221-1440

On September 10, 2015, Apex and SHN attended a case management conference. In its 

Case Management Scheduling Order (ECF No. 32), the Court set the following discovery 

deadlines: 

x Completion of written non-expert discovery: March 10, 2016 

x Completion of all non-expert discovery: July 16, 2016 

 By mail, SHN served Requests for Production of Documents (Set One) and Requests for 

Admission (Set One) on Apex on October 29, 2015. Informally, SHN has received access to 

Apex documents and discovery responses from the City of Eureka. 

As noted in Item 10 of the parties' Joint Case Management Statement (ECF No. 28), the 

City of Eureka had previously filed a complaint against Apex and the Cincinnati Insurance 

Company ("CIC"), asserting breach of contract, among other causes of action, in compelled 

arbitration before the California State Office of Administrative Hearings (the "OAH"). Only the 

City of Eureka, Apex, and CIC are parties to the OAH arbitration. The City of Eureka claims 

that Apex is liable for not completing a portion of the sewer project referenced above. Apex 

denies liability and has cross-complained against the City of Eureka.

On September 24, 2015, the City of Eureka, Apex, and CIC agreed to mediate their 

dispute. SHN has also agreed to participate in the mediation so that a global resolution of the 

OAH arbitration and this Action may be reached. On October 1, 2015, the arbitrator ordered, in 

line with the parties' stipulation, that further arbitration proceedings and discovery be stayed and 

that the arbitration discovery deadlines be reset, if necessary, following mediation. The parties 

have agreed to hold the mediation on Monday, February 22, 2016. 

To promote the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of these disputes, Apex and SHN 

stipulate and agree that if the claims in this Action are not resolved at the February 22, 2016 

mediation, then the pending discovery served by SHN would be due within 30 days (March 23, 

2016). In addition, Apex and SHN stipulate, agree and acknowledge that notwithstanding an 

agreement to stay discovery in this Action, that the parties will need to complete extensive 

written discovery and depositions in preparation for trial and in order to file pre-trial dispositive 

Case 3:15-cv-02501-RS Document 34 Filed 12/07/15 Page 2 of 3
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Page 3 - STIPULATION TO STAY DISCOVERY AND RESET 

CASE MANAGEMENT SCHEDULE 

Tonkon Torp LLP 

888 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600 

Portland, Oregon 97204 

503-221-1440

motions. Therefore, Apex and SHN stipulate and request that the Court order as follows in this 

Action:

1. To stay all discovery pending the completion of mediation. 

2. To reset the Case Management Schedule following the mediation, if 

necessary, in order to reset the deadlines to complete written non-expert 

discovery; the deadline to complete non-expert discovery; the deadline to file 

and hear all dispositive pre-trial motions; and if necessary, the trial date and 

associated pre-trial deadlines. 

IT IS SO STIPULATED. 

DATED: December 3, 2015. 

TONKON TORP LLP 

By /s/ Michael C. Willes

Michael C. Willes, SBN 273145 

Attorneys for Apex Directional Drilling, LLC 

DATED: December 2, 2015. 

GORDON REES SCULLY MANSUKHANI, LLP 

By /s/ Michael W. Wilson, Jr.

Ernest M. Isola, SBN 191486 

Michael D. Wilson, Jr., SBN 233334 

Attorneys for SHN Consulting Engineers & 

Geologists, Inc. 

PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: ________________ 

 

 Hon. Richard Seeborg 

 United States District Judge 

12/7/15

Case 3:15-cv-02501-RS Document 34 Filed 12/07/15 Page 3 of 3