Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-04979/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-04979-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 830
Nature of Suit: Patent
Cause of Action: 35:271 Patent Infringement

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CV-06-4979 PVT STIPULATION TO TRANSFER CASE 

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HENNIGAN, BENNETT & DORMAN LLP 

LAWRENCE M. HADLEY (SBN 157728) 

(hadleyl@hbdlawyers.com) 

865 South Figueroa Street, Suite 2900 

Los Angeles, California 90017 

Telephone: (213) 694-1200 

Facsimile: (213) 694-1234 

BUCKINGHAM, DOOLITTLE & 

BURROUGHS, LLP 

ROBERT E. PERSHES, ESQ. 

(rpershes@bdblaw.com) 

Florida Bar No. 301906 

L.A. PERKINS, ESQ. 

(lperkins@bdblaw.com) 

Florida Bar No. 100153 

H. MICHAEL MUÑIZ, ESQ. 

(Muñiz@bdblaw.com) 

Florida Bar No. 177652 

5355 Town Center Road, Suite 900

Boca Raton, Florida 33486-1069 

Telephone: (561) 241-0414

Facsimile: (561) 241-9766 

ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF 

ELITE ALUMINUM CORPORATION 

JEFFREY G. SHELDON, ESQ. 

(jgsheldon@usip.com)

WILLIAM J. BRUTOCAO, ESQ. 

(wjb@usip.com)

Marc Karish, Esq. 

(mkarish@usip.com)

SHELDON & MAK PC 

225 South Lake Avenue, 9th Floor 

Pasadena, CA 91101-3021 

Telephone: (626) 796-4000 

Facsimile: (626) 795-6321 

ATTORNEYS FOR KATHY TROUT, and 

SQUIRREL HALLOW ENTERPRISES, 

D/B/A DURAFORM BUILDING PANELS 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

ELITE ALUMINUM CORPORATION, 

a Florida corporation, 

 Plaintiff, 

 vs. 

KATHY TROUT, individually, SQUIRREL 

HOLLOW ENTERPRISES, a California 

corporation, d/b/a DURAFORM BUILDING 

PANELS, 

 Defendants. 

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CASE NO. CV-06-4979 PVT 

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER 

TRANSFERING CASE TO THE CENTRAL 

DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Plaintiff, Elite Aluminum Corporation (“Elite”), by and through its undersigned 

counsel, on the one hand, and Kathy Trout and Squirrel Hallow Enterprises, d/b/a Duraform 

XXXXXXXXXX

Case 5:06-cv-04979-PVT Document 5 Filed 08/30/06 Page 1 of 5
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CV-06-4979 PVT STIPULATION TO TRANSFER

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Building Panels (“Defendants”), by and through its undersigned counsel, on the other hand, 

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a), hereby stipulate as follows: 

1. On July 28, 2006, the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida 

(“Florida Court”) heard oral argument on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal 

Jurisdiction and Improper Venue [DE 12] (“Motion to Dismiss”), wherein the parties agreed 

that if the Florida Court was inclined to grant the Motion to Dismiss, the Court could transfer 

the case to the Central District of California instead of dismissing it because Defendant 

Squirrel Hollow Enterprises d/b/a Duraform Building Panels (“Duraform”) is headquartered in 

that District. 

2. Subsequently, Duraform filed a declaratory judgment action in the Eastern 

Division of the Central District of California styled Squirrel Home Enterprises d/b/a Duraform 

Building Panels v. Elite Aluminum Corp., Duralume Products, Inc., and Ray Adams, Case 

No. EDCV06-0830 SGL (OPx) (“the Duraform Case”). This case and the Duraform Case 

involve the same issues of the validity and enforceability of United States Patent No. 

5,502,939 (“the ‘939 Patent”), and Duraform’s alleged infringement of that patent. 

3. However, in the Florida Court’s August 4, 2006 Order Granting, In Part, 

Motion to Dismiss; Transferring Case to Northern District of California (“Transfer Order”), 

this case was transferred to this Court instead of to the Central District of California, as the 

parties anticipated and discussed at the hearing. The first time that this Court was mentioned 

in the context of this case was in the Transfer Order. A true and correct copy of the Transfer 

Order is attached hereto as Exhibit A. 

4. The parties attempted to resolve this matter with the Florida Court by filing an 

Agreed Request to Modify Order, asking that this case be transferred to the Central District of 

California. A true and correct copy of the Agreed Request to Modify Order is attached hereto 

as Exhibit B. However, the physical files associated with this case had already been sent to 

this Court and the Florida Court denied the Agreed Request, without prejudice, because it 

lacked jurisdiction to take action in this Case. A true and correct copy of the August 14, 2006 

Order denying the Agreed Request is attached hereto as Exhibit C. 

Case 5:06-cv-04979-PVT Document 5 Filed 08/30/06 Page 2 of 5
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CV-06-4979 PVT STIPULATION TO TRANSFER

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5. This Court has the authority to transfer a case when venue is improper.

HollyAnne Corp. v. TFT, Inc., 199 F.3d 1304, 1307 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (“Section 1406(a) allows 

a court to either dismiss or transfer a case when venue is improper.”) (citing Martin v. Stokes,

623 F.2d 469, 471 (6th Cir. 1980). 

6. In this case, because the Florida Court determined that venue was improper in 

that Court, the only Court where venue properly lies is the Central District of California. Both 

Elite and Duraform regularly conduct business in that District and Duraform is headquartered 

in that District. Additionally, the existence of the Duraform Case in the Central District of 

California, with which Elite intends to seek consolidation of this case, supports the requested 

transfer. Moreover, it appears that the only reason this case was transferred to this Court 

instead of the Central District of California was a scrivener’s error, which also supports 

transfer. Finally, the interests of justice would be served by having the common issues of the 

validity, enforceability, and infringement of the ‘939 Patent determined by the same Court. 

7. Therefore, the parties, hereby stipulate and agree that this Court transfer the 

above-captioned case to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. 

DATED: August 23, 2006: 

DATED: August 23, 2006 

HENNIGAN BENNETT & DORMAN LLP 

Lawrence M. Hadley 

/s/ Lawrence M. Hadley 

Lawrence M. Hadley 

BUCKINGHAM, DOOLITTLE & 

BURROUGHS, LLP 

Robert E. Pershes, Esq. 

/s/ Robert E. Pershes 

Robert E. Pershes 

Attorney for Plaintiff 

ELITE ALUMINUM CORPORATION 

Case 5:06-cv-04979-PVT Document 5 Filed 08/30/06 Page 3 of 5
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CV-06-4979 PVT STIPULATION TO TRANSFER

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DATED: August 23, 2006 SHELDON & MAC PC 

Jeffrey G. Sheldon, Esq. 

William J. Brutocao, Esq. 

Marc Karish, Esq. 

/s/ William Brutocao 

William Brutocao 

Attorney for Defendants Kathy Trout and 

Squirrel Hallow Enterprises, d/b/a Duraform 

Building Panels 

563772\v2 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 

For good cause shown, it is hereby ORDERED that the above-captioned case shall be 

transferred to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. 

DATED: __________________ ____________________________ 

 United States Magistrate Judge 

xxxxxxxxxx

8/24/06

Case 5:06-cv-04979-PVT Document 5 Filed 08/30/06 Page 5 of 5