Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-01614/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-01614-2/pdf.json

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

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MISTY DAWN REITZ, and 

NICHOLAS IVEY,

Plaintiffs,

v.

PROGRESSIVE DIRECT INSURANCE 

COMPANY, an Ohio Corporation 

registered to do business in 

the State of California; and 

Does I through CC, inclusive,

Defendants.

No. 2:14-cv-01614-GEB-EFB

STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) 

ORDER

The parties‟ Joint Status Report filed on November 10, 

2014 (“JSR”) indicates the following Order should issue.

SERVICE, JOINDER OF ADDITIONAL PARTIES, AMENDMENT

Plaintiffs state in the JSR that they “may move to 

amend their pleadings to allege the true names and capacities of 

defendants named as DOES . . . on or before January 16, 2015.” 

(JSR 3:7-12, ECF No. 17.)

Plaintiffs have until January 16, 2015, to file a 

motion in which leave is sought under Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 15(a) to file an Amended Complaint substituting a named 

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defendant in place of a Doe defendant. The referenced motion must 

be noticed for hearing on the Court‟s earliest available law and 

motion date. If leave is not sought as stated, Does I-CC will be 

automatically dismissed from this action.

Other than an amendment that could be authorized if all 

or part of the pending motion to strike is granted, no further 

service, joinder of parties, or amendments to pleadings is 

permitted, except with leave of Court for good cause shown.

ADDED DEFENDANT‟S OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK AMENDMENT OF THIS ORDER

If Plaintiffs substitute a named defendant in place of 

a Doe defendant pursuant to the leave given above, a copy of this 

Order shall be served on that defendant concurrently with the 

service of process.

That defendant has 30 days after said service within 

which to file a “Notice of Proposed Modification of Status 

Order.” Although a newly-joined party‟s proposed modification 

filed within this thirty day period will not have to meet the 

good cause standard, no further amendments will be permitted, 

except with leave of Court for good cause shown.

DISCOVERY

All discovery shall be completed by July 15, 2015. 

“Completed” means all discovery shall be conducted so that any 

dispute relative to discovery shall have been resolved by 

appropriate orders, if necessary, and, where discovery has been 

ordered, the order has been complied with on or before the 

prescribed “completion” date.

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Each party shall comply with Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 26(a)(2)(B) and (C)‟s initial expert witness disclosure 

requirements on or before February 13, 2015, and any 

contradictory and/or rebuttal expert disclosure authorized under 

Rule 26(a)(2)(D)(ii) on or before March 17, 2015.

MOTION HEARING SCHEDULE

The last hearing date for a motion is September 28, 

2015, commencing at 9:00 a.m. Any motion shall be briefed as 

prescribed in Local Rule 230. 

The parties are cautioned that an untimely motion 

characterized as a motion in limine may be summarily denied.

FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE

The final pretrial conference is set for November 23, 

2015, at 2:30 p.m. The parties are cautioned that the lead 

attorney who WILL TRY THE CASE for each party shall attend the 

final pretrial conference. In addition, all persons representing 

themselves and appearing in propria persona must attend the 

pretrial conference. 

The parties shall file a JOINT pretrial statement no 

later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the final pretrial 

conference. The joint pretrial statement shall address the 

applicable portions of Local Rule 281(b), and shall set forth 

each theory of liability (“claim”) and affirmative defense which 

remains to be tried, and the ultimate facts on which each 

theory/defense is based. Furthermore, each party shall estimate 

the length of trial. The Court uses the parties‟ joint pretrial 

statement to prepare its final pretrial order and could issue the 

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final pretrial order without holding the scheduled final pretrial 

conference. See Mizwicki v. Helwig, 196 F.3d 828, 833 (7th Cir. 

1999) (“There is no requirement that the court hold a pretrial 

conference.”). 

Final pretrial procedures are “critical for „promoting 

efficiency and conserving judicial resources by identifying the 

real issues prior to trial, thereby saving time and expense for 

everyone.‟” Friedman & Friedman, Ltd. v. Tim McCandless, Inc., 

606 F.3d 494, 498 (8th Cir. 2010) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 16 

Advisory Committee Note (1983 Amendment to subdivision (c)). 

“Toward that end, Rule 16 directs courts to use pretrial 

conferences to weed out unmeritorious claims and defenses before 

trial begins.” Smith v. Gulf Oil Co., 995 F.2d 638, 642 (6th Cir. 

1993). The parties are therefore provided notice that a claim or 

affirmative defense may be dismissed sua sponte if it is not 

shown to be triable in the joint final pretrial statement. Cf.

Portland Retail Druggists Ass‟n v. Kaiser Found. Health Plan, 662 

F.2d 641, 645 (9th Cir. 1981) (indicating that a party shall be 

provided notice and an opportunity to respond with facts 

sufficient to justify having a claim or affirmative defense 

proceed to trial); Portsmouth Square, Inc. v. S‟holders 

Protective Comm., 770 F.2d 866, 869 (9th Cir. 1985) (stating “the 

district court has . . . authority to grant summary judgment sua 

sponte in the context of a final pretrial conference”).

If feasible, at the time of filing the joint pretrial 

statement counsel shall also email it in a format compatible with 

WordPerfect to: geborders@caed.uscourts.gov.

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TRIAL SETTING

Trial shall commence at 9:00 a.m. on February 23, 2016.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 20, 2014

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