Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_20-cv-00632/USCOURTS-caed-2_20-cv-00632-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

CHET PRUITT, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

MANJULA BOBBALA, et al, 

Defendants. 

No. 2:20-cv-632 KJM AC P 

ORDER REFERRING CASE TO POSTSCREENING ADR PROJECT AND 

STAYING CASE FOR 120 DAYS 

 Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding through counsel. Defendants have waived service 

of process. ECF Nos. 18, 21, 23. 

 The undersigned is referring all post-screening civil rights cases filed by state inmates to 

the Post-Screening ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Project in an effort to resolve such 

cases more expeditiously and less expensively. No defenses or objections shall be waived by 

participation. 

 As set forth in the screening order, plaintiff has stated a potentially cognizable civil rights 

claim. Accordingly, the court stays this action for a period of 120 days to allow the parties to 

investigate plaintiff’s claims, meet and confer, and then participate in a settlement conference. 

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Case 2:20-cv-00632-DC-AC Document 24 Filed 01/27/21 Page 1 of 3
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 There is a presumption that all post-screening prisoner civil rights cases assigned to the 

undersigned will proceed to settlement conference.1 However, if after investigating plaintiff’s 

claims and speaking with plaintiff’s counsel, and after conferring with defense counsel’s 

supervisor, defense counsel in good faith finds that a settlement conference would be a waste of 

resources, defense counsel may move to opt out of this pilot project. Plaintiff may move to opt 

out of this pilot project if, after conferring with defense counsel, plaintiff’s counsel in good faith 

finds that a settlement conference would be waste of resources. A motion to opt out must be 

filed within sixty days of the date of this order.

 Once the settlement conference is scheduled, at least seven days prior to the conference, 

each party shall submit to the settlement judge a confidential settlement conference statement. 

The parties’ confidential settlement conference statements shall include the following: (a) names 

and locations of the parties; (b) a short statement of the facts and alleged damages; (c) a short 

procedural history; (d) an analysis of the risk of liability, including a discussion of the efforts 

made to investigate the allegations; and (e) a discussion of the efforts that have been made to 

settle the case. The parties shall e-mail their settlement conference statements to the settlement 

judge’s e-mail box for proposed orders, available on the court’s website. 

 In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

1. This action is stayed for 120 days to allow the parties an opportunity to settle their 

dispute before the discovery process begins. Except as provided herein or by subsequent court 

order, no other pleadings or other documents may be filed in this case during the stay of this 

action. The parties shall not engage in formal discovery, but the parties may elect to engage in 

informal discovery. 

2. The parties shall file any motion to opt out of the Post-Screening ADR Project no 

more than sixty days from the date of this order. 

3. At least seven days prior to the settlement conference, each party shall submit a 

confidential settlement conference statement, as described above, to the settlement judge. The 

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 If the case does not settle, the court will set a date for the filing of a responsive pleading. 

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parties shall e-mail their settlement conference statements to the settlement judge’s proposed 

orders e-mail address. 

4. If a settlement is reached at any point during the stay of this action, the parties shall 

file a Notice of Settlement in accordance with Local Rule 160. 

5. The parties remain obligated to keep the court informed of their current addresses at 

all times during the stay and while the action is pending. Any change of address must be reported 

promptly to the court in a separate document captioned for this case and entitled “Notice of 

Change of Address.” See L.R. 182(f). 

DATED: January 26, 2021 

Case 2:20-cv-00632-DC-AC Document 24 Filed 01/27/21 Page 3 of 3