Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_15-cv-00179/USCOURTS-casd-3_15-cv-00179-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 365
Nature of Suit: Personal Injury - Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332pl Diversity-Product Liability

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Jesus Tapia,

Plaintiff,

v.

Davol, Inc., et al.,

Defendants.

Case No.: 15-cv-00179-GPC-JLB

ORDER GRANTING EX PARTE 

MOTION AND ENTERING 

AMENDED SCHEDULING ORDER

[ECF Nos. 34, 41]

For good cause shown, the unopposed Ex Parte Motion for Stay or, in the 

Alternative, Continuance of all Pretrial Deadlines (ECF No. 41) filed by Defendants is 

GRANTED. The scheduling order for this case (ECF No. 34) IS HEREBY AMENDED 

as follows:

1. All discovery, including expert discovery, shall be completed by all parties 

by September 6, 2016. “Completed” means that all discovery under Rules 30-36 of the 

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and discovery subpoenas under Rule 45, must be 

initiated a sufficient period of time in advance of the cut-off date, so that it may be 

completed by the cut-off date, taking into account the times for service, notice and 

response as set forth in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Counsel shall promptly 

and in good faith meet and confer with regard to all discovery disputes in 

compliance with Local Rule 26.1(a). The Court expects counsel to make every effort to 

resolve all disputes without court intervention through the meet and confer process. If 

the parties reach an impasse on any discovery issue, counsel shall file an appropriate 

motion within the time limit and procedures outlined in the undersigned magistrate 

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judge’s chambers rules. A failure to comply in this regard will result in a waiver of a 

party’s discovery issue. Absent an order of the court, no stipulation continuing or 

altering this requirement will be recognized by the court.

Discovery motions must be filed in the time and manner directed by Magistrate 

Judge Burkhardt (see Judge Burkhardt’s Civil Chambers Rules on Discovery Disputes 

available on the Court’s website). All discovery motions must be filed within 30 days of 

the service of an objection, answer, or response which becomes the subject of dispute, or 

the passage of a discovery due date without response or production, and only after 

counsel have met and conferred to resolve the dispute and requested an informal 

teleconference with the Court.

2. The parties shall designate their respective experts in writing by July 19, 

2016. Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2)(A), the parties must identify any person who 

may be used at trial to present evidence pursuant to Rules 702, 703 or 705 of the Fed. R. 

Evid. This requirement is not limited to retained experts. The date for exchange of 

rebuttal experts shall be by August 16, 2016. The written designations shall include the 

name, address and telephone number of the expert and a reasonable summary of the 

testimony the expert is expected to provide. The list shall also include the normal rates 

the expert charges for deposition and trial testimony.

3. By July 19, 2016, each party shall comply with the disclosure provisions in 

Rule 26(a)(2)(A) and (B) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This disclosure 

requirement applies to all persons retained or specially employed to provide expert 

testimony, or whose duties as an employee of the party regularly involve the giving of 

expert testimony. Except as provided in the paragraph below, any party that fails to 

make these disclosures shall not, absent substantial justification, be permitted to use 

evidence or testimony not disclosed at any hearing or at the time of trial. In 

addition, the Court may impose sanctions as permitted by Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(c).

4. Any party shall supplement its disclosure regarding contradictory or rebuttal 

evidence under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2)(D) and 26(e) by August 16, 2016.

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5. All other pretrial motions, including those addressing Daubert issues related 

to dispositive motions must be filed by September 20, 2016. Pursuant to Honorable 

Gonzalo P. Curiel’s Civil Pretrial & Trial Procedures, all motions for summary judgment 

shall be accompanied by a separate statement of undisputed material facts. Any 

opposition to a summary judgment motion shall include a response to the separate 

statement of undisputed material facts. Counsel for the moving party must obtain a 

motion hearing date from the law clerk of the judge who will hear the motion. Motion 

papers MUST be filed and served the same day of obtaining a motion hearing date from 

chambers. A briefing schedule will be issued once a motion has been filed. The period of 

time between the date you request a motion date and the hearing date may vary. Please 

plan accordingly. Failure to make a timely request for a motion date may result in the 

motion not being heard.

6. A Mandatory Settlement Conference shall be conducted on November 3, 

2016 at 1:45 PM in the chambers of Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt, Edward J. 

Schwartz U.S. Courthouse, 221 West Broadway, Suite 5140, San Diego, California 

92101. Counsel or any party representing himself or herself shall lodge confidential 

settlement briefs directly to chambers by October 24, 2016. All parties are ordered to 

read and to fully comply with the Chamber Rules of the assigned magistrate judge.

The confidential settlement statements should be lodged by e-mail to

efile_Burkhardt@casd.uscourts.gov. Each party’s settlement statement shall concisely 

set forth the following: (1) the party’s statement of the case; (2) the controlling legal 

issues; (3) issues of liability and damages; (4) the party’s settlement position, including 

the last offer or demand made by that party; (5) a separate statement of the offer or 

demand the party is prepared to make at the settlement conference; and (6) a list of all 

attorney and non-attorney attendees for that side, including the name(s) and 

title(s)/position(s) of the party/party representative(s) who will attend and have settlement 

authority at the conference. If exhibits are attached and the total submission amounts to 

more than 20 pages, a hard copy must also be delivered directly to Magistrate Judge 

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Burkhardt’s chambers. Settlement conference statements shall not be filed with the 

Clerk of the Court. Settlement conference statements may be exchanged 

confidentially with opposing counsel within the parties’ discretion.

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

insured defendants with full and unlimited authority1to negotiate and enter into a binding 

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. In the case of a corporate entity, an authorized 

representative of the corporation who is not retained outside counsel must be present and 

must have discretionary authority to commit the company to pay an amount up to the 

amount of the Plaintiff's prayer (excluding punitive damages prayers). The purpose of 

this requirement is to have representatives present who can settle the case during the 

course of the conference without consulting a superior.

Failure to attend the conference or obtain proper excuse will be considered grounds 

for sanctions.

7. Pursuant to Honorable Gonzalo P. Curiel’s Civil Pretrial & Trial Procedures, 

the parties are excused from the requirement of Local Rule 16.1(f)(2)(a); no Memoranda 

of Law or Contentions of Fact are to be filed.

8. Counsel shall comply with the pre-trial disclosure requirements of Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 26(a)(3) by December 19, 2016. Failure to comply with these disclosure 

requirements could result in evidence preclusion or other sanctions under Fed. R. Civ. 

P. 37.

 

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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 a party. Pitman v. Brinker Int’l., Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485-86 (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 adequate. Nick v. Morgan’s Foods, Inc., 270 F.3d 590 (8th Cir. 2001).

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9. Counsel shall meet and take the action required by Local Rule 16.1(f)(4) by

January 5, 2017. At this meeting, counsel shall discuss and attempt to enter into 

stipulations and agreements resulting in simplification of the triable issues. Counsel shall 

exchange copies and/or display all exhibits other than those to be used for impeachment. 

The exhibits shall be prepared in accordance with Local Rule 16.1(f)(4)(c). Counsel shall 

note any objections they have to any other parties’ Pretrial Disclosures under Fed. R. Civ. 

P. 26(a)(3). Counsel shall cooperate in the preparation of the proposed pretrial 

conference order.

10. Counsel for plaintiff will be responsible for preparing the pretrial order and 

arranging the meetings of counsel pursuant to Civil Local Rule 16.1(f). By January 12, 

2017, plaintiff’s counsel must provide opposing counsel with the proposed pretrial order 

for review and approval. Opposing counsel must communicate promptly with plaintiff’s 

attorney concerning any objections to form or content of the pretrial order, and both 

parties shall attempt promptly to resolve their differences, if any, concerning the order.

11. The Proposed Final Pretrial Conference Order, including objections to any 

other parties’ Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(3) Pretrial Disclosures shall be prepared, served and 

lodged with the assigned district judge by January 19, 2017, and shall be in the form 

prescribed in and comply with Local Rule 16.1(f)(6).

12. The final Pretrial Conference is scheduled on the calendar of the Honorable 

Gonzalo P. Curiel on January 27, 2017 at 1:30pm. The Court will set a trial date 

during the pretrial conference. The Court will also schedule a motion in limine hearing 

date during the pretrial conference.

13. The parties must review the chambers’ rules for the assigned district judge 

and magistrate judge.

14. A post trial settlement conference before a magistrate judge may be held 

within 30 days of verdict in the case.

15. The dates and times set forth herein will not be modified except for good 

cause shown.

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16. Briefs or memoranda in support of or in opposition to all motions noticed for 

the same motion day shall not exceed twenty-five (25) pages in length, per party, without 

leave of the judge who will hear the motion. No reply memorandum shall exceed ten 

(10) pages without leave of a district court judge. Briefs and memoranda exceeding ten 

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

17. Plaintiff’s counsel shall serve a copy of this order on all parties that enter 

this case hereafter.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 12, 2016

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