Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_15-cv-04301/USCOURTS-cand-5_15-cv-04301-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 370
Nature of Suit: Other Fraud
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Fraud

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Case No. 5:15-CV-04301-NC

STIPULATION & ORDER SETTING BRIEFING 

SCHEDULE & CONTINUING CASE MNGMT. CONF.

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STEVE W. BERMAN (Admitted pro hac vice)

HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

1918 Eight Avenue, Suite 3300

Seattle, WA 98101

Telephone: (206) 623-7292

steve@hbsslaw.com

ELAINE T. BYSZEWSKI (SBN 222304)

CHRISTOPHER R. PITOUN (SBN 290235)

HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

301 N. Lake Avenue, Suite 203

Pasadena, CA 91101

Telephone: (213) 330-7150

elaine@hbsslaw.com

christopher@hbsslaw.com

Attorneys for Plaintiffs and the Proposed Class

J.T. WELLS BLAXTER, (SBN 190222)

wblaxter@blaxterlaw.com

BRIAN R. BLACKMAN, (SBN 196996)

bblackman@blaxterlaw.com

BLAXTER | BLACKMAN LLP

One Bush Street, Suite 650

San Francisco, California 94104

Telephone: (415) 550-7700

Attorneys for Defendants

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL 

TREATMENT OF ANIMALS, INC., and 

LEAH WILLIAMS, on behalf of herself and 

all others similarly situated,

Plaintiffs,

v.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET, INC., a Texas 

corporation; WHOLE FOODS MARKET 

CALIFORNIA, INC., a California 

corporation; MS. GOOCH’S NATURAL 

FOOD MARKETS, INC., a California 

corporation,

Defendants. 

Case No. 15-cv-4301-NC

STIPULATION AND MODIFIED 

ORDER SETTING BRIEFING 

SCHEDULE AND CONTINUING CASE 

MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

[Northern District Civil Local Rule 6-1(b) and 

6-2(a)]

Case 5:15-cv-04301-NC Document 11 Filed 10/15/15 Page 1 of 7
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STIPULATION & ORDER SETTING BRIEFING 

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Pursuant to Local Civil Rule 6-1(b) and 6-2(a), Plaintiffs People for the Ethical Treat of 

Animals and Leah Williams (collectively “Plaintiffs”), and defendants Whole Foods Market, Inc., 

Whole Foods Market California, Inc. and Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Markets, Inc. (collectively 

“Defendants”), by and through their counsel, stipulate as follows:

1. Plaintiffs filed this action on September 21, 2015, alleging claims for violation of 

California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act (Civ. Code § 770, et seq.), false advertising (Bus. & 

Prof. Code § 17500, et seq.) and unfair competition (Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq.). 

Plaintiffs generally allege that Defendants misrepresent to customers the characteristics, standards 

and quality of the unprepackaged meat products sold in its retail stores in California.

2. Defendants are in the process of investigating Plaintiffs allegations and developing 

their response. Defendants anticipate filing a motion to dismiss on several grounds. The parties 

previously stipulated to extend Defendants’ time to respond to the Complaint until November 4th.

1

3. This matter is presently scheduled for an initial case management conference on 

December 23, 2015 with related deadlines of December 2, 2015 and December 16, 2015 for 

discovery conferences, ADR selection, and the filing of Rule 26(f) reports. Under Local Civil 

Rule 7-3(a), Plaintiffs opposition to Defendants’ anticipated motion would be due on November 

18, 2015 and pursuant to Local Civil Rule 7-3(c) a reply would be on November 25, 2015, which 

is the day before Thanksgiving.

4. The parties have engaged in preliminary discussions of Plaintiffs’ claims and 

Defendants’ motion in an effort, in part, to reduce the issues that may need to be submitted to the 

Court as part of Defendants’ anticipated motion. Namely whether all of the named Defendants are 

proper parties to this action and subject to the Court’s personal jurisdiction. The parties have also 

discussed, in accordance with this Divisions’ standing orders, a potential hearing date for 

Defendants’ motion.

2

5. Considering the impending Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays and 

the current case schedules and existing vacation and travel plans of counsel, including the fact that 

 

1 Docket No. 9.

2 Declaration of Elaine T. Byszewski in Support, attached hereto, at ¶ 2.

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Plaintiffs’ primary counsel will be out of the country attending a family member’s wedding in late

December into January, the first available date for hearing Defendants’ anticipated motion would 

be Wednesday, January 20, 2016.3 

6. In light of these issues and the fact that Plaintiff’s counsel must travel to attend the 

hearing and case management conference, the parties have stipulated – subject to the Court’s 

approval – to the following briefing schedule and brief continuance of the case management 

conference (and related deadlines) to coincide with a January 20th hearing date:

1. November 4, 2015: Rule12 motions relating to existing Complaint due;

2. December 2, 2015: Opposition to Rule 12 motion due;

3. December 16, 2015: Reply on Rule 12 motions due;

4. December 4, 2015: Last day to (i) meet and confer re: initial disclosures, 

early settlement, ADR process selection, and 

discovery plan, (ii) file ADR Certificate and (iii) file 

either Stipulation to ADR Process or Notice of Need 

for ADR Phone Conference; 

5. December 18, 2015: Last Day to file Rule 26(f) report, complete initial

disclosures or state objection in Rule 26(f) report and 

file Case Management Statement;

6. January 20, 2016: Hearing on Rule 12 Motion;

7. January 20, 2016: Initial Case Management Conference.

7. The parties previously stipulated to extend Defendants’ time to respond to the 

Complaint until November 4th. The parties have not previously requested any changes to the case 

scheduling order. 

8. This is a complex, putative class action. These requested changes to the exiting 

case management order will not materially delay the disposition of this action and will conserve 

 

3 Id. at ¶ 3.

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party and judicial resources by coordinating hearings, briefing and filings during the busy holiday 

season.

IT IS SO STIPULATED.

DATED: October 15, 2015 BLAXTER | BLACKMAN LLP

By: /s/ Brian R. Blackman BRIAN R. BLACKMAN Attorneys for Defendants

WHOLE FOODS MARKET, INC.; WHOLE FOOS 

MARKET CALIFORNIA, INC.; and MRS. GOOCH’S 

NATURAL FOODS MARKETS, INC.

DATED: October 15, 2015 HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

By: /s/ Elaine T. Byszewski ELAINE T. BYSZEWSKI Attorney for Plaintiffs

PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF 

ANIMALS, INC. and LEAH WILLIAMS

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CERTIFICATION

I, Elaine Bysewski, am the ECF User whose identification and password are being used to 

file this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Setting Briefing Schedule and Continuing Case 

Management Conference. In compliance with Civ. L.R. 5-1(i)(3), I hereby attest that Brian 

Blackman has concurred in this filing.

DATED: October 15, 2015 HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP

By: /s/ Elaine T. Byszewski

 ELAINE T. BYSZEWSKI

 Attorney for Plaintiffs

PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF 

ANIMALS, INC. and LEAH WILLIAMS

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I, ELAINE T. BYSZEWSKI, declare as follows:

1. I am an attorney duly licensed to practice before all of the courts of the State of 

California. I am a partner with the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, counsel of 

record for Plaintiffs. I am making this declaration in support of the parties’ Stipulation Setting 

Briefing Schedule and Continuing Case Management Conference. I have personal knowledge of 

the matters stated herein and, if called upon, I could and would competently testify thereto. 

2. The parties have engaged in preliminary discussions of Plaintiffs’ claims and 

Defendants’ motion in an effort, in part, to reduce the issues that may need to be submitted to the 

Court as part of Defendants’ anticipated motion. Namely whether all of the named Defendants are 

proper parties to this action and subject to the Court’s personal jurisdiction. The parties have also 

discussed, in accordance with this Divisions’ standing orders, a potential hearing date for 

Defendants’ motion.

3. Directly following the holidays I will be traveling to Taipei for my brother’s 

wedding and will be gone through January 11, 2015. Considering the impending Thanksgiving, 

Christmas and New Year’s holidays and the current case schedules and existing vacation and 

travel plans of counsel, the first available date for all counsel for hearing Defendants’ anticipated 

motion would be Wednesday, January 20, 2016.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States that the foregoing is 

true and correct. Executed this 15th day of October 2015, at Pasadena, California.

/s/ Elaine T. Byszewski

ELAINE T. BYSZEWSKI

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ORDER

Good cause appearing therefore, and pursuant to stipulation, the Court sets the following 

briefing and case management schedule:

1. November 4, 2015: Rule12 motions relating to existing Complaint due;

2. November 14, 2015: Defendants to file consent or declination to proceed before

magistrate judge;

3. December 2, 2015: Opposition to Rule 12 motion due;

4. December 16, 2015: Reply on Rule 12 motions due;

5. December 4, 2015: Last day to (i) meet and confer re: initial disclosures, early 

settlement, ADR process selection, and discovery plan, (ii) 

file ADR Certificate and (iii) file either Stipulation to ADR 

Process or Notice of Need for ADR Phone Conference; 

6. December 18, 2015: Last Day to file Rule 26(f) report, complete initial 

disclosures or state objection in Rule 26(f) report and file 

Case Management Statement;

7. January 20, 2016: Hearing on Rule 12 Motion at 1:00 PM;

8. January 20, 2016: Initial Case Management Conference at 1:00 PM.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: October 15, 2015

________________________________________

MAGISTRATE JUDGE 

NATHANAEL COUSINS

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