Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-00902/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-00902-26/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 790
Nature of Suit: Other Labor Litigation
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Account Receivable

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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LIONEL HARPER, DANIEL SINCLAIR, 

HASSAN TURNER, LUIS VAZQUEZ, 

and PEDRO ABASCAL, individually and 

on behalf of all others similarly situated 

and all aggrieved employees,

Plaintiffs,

v. 

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, LLC, 

Defendant.

Case No. 2:19-cv-00902-WBS-DMC

Hon. William B. Shubb 

ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND 

JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY 

SCHEDULING ORDER 

Case 2:19-cv-00902-WBS-DMC Document 159 Filed 06/25/21 Page 1 of 7
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

Having read and considered the Stipulation and Joint Request to Modify Scheduling Order 

(“Stipulation”) submitted by Plaintiffs Lionel Harper, Daniel Sinclair, Hassan Turner, Luis 

Vazquez, and Pedro Abascal (“Plaintiffs”) and Defendant Charter Communications, LLC 

(“Charter”) (collectively, the “Parties”), the Court finds GOOD CAUSE to modify the Status 

(Pretrial Scheduling) Order, Dkts. 34 and 104, and hereby GRANTS the Stipulation as follows:

WHEREAS, on October 9, 2019, the Court issued an initial scheduling order (Dkt. 34 

(“Scheduling Order”)).

WHEREAS, subsequently, the Court approved several stipulations and joint requests and

modified the dates and deadlines in the Scheduling Order (Dkts. 52, 60, 70, 83, 92, and 104).

WHEREAS, Charter filed a Motion to Compel Arbitration of Lionel Harper’s Individual 

Claims and Stay Action (Dkt. 140) on May 28, 2021, with a hearing date of August 23, 2021. 

Charter agrees to either (i) withdraw this motion without prejudice and re-file it by July 9, 2021, 

with a hearing date of October 4, 2021 or (ii) re-notice this motion with a hearing date of October 

4, 2021.

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Court’s Order (Dkt. 146), Plaintiffs filed a Second Amended 

Complaint on June 4, 2021, adding Plaintiffs Turner, Vazquez, and Abascal as named parties and 

proposed class representatives in this action.

WHEREAS, the Parties have stipulated to extend Charter’s deadline to answer, move, or 

otherwise respond to the Second Amended Complaint to July 9, 2021 (Dkt. 153).

WHEREAS, the Parties have already conducted some individual, class, and representative 

PAGA discovery in this action, some of which remains outstanding, and the Parties are meeting 

and conferring on such discovery.

WHEREAS, Plaintiffs Harper, Turner, Vazquez, and Abascal served additional discovery 

requests on Charter on June 2 and June 7, 2021, responses to which are currently due on or before 

July 2 and 7, 2021, respectively.

WHEREAS, Charter has not yet served discovery on or taken discovery from the newly 

added Plaintiffs, but it intends to do so pursuant to this Stipulation.

Case 2:19-cv-00902-WBS-DMC Document 159 Filed 06/25/21 Page 2 of 7
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

WHEREAS, Charter retained new counsel on or about June 11, 2021 to represent it in this 

action, and the undersigned counsel for Charter substituted in for prior counsel on June 16, 2021

(Dkts. 151 and 152).

WHEREAS, Plaintiffs filed their Renewed Motion to Certify Class on June 14, 2021, with 

a hearing date of July 26, 2021. Plaintiffs agree to either (i) withdraw this motion without 

prejudice and re-file it by July 9, 2021, with a hearing date of October 4, 2021 or (ii) re-notice 

this motion with a hearing date of October 4, 2021.

WHEREAS, Charter intends to file a Motion to Compel Arbitration of Plaintiffs Turner’s, 

Vazquez’s, and Abascal’s Individual Claims and Stay Action, which it agrees to file on or before 

August 6, 2021 (collectively with Charter’s Motion to Compel Arbitration of Harper’s Individual 

Claims and Stay Action, the “Motions to Compel Arbitration”).

WHEREAS, the Parties previously submitted for approval, and the Court approved, a 

Stipulated Protective Order providing that disclosure and discovery activity in this action could be 

used for prosecuting the claims and defenses in this litigation and in any related arbitrations (Dkt. 

43 ¶ 1).

WHEREAS, Plaintiffs and Charter have met and conferred and agree, for purposes of 

efficiency and judicial economy and pursuant to the Stipulated Protective Order, that any

disclosure and discovery activity conducted by the Parties in this action prior to the Court’s ruling 

on Charter’s Motions to Compel Arbitration shall be without prejudice to or waiver of: (1) 

Charter’s right to seek to compel arbitration of some or all of Plaintiffs’ and/or putative class 

members’ claims; (2) Plaintiffs’ and putative class members’ right to oppose arbitration and to 

argue that the relevant agreements were not properly formed, are unenforceable in whole or in 

part, and/or do not cover or apply to some or all of their claims; or (3) the right to use such 

discovery and to take additional discovery in arbitration in the event some or all of Plaintiffs’ or 

putative class members’ claims are compelled or otherwise submitted to arbitration (subject to the 

terms of the Stipulated Protective Order, the applicable arbitration agreement(s), and the 

arbitrators’ powers and discretion).

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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

WHEREAS, Plaintiffs agree that Charter shall not be deemed to have waived, and that

Plaintiffs will not argue that Charter has waived, any rights it has or may have to compel 

Plaintiffs Harper, Turner, Vazquez, or Abascal, or any members of the putative class, to arbitrate 

some or all of their claims by virtue of Charter’s participation in this action, through discovery or 

otherwise (including, without limitation, propounding written discovery, taking depositions, 

responding to discovery propounded by Plaintiffs, making disclosures and producing 

documents/ESI, and making witnesses available for depositions), prior to the Court’s ruling on 

Charter’s Motions to Compel Arbitration.

WHEREAS, the Parties agree that, if the Court rules that some or all of Plaintiffs’ or

putative class members’ claims against Charter must be arbitrated, then any discovery exchanged 

or conducted in this action prior to the Court’s ruling may be used to prosecute or defend against

such claims in arbitration (subject to the terms of the Stipulated Protective Order, the applicable 

arbitration agreement(s), and the arbitrators’ powers and discretion).

WHEREAS, by entering into this Stipulation and agreeing to the proposed modified case 

schedule set forth below, including by agreeing to set Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for Class 

Certification and Charter’s Motions to Compel Arbitration (and any other interim motions that 

may be filed by the Parties) for the same hearing date: (1) Plaintiffs do not agree or concede that

the Court should rule on Charter’s Motions to Compel Arbitration before or at the same time as 

Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for Class Certification; and (2) Charter does not agree or concede 

that the Court should rule on Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for Class Certification before or at the 

same time as Charter’s Motions to Compel Arbitration. Plaintiffs expressly reserve all rights and 

arguments they have that the Court should decide class certification before deciding Charter’s 

Motions to Compel Arbitration, and Charter expressly reserves all rights and arguments it has that 

the Court should decide whether some or all of Plaintiffs’ claims are required to be arbitrated 

before deciding Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for Class Certification.

WHEREAS, the Parties have met and conferred and agree that, for judicial economy, and 

good cause showing, the Court should approve this Stipulation in its entirety and modify the 

Scheduling Order in this action as shown in the table below.

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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

Based on the foregoing, to allow Charter’s current counsel sufficient time to obtain the 

complete case file from Charter’s prior counsel, review same, and prepare Charter’s defenses and 

arguments, and to permit the Parties to continue the pending discovery and to conduct additional 

discovery related to Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion to Certify Class and Charter’s Motions to 

Compel Arbitration, including but not limited to additional depositions and continuing 

document/ESI production and disclosures, the Court ORDERS as follows:

1. The Parties’ stipulation and agreement described above with respect to the 

discovery conducted in this action is approved. Charter shall not be deemed to have waived any 

rights it may have to arbitrate some or all of Plaintiffs’ or putative class members’ claims by 

virtue of its participation in this action, through discovery or otherwise, prior to the Court’s ruling 

on Charter’s Motions to Compel Arbitration.

2. If the Court rules that some or all of Plaintiffs’ or putative class members’ claims 

against Charter must be arbitrated, then any discovery exchanged or conducted in this action prior 

to the Court’s ruling may be used to prosecute or defend against such claims in arbitration, 

subject to the terms of the Stipulated Protective Order, the applicable arbitration agreement(s), 

and the arbitrators’ powers and discretion.

3. By entering into this Stipulation and asking the Court to schedule the hearing of 

the Parties’ respective motions for the same date, the Parties do not concede or waive any 

arguments they may have that the Court should rule on certain motions or issues first and delay or 

defer ruling on other motions or issues. The Parties may address the order in which they believe 

the Court should consider and rule on such motions or issues in their briefing.

4. The current Scheduling Order (Dkt. 104) is hereby modified as follows:

Event Current date/deadline Modified date/deadline

Deadline for Charter to answer, move, 

or otherwise respond to the Second 

Amended Complaint. If Charter files a 

motion, the briefing and hearing 

schedule shall be the same as Charter’s 

Motions to Compel Arbitration

July 9, 2021 July 9, 2021

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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

Deadline for Charter to (i) withdraw 

without prejudice and re-file or (ii) file a

notice resetting the hearing on its 

Motion to Compel Arbitration of 

Harper’s Individual Claims and Stay 

Action (Dkt. 140) for hearing on 

October 4, 2021 at 1:30pm, and for 

Plaintiffs to (i) withdraw without 

prejudice and re-file or (ii) file a notice 

resetting the hearing on their Renewed 

Motion for Class Certification (Dkt. 

149) for October 4, 2021 at 1:30pm

N/A July 9, 2021

Deadline for Charter to File a Motion to 

Compel Arbitration of Plaintiffs 

Turner’s, Vazquez’s, and Abascal’s 

Individual Claims and Stay Action 

N/A August 6, 2021

Deadline for Plaintiffs to file briefs in 

opposition to Charter’s Motions to 

Compel Arbitration, and for Charter to 

file a brief in opposition to Plaintiffs’ 

Renewed Motion for Class Certification

Harper’s opposition 

brief: August 9, 2021

Charter’s opposition 

brief: July 12, 2021

August 30, 2021

Deadline for Plaintiffs to file reply brief 

in support of Renewed Motion for Class 

Certification, and for Charter to file 

reply briefs in support of Motions to 

Compel Arbitration

Plaintiffs’ reply brief: 

July 19, 2021

Charter’s reply brief re 

Harper: August 16, 

2021

September 20, 2021

Hearing on Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion 

for Class Certification, Charter’s 

Motions to Compel Arbitration, and any 

interim motions that may be filed

Class Certification 

Hearing: July 26, 2021

at 1:30pm

Motion to Compel 

Arbitration re Harper: 

August 23, 2021 at 

1:30pm

October 4, 2021 at 1:30pm

Deadline for Charter to complete its 

production of additional sampling 

documents/ESI pursuant to Dkts. 112 

and 133 (in the event that class 

certification is granted and/or the 

N/A Earlier of November 19, 

2021 or 30 days from 

Court’s order on Plaintiffs’ 

Renewed Motion for Class 

Case 2:19-cv-00902-WBS-DMC Document 159 Filed 06/25/21 Page 6 of 7
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION AND JOINT REQUEST TO MODIFY SCHEDULING ORDER

representative PAGA claims proceed in 

court)

Certification

Deadline to disclose expert witnesses N/A December 20, 2021

Deadline to disclose rebuttal expert 

witnesses

N/A January 18, 2022

Discovery cut-off August 30, 2021 February 7, 2022

Motions cut-off (for filing) September 20, 2021 February 28, 2022

Deadline to file opposition briefs October 18, 2021 March 28, 2022

Deadline to file reply briefs November 15, 2021 April 11, 2022

Hearing on all motions November 29, 2021 at 

1:30pm

April 18, 2022 at 1:30pm

Final Pretrial Conference January 31, 2022 at 

1:30pm

June 20, 2022 at 1:30pm

Trial Setting March 15, 2022 at 

9:00am

August 9, 2022 at 9:00am

All other orders set forth in the Scheduling Order, Dkts. 34 and 104, remain unchanged.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: June 25, 2021

Case 2:19-cv-00902-WBS-DMC Document 159 Filed 06/25/21 Page 7 of 7