Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_16-cv-00062/USCOURTS-caed-1_16-cv-00062-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CYNTHIA RIVERA-MARTINEZ and 

ARTURO MARTINEZ,

Plaintiffs,

vs.

KERN COUNTY, et al.,

Defendants.

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Case No. 1:16-CV-00062-LJO-JLT

ORDER AFTER INFORMAL 

TELEPHONIC RE: DISCOVERY 

DISPUTE

(Doc. 34)

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On February 10, 2017, the Court held an informal telephonic conference related to a dispute 

over the timing of Dr. Hyden’s deposition. Dr. Hyden has indicated an unwillingness to submit to 

deposition on the weekend on after hours and has indicated unavailability for deposition during 

business hours until April 20, 2017. This date is well beyond the non-expert discovery deadline and 

after the deadline for expert disclosure. Thus, as loathe as the Court is to require a deponent to 

submit to deposition on the weekend, Dr. Hyden’s deposition—as is the case with many physician 

depositions—will have to occur after hours.

In addition, counsel recited difficulty in locating a treating physician, Dr. Rayna Piskova, who 

is now retired and, apparently, living in Michigan. Counsel have undertaken efforts to locate Dr. 

Piskova but have not yet had contact with her. They hope to take her deposition during early March 

Case 1:16-cv-00062-SEH Document 36 Filed 02/10/17 Page 1 of 3
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but, due to the difficulty in locating her and the lack of contact, cannot yet know whether this will 

occur.

Finally, counsel also seek to take the deposition of Social Service Work, Andrea Avila, who 

was or is an employee of Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, California. Counsel agreed they will 

make contact as soon as possible with Ms. Avila and/or counsel for the hospital to arrange a 

convenient date and location for this deposition.

Thus, the Court ORDERS:

1. Dr. Hyden SHALL submit to deposition on March 5 or March 11, 2017 or other date 

convenient to counsel and Dr. Hyden (as long as to is before or around early March). Counsel for Dr. 

Hyden SHALL notify other counsel no later than February 17, 2017 that he will submit to deposition 

on one of these dates. 

The deposition may raise all issues to which Dr. Hyden is a percipient witness and may 

explore expert issues provided that they are topics upon which he testified before the Kern County 

Juvenile Court. In the event counsel wish to ask him questions that exceed these expert topics, they 

SHALL ask the questions (for purposes of creating the record) but Dr. Hyden may decline to answer 

them. As long as his own expert designation does not address the additional topics and does not raise 

other expert opinions that were not covered at the deposition, the Court contemplates that he will 

submit only to one deposition. However, this will not preclude a showing as to why a second 

deposition should be allowed;

2. Counsel SHALL use best efforts to complete the depositions of Andrea Avila 

and Dr. Rayna Piskova within the current discovery deadlines. However, the Court is aware that 

these depositions may need to occur shortly thereafter. As necessary, counsel may present a 

stipulation extending the non-expert discovery deadline for a reasonable time to complete these 

depositions.1

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For clarification, the Court’s order (Doc. 33) issued on January 27, 2017 was without prejudice to the filing, if 

necessary, of a renewed request that is properly supported by a showing of good cause.

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Counsel for County SHALL notify other counsel no later than February 17, 2017 as to what 

she has learned about deposition dates for these deponents. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: February 10, 2017 /s/ Jennifer L. Thurston 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 1:16-cv-00062-SEH Document 36 Filed 02/10/17 Page 3 of 3