Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-01600/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-01600-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 446
Nature of Suit: Americans with Disabilities Act - Other
Cause of Action: 42:12101 Americans with Disabilities Act

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1 Case No. 2:07-CV-01600-WBS-DAD 

APPLICATION BY DEFENDANTS VIRGIN STURGEON, INC., BUFFER PROPERTIES, LLC, AND 

LARAINE C. PATCHING TO CONTINUE SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE AND 

DISCLOSURE OF REBUTTAL EXPERT AND REPORT 

SAC 441,178,018v1 1/7/2008 

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KATHLEEN E. FINNERTY (SBN 157638)

MARC B. KOENIGSBERG (SBN 204265) 

GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP 

1201 K Street, Suite 1100 

Sacramento, CA 95814-3938 

Telephone: (916) 442-1111 

Facsimile: (916) 448-1709 

Finnertyk@gtlaw.com 

Koenigsbergm@gtlaw.com 

Attorneys for Defendants 

Virgin Sturgeon, Inc., Buffer Properties, LLC 

and Laraine C. Patching 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

CONNIE ARNOLD, 

 Plaintiff, 

v. 

VIRGIN STURGEON, INC.; VIRGIN 

STURGEON, LLC,; BUFFER 

PROPERTIES, LLC.; LARAINE C. 

PATCHING; and DOES 1-10, inclusive,

 Defendants. 

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CASE NO. 2:07-CV-01600-WBS-DAD 

APPLICATION BY DEFENDANTS 

VIRGIN STURGEON, INC., BUFFER 

PROPERTIES, LLC, AND LARAINE C. 

PATCHING TO CONTINUE 

SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE AND 

DISCLOSURE OF REBUTTAL 

EXPERT AND REPORT 

AND ORDER THEREON 

Settlement Conference: January 10, 2008

Honorable Dale A. Drozd 

Courtroom: 27 

Trial: October 15, 2008

The Court has scheduled a telephone conference with all counsel for Tuesday, 

January 8, 2008, at 9:45 a.m. to address the application by defendants Virgin Sturgeon, 

Inc., Buffer Properties, LLC, and Laraine C. Patching (collectively, “Ms. Patching”) to 

appear at the settlement conference, currently scheduled for Thursday, January 10, 

2008, telephonically from her home in Costa Rica. Ms. Patching further seeks the 

Court’s indulgence and requests it consider her request for a 25-day continuance of the 

Case 2:07-cv-01600-WBS-DAD Document 28 Filed 01/08/08 Page 1 of 3
 2 Case No. 2:07-CV-01600-WBS-DAD 

APPLICATION BY DEFENDANTS VIRGIN STURGEON, INC., BUFFER PROPERTIES, LLC, AND 

LARAINE C. PATCHING TO CONTINUE SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE AND 

DISCLOSURE OF REBUTTAL EXPERT AND REPORT 

SAC 441,178,018v1 1/7/2008 

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settlement conference, and a 14-day continuance of the disclosure of rebuttal experts 

and reports, currently scheduled for January 11, 2008. 

On or about December 7, 2007, plaintiff disclosed her expert Barry Atwood and 

produced his report. Prior to that date, Ms. Patching retained expert Kim Blackseth who 

is well known to this Court. Ordinarily, Mr. Blackseth would have then traveled from 

his office in Oakland to Sacramento to inspect the facility and prepare a rebuttal report. 

However, Mr. Blackseth has been hospitalized on several occasions in the last six 

weeks, and has been unable to travel. Mr. Atwood and plaintiff’s counsel are aware of 

Mr. Blackseth’s recent health issues. 

Mr. Blackseth is still recuperating, though he is beginning to work again. A 14-

day extension from the January 11 deadline will allow Mr. Blackseth the opportunity to 

evaluate Mr. Atwood’s report, visit the Virgin Sturgeon property, and prepare a useful 

report upon which Ms. Patching can rely in resolving this case. Such an extension 

would also benefit the plaintiff because Ms. Patching will then be in better position to 

evaluate the plaintiff’s claims and arrive at a resolution. 

To that end, it would be to all the parties’ benefits to continue the January 10, 

2008 settlement conference to early February. It would be unproductive and a waste of 

the parties’ and the Court’s resources to have a settlement conference without Ms. 

Patching having the benefit of her expert’s report. This additional time will also allow 

the parties to engage in more meaningful, informal settlement discussions among 

themselves, possibly obviating the need for a Court-supervised settlement conference 

next month. 

Per Judge Shubb’s October 19, 2007, scheduling order, discovery in this matter 

does not close until March 28, 2008, seven months before the trial date currently 

scheduled. There is no prejudice to any of the parties to continuing these two deadlines. 

Case 2:07-cv-01600-WBS-DAD Document 28 Filed 01/08/08 Page 2 of 3
 3 Case No. 2:07-CV-01600-WBS-DAD 

APPLICATION BY DEFENDANTS VIRGIN STURGEON, INC., BUFFER PROPERTIES, LLC, AND 

LARAINE C. PATCHING TO CONTINUE SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE AND 

DISCLOSURE OF REBUTTAL EXPERT AND REPORT 

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Counsel for Virgin Sturgeon, LLC has indicated his client favors these continuances, 

and counsel for plaintiff indicated in a January 3, 2008, letter that her client will agree to 

a 10-day extension of the deadline to disclose rebuttal experts on the condition that Ms. 

Patching appear at a settlement conference in January or February. 

Ms. Patching would be amenable to the plaintiff’s proposal but still maintains her 

request to appear telephonically at the settlement conference to avoid having to travel 

the 3,000 miles from Costa Rica. She can be available by telephone for the entire 

duration of the settlement conference. Her counsel will attend in person, and will have 

tentative authority to settle her role in the matter. 

DATED: January 7, 2008 GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP 

 By: /s/ Marc B. Koenigsberg 

 KATHLEEN E. FINNERTY 

 MARC B. KOENIGSBERG 

 Attorneys for Defendants 

 Virgin Sturgeon, Inc., Buffer 

 Properties, and Laraine C. Patching 

ORDER

Good cause appearing, the request of Defendants VIRGIN STURGEON, 

INC., BUFFER PROPERTIES, LLC, and LARAINE C. PATCHING to continue the 

settlement conference and the deadline to disclose rebuttal experts and report is granted, 

and their application to appear via telephone at the Settlement Conference is denied. 

The settlement conference will be February 5, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. Rebuttal experts 

shall be disclosed and report produced on or before January 22, 2008. 

DATED: January 8, 2008. 

Ddad1/orders.civil/arnold1600.reqeotSC 

Case 2:07-cv-01600-WBS-DAD Document 28 Filed 01/08/08 Page 3 of 3