Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_02-cv-03805/USCOURTS-cand-3_02-cv-03805-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 893
Nature of Suit: Environmental Matters
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question

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STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER REGARDING SCHEDULE FOR FEES AND COSTS 

CASE NO. C 02-3805 EDL 

MATTHEW J. MCKEOWN 

Acting Assistant Attorney General 

Environment and Natural Resources Division 

JEAN E. WILLIAMS 

Chief, Wildlife and Marine Resources Section 

KRISTEN L. GUSTAFSON (DC Bar 460443) 

Senior Trial Attorney, Wildlife and Marine Resources Section 

United States Department of Justice 

Environment and Natural Resources Division 

P.O. Box 7369, Washington, D.C. 20044-7369 

Telephone: (202) 305-0211 

Facsimile: (202) 305-0275 

Attorneys for Defendants 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, 

INC.; THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE 

UNITED STATES; CETACEAN SOCIETY 

INTERNATIONAL; LEAGUE FOR COASTAL 

PROTECTION; OCEAN FUTURES SOCIETY; 

JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU,

 Plaintiffs, 

 v. 

CARLOS M. GUTIERREZ, SECRETARY OF 

THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF 

COMMERCE; NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES 

SERVICE; WILLIAM HOGARTH, ASSISTANT 

ADMINISTRATOR FOR FISHERIES OF THE 

NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND 

ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION; VICE 

ADMIRAL CONRAD C. LAUTENBACHER, JR., 

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL 

OCEANOGRAPHIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 

ADMINISTRATION; UNITED STATES 

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY; DONALD C. 

WINTER, SECRETARY OF THE UNITED 

STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY; 

ADMIRAL MICHAEL MULLEN, CHIEF OF 

NAVAL OPERATIONS, 

 Defendants. 

Civil Action No. CV 02-3805 EDL

FIFTH STIPULATION AND 

[PROPOSED] ORDER REGARDING 

BRIEFING AND HEARING 

SCHEDULE FOR PLAINTIFFS’ 

MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES 

AND COSTS 

Judge: Hon. Elizabeth Laporte 

Ctrm: E 

Hearing Date: May 29, 2007 June 6, 2007

Time: 2 p.m. 9 a.m.

Case 3:02-cv-03805-EDL Document 243 Filed 04/30/07 Page 1 of 4
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STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER REGARDING SCHEDULE FOR FEES AND COSTS 

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CASE NO. C 02-3805 EDL 

Pursuant to Local Rule 6-2, the parties, by and through their undersigned counsel, hereby 

stipulate to and respectfully request that the Court issue the following Order setting a briefing and 

hearing schedule for Plaintiffs’ motion for attorneys’ fees and costs. 

RECITALS

 WHEREAS, on August 7, 2002, Plaintiffs filed this action alleging violations of the 

Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544, the National Environmental Policy 

Act (“NEPA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4370f, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (“MMPA”), 16 

U.S.C. 1371-1421h, and requesting injunctive relief to enjoin Defendants’ use of low-frequency 

active (“LFA”) sonar during peacetime training exercises; 

 WHEREAS, on October 31, 2002, the District Court for the Northern District of California 

entered a Preliminary Injunction in favor of Plaintiffs; 

 WHEREAS, on August 26, 2003, the District Court granted in part and denied in part both 

Plaintiffs’ and Defendants’ Motions for Summary Judgment and ordered the parties to meet and 

confer regarding the terms of a tailored permanent injunction; 

 WHEREAS, the District Court approved and ordered the parties’ Stipulation Regarding 

Permanent Injunction on October 14, 2003, and entered Judgment under Rule 58 on October 27, 

2003; 

 WHEREAS, on December 19, 2003, Defendants filed their Notice appealing the District 

Court’s decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; 

 WHEREAS, on July 24, 2006, the Ninth Circuit dismissed Defendants-Appellants’ appeal 

for lack of standing, and Defendants-Appellants did not request Ninth Circuit rehearing or seek 

further review of the decision; 

 WHEREAS, the parties have met and conferred regarding Plaintiffs’ claims for fees and 

costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”); 

WHEREAS, on November 21, 2006, in order to comply with EAJA’s requirement that any 

claim for fees and costs must be filed within 30 days of final judgment, and consistent with the 

parties’ November 7, 2003 Stipulation filed in this case, Plaintiffs filed their Motion for Fees and 

Costs Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2412; 

Case 3:02-cv-03805-EDL Document 243 Filed 04/30/07 Page 2 of 4
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STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER REGARDING SCHEDULE FOR FEES AND COSTS 

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CASE NO. C 02-3805 EDL 

WHEREAS, on January 17, 2007, the Ninth Circuit issued an Order granting Plaintiffs’ 

motion to transfer consideration of fees on appeal to this Court; 

WHEREAS, on January 30, 2007, Plaintiffs supplemented their initial Motion for Fees and 

Costs with additional evidence and a supplemental memorandum of support; 

 WHEREAS, on March 6, 2007, Defendants sent Plaintiffs an offer to settle all claims for 

attorneys’ fees and costs in this litigation; 

 WHEREAS, the parties have been engaged in settlement negotiations from March 6, 2007, 

to the present date; 

 WHEREAS, the parties have reached agreement in principle and are in the process of 

drafting a stipulated settlement agreement for filing with the Court that would resolve all of 

Plaintiffs’ claims for attorneys’ fees and costs in connection with this litigation; 

WHEREAS, in the interests of avoiding an undue expenditure of time and resources in 

litigating Plaintiffs’ EAJA claims, the parties agree that more time is necessary to draft the 

aforementioned settlement document; 

THEREFORE THE PARTIES HEREBY STIPULATE AS FOLLOWS: 

1. Defendants shall file and serve their Opposition to Plaintiffs’ Motion for Fees and 

Costs and any supplementation thereto by May 4, 2007. 

2. Plaintiffs shall file and serve any Reply by May 18, 2007. 

3. Defendants do not, by stipulating, concede that Plaintiffs are entitled to fees or 

costs in any amount. Neither party waives any right of appeal by entering this stipulation. 

4. Service will be by overnight mail and electronic mail. 

 5. The parties ask that that the Court set a hearing on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Fees and 

Costs, if one is deemed necessary, on May 29, 2007, at 2:00 PM, or as soon thereafter as comports 

with the Court’s schedule. 

SO STIPULATED. 

Respectfully submitted this 20th day of April, 2007. 

Case 3:02-cv-03805-EDL Document 243 Filed 04/30/07 Page 3 of 4
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STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER REGARDING SCHEDULE FOR FEES AND COSTS 

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CASE NO. C 02-3805 EDL 

Dated: April 20, 2007 

 MATTHEW J. MCKEOWN 

Acting Assistant Attorney General 

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 

DIVISION 

JEAN WILLIAMS 

Chief, Wildlife and Marine Resources Section 

KRISTEN L. GUSTAFSON, Senior Trial Attorney 

Wildlife and Marine Resources Section 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 

DIVISION 

Benjamin Franklin Station, P.O. Box 7369 

Washington, D.C. 20530 

(202) 305-0211 (phone) 

(202) 305-0275 (fax) 

 By: /s/ Kristen L. Gustafson 

 Kristen L. Gustafson 

Attorneys for Defendants 

Dated: April 20, 2007 

ROBIN S. STAFFORD 

 SARAH B. SCHINDLER 

MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP

JOEL R. REYNOLDS 

ANDREW E. WETZLER 

CARA A. HOROWITZ 

NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC. 

By: /s/ Robin S. Stafford 

Robin S. Stafford 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

ORDER

The hearing on Plaintiffs' Motion is continued to June 6, 2007 at 9:00 a.m.

The terms of the above Stipulation are hereby approved and so ORDERED. 

Dated: April 30, 2007 

 

 Magistrate Judge E

U

lizabeth D. Laporte 

NITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IT IS SO ORDERED

AS MODIFIED

Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte

Case 3:02-cv-03805-EDL Document 243 Filed 04/30/07 Page 4 of 4