Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_04-cv-05908/USCOURTS-caed-1_04-cv-05908-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 360
Nature of Suit: Other Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 28:2671 Federal Tort Claims Act

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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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PAUL A. WELCHANS, Esq. 

State Bar No. 112680 

CHAIN, YOUNGER, COHN & STILES 

1430 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 100 

Bakersfield, CA 93301 

Telephone: (661) 323-4000 

Facsimile: (661) 324-1352 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

United States District Court 

Eastern District of California 

NILA DUNCAN, ROYCE DUNCAN, 

 Plaintiffs, 

 vs. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DOES 

1 to 100, 

 Defendant. 

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Case No.: 1:04-CV-5908 DLB 

JOINT STIPULATION FOR FURTHER 

STATUS CONFERENCE; DECLARATION 

OF PAUL A. WELCHANS; PROPOSED 

ORDER 

 IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED BY AND BETWEEN THE PARTIES, the 

following: 

 Due to the injuries sustained by Nila Duncan on 

February 16, 2006, and the circumstances surrounding those 

injuries, and based upon the declaration of Paul A. 

Welchans, Esq., the parties, by and through their attorneys 

of record, jointly stipulate and request of the court that 

the Court schedule a Further Status Conference to be 

addressed at the conclusion of defendant’s MOTION TO 

Case 1:04-cv-05908-DLB Document 35 Filed 03/16/06 Page 1 of 7
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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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DISMISS, OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE, FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT 

ADJUDICATION OF ISSUES scheduled on March 31, 2006, 

9:00 a.m., Courtroom 9, to discuss the following matters: 

(Note: The United States wishes to clarify that it 

stipulates to plaintiffs’ request to vacate the pretrial 

conference and trial dates at this time, and is willing to 

discuss the remaining issues set forth below at the further 

status conference.) 

1. Vacate presently scheduled dates for the Pretrial 

Conference and Trial Date and reschedule the same; 

2. Reopening of discovery to allow further 

depositions into the circumstances of the incident 

of February 16, 2006 as well as the nature and 

extent of the injuries; 

 3. If additional discovery is allowed, allow for 

 designation of additional treating medical experts 

 and allow further defense medical examination 

 should that be desired; 

 4. Consider allowing Plaintiffs to amend their claim 

 for damages to exceed the $250,000 set forth in 

 the Form 95 claim originally filed prior to this 

 lawsuit. 

Case 1:04-cv-05908-DLB Document 35 Filed 03/16/06 Page 2 of 7
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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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DATED: March 15, 2006 CHAIN, YOUNGER, COHN & STILES 

 By: __/s/ Paul A. Welchans____ PAUL A. WELCHANS 

 Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

DATED: March 15, 2006 UNITED STATES ATTORNEY 

 By: __/s/ Brian Enos_________ BRIAN ENOS 

 Attorneys for Defendant. 

DECLARATION OF PAUL A. WELCHANS

I am an attorney duly licensed to practice in all the 

courts of the State of California, and in the United 

States Federal Court, Eastern District of California, and 

am attorney of record for Plaintiffs Royce Duncan and Nila 

Duncan in the above-entitled matter. This declaration is 

offered in support of a Joint Stipulation for Further 

Status Conference in this matter for the reasons set forth 

below: 

 On or about February 16, 2006, Nila Duncan, plaintiff 

in the above-entitled matter, sustained a fall in her home 

while making her bed. This Declarant is informed and 

believes that Ms. Duncan's left foot/ankle gave way 

causing her left leg to fall into the bed frame. This 

Declarant is further informed and believes that as a 

Case 1:04-cv-05908-DLB Document 35 Filed 03/16/06 Page 3 of 7
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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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result of this fall, Ms. Duncan sustained proximal 

fractures of both the tibia and fibula as well as 

disrupting her femoral artery. She was rushed to Sierra 

View District Hospital where emergency surgery was 

performed in order to restore blood supply to her lower 

left extremity. She was stabilized and transferred to 

County/USC Hospital in Los Angeles. Thereafter, further 

repair of the artery was undertaken and the fractures 

reduced by means of open reduction with internal fixation. 

 Ms. Duncan was hospitalized at County/USC through March 

7, 2006. At that time she was transferred to Kaweah Delta 

Rehabilitation Hospital in Visalia, to be closer to her 

home in Porterville where she is expected to remain for 1-

2 weeks. She is still non-weight bearing at this time. 

This Declarant is informed and believes that she will 

undergo several months of physical therapy after further 

healing has taken place. 

 This Declarant is informed and believes that Nila 

Duncan believes that her left foot/ankle gave way on 

February 16, 2006 due to residual injuries from her 

original accident involving the left lower extremity on 

October 14, 2002, and she desires to include this claim of 

injury in her existing complaint as a subsequent accident 

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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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which was a consequence of her impaired physical condition 

caused by her original injury as provided by California 

law. 

 On March 9, 2006, this Declarant attempted to contact 

counsel for Defendant, United States of America, Brian 

Enos, Esq., but was unsuccessful. This Declarant did 

leave a detailed telephone message explaining the 

circumstances of the injuries sustained by Ms. Duncan and 

that this Declarant believed it would be necessary to 

continue the trial date and reopen discovery to allow 

further deposition of Ms. Duncan as well as the medical 

care providers concerning this injury. This Declarant 

also indicated that it would be necessary to request 

permission of the court to expand upon the amount of the 

damages claimed. Mr. Enos left a message for this 

Declarant on March 10, 2006 indicating a willingness to 

stipulate to a further status conference to discuss this 

matter. Since all parties will be in attendance for the 

hearing of defendant’s motions on March 31, 2006, this 

date is requested for a Further Status Conference. 

 Based upon the foregoing, and the attached Joint 

Stipulation to Request Further Status Conference, this 

Declarant respectfully requests that the court set a 

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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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Further Status Conference to be heard concurrently with 

defendant’s MOTION TO DISMISS, March 31, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. 

in Courtroom 9, to discuss the following issues and such 

other issues as the court may desire to explore: 

 1. Reopening of discovery to allow further depositions 

 into the circumstances of the incident of 

 February 16, 2006 as well as the nature and 

 extent of the injuries; 

 2. After additional discovery, allow for designation 

 of additional treating medical experts and allow 

 further defense medical examination should that be 

 desired; 

3. Vacate presently scheduled dates for the Pretrial 

Conference and Trial Date and reschedule the same; 

4. Allow Plaintiffs to amend their claim for damages 

to exceed the $250,000 set forth in the Form 95 

claim originally filed prior to this lawsuit; 

 

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 I declare, under penalty of perjury, the foregoing 

is true and correct. Executed this 15th day of March 

2006 at Bakersfield, California. 

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PLAINTIFFS’ STATEMENT OF DISPUTED MATERIAL FACTS; EVIDENCE 

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 _/s/ Paul A. Welchans_______ 

 PAUL A. WELCHANS 

PROPOSED ORDER

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: 

 A Further Status Conference is scheduled on March 31, 

2006 at 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom 9 to address the matters 

stated above. 

DATE: March 16, 2006 __/s/ Dennis L. Beck_________ 

 THE HONORABLE DENNIS L. BECK 

 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE 

Case 1:04-cv-05908-DLB Document 35 Filed 03/16/06 Page 7 of 7