Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_04-cv-03772/USCOURTS-cand-4_04-cv-03772-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 442
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Employment
Cause of Action: 42:2000e Job Discrimination (Employment)

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 It is unnecessary for the Court to decide whether Darryl Moore in his individual capacity is also

a 'necessary party' under Rule 19.

1

U

nite

d

States District C

o

u

rt

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

John Frederic Garmon,

 Plaintiff,

 v.

Peralta Community College District,

et al., 

 Defendant(s).

_____________________________/

No. C 04-3772 WDB

ORDER FOLLOWING HEARING ON

PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR LEAVE

TO FILE SECOND AMENDED

COMPLAINT 

AND

AMENDED PRE-TRIAL ORDER 

 

On November 30, 2005, the Court conducted a hearing on plaintiff's motion for leave

to file a second Amended Complaint. For reasons articulated more thoroughly on the record,

the Court ORDERS as follows.

1. The Court first finds that Darryl Moore in his individual capacity is a 'proper party'

as that term is defined by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 20 ("Rule 20").1

2. The Court must next determine whether it should grant leave to amend under Rule

15. The Court is not persuaded that plaintiff's counsel delayed unduly or demonstrated bad

faith in the filing of the instant motion. Defendants also argue that they will be unduly

prejudiced by plaintiff's proposed amendment because they will not be able to conduct

Case 4:04-cv-03772-WDB Document 44 Filed 12/01/05 Page 1 of 8
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discovery as to the new matters contained in plaintiff's proposed Second Amended Complaint

or to challenge the sufficiency of that Complaint through a Rule 12(b)(6) motion. Because

the Court will re-open discovery on these limited topics and will extend the deadline for

filing motions, defendants will not be unduly prejudiced if the Court grants plaintiff's motion.

In sum, because leave to amend should be freely granted when justice so requires, and

because the Court does not believe any of the Foman factors are present, the Court hereby

GRANTS plaintiff's motion for leave to file a Second Amended Complaint.

3. When preparing for the hearing on the instant motion, the Court discovered that

plaintiff's First Amended Complaint had never been filed in the Court's docket. (As

defendants answered this Complaint on March 11, 2005, it is clear that plaintiff did serve the

First Amended Complaint). The Court requested (and received) a chambers copy of

plaintiff's First Amended Complaint, and on November 28, 2005, plaintiff's counsel e-filed

(for the first time) a copy of the First Amended Complaint. The Court now ORDERS the

Clerk's Office to file plaintiff's First Amended Complaint nunc pro tunc to February 18,

2005. As of today, however, the plaintiff's operative pleading is the Second Amended

Complaint.

4. By December 5, 2005, plaintiff's counsel must separately e-file plaintiff's Second

Amended Complaint.

5. The Court hereby REOPENS discovery, but only on the new allegations contained

in plaintiff's Second Amended Complaint. The new discovery cut-off date is February 7,

2006. 

6. The Court VACATES the previously scheduled deadline for the hearing of

motions, and the previously scheduled dates for the final Pre-Trial Conference and the trial.

New dates are set forth below.

AMENDED PRE-TRIAL ORDER

1. The jury trial shall begin on Tuesday, May 2, 2006, at 8:30 a.m., in Courtroom 4,

Third Floor, United States Courthouse, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, California. 

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2. The deadline for filing dispositive (or partially dispositive) motions is February

21, 2006. The parties must call the Court's administrative law clerk at (510) 637-3324 to

reserve a date and time for the hearing on any such motions.

3. On April 20, 2006, at 1:30 p.m., the Court will hold the final pretrial conference.

Lead trial counsel for each party must participate in the conference. 

4. Not less than 30 days prior to the date of the Final Pretrial Conference, the parties

must meet and take all steps necessary to fulfill the requirements of this order.

WITNESSES AND DEPOSITION TESTIMONY

5. No less than 15 court days before the final pretrial conference, each party must

file, serve, and separately lodge with chambers a list of witnesses it intends to call on direct

examination, in the order that the party expects to call them, with a brief description of the

subject areas upon which each witness will testify, a description of the significance (in terms

of factual propositions and/or legal theories) of the expected testimony, and an estimate of

the time that direct examination will consume. Each party also must file and serve, with its

witness list, excerpts from the deposition testimony of witnesses not testifying in person that

may be presented at trial, specifically reproducing the pages and marking the lines of the

relevant transcript excerpts. Two copies of the witness list and deposition excerpts must be

lodged directly with chambers. (Full deposition volumes should not be lodged with the

Court.)

6. The parties will be precluded from offering substantive evidence (i.e., evidence

offered for any purpose other than impeachment) by live testimony through any person not

listed on the witness list or by deposition testimony not included in the submitted excerpts,

and will be precluded from supplementing the witness list or the deposition excerpts after the

deadline set herein for exchanging this material, except upon the express permission of the

Court. The Court will permit the testimony of persons not designated in the witness list or

the use of deposition excerpts not timely disclosed only upon a substantial showing that: (a)

no party will be prejudiced or suffer undue hardship, (b) the failure to timely designate the

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witness or testimony was clearly justified, and (c) the interests of justice otherwise warrant

permitting the testimony.

7. Counsel ordinarily will be permitted at trial to present foundational matter and

factual evidence describing the educational and employment background of witnesses in

summary, leading form. 

EXHIBITS

8. No less than 15 court days before the final pretrial conference, counsel must

exchange all exhibits (premarked), including demonstrative exhibits, that they intend to use

as part of their case-in-chief at trial.

9. Except for purposes of impeachment, the parties will be precluded from offering

in evidence, using as demonstrative evidence, or examining any of their witnesses concerning

any exhibit not exchanged by this deadline, except upon the express permission of the Court.

The Court will permit supplementation of exhibits after the exchange date only upon a

substantial showing that: (a) no party will be prejudiced or suffer undue hardship, (b) the

failure to timely designate the exhibit was clearly justified, and (c) the interests of justice

otherwise warrant the supplemental designation. 

10. The Court has attached to this Order the form of exhibit labels to be used by each

side. Each side should label their exhibits prior to trial. Plaintiff must label his exhibits

numerically as follows: “P-1, -2, etc ....” Defendants must label their exhibits numerically

as follows: “D-1, -2, etc” Counsel must not write in the space provided for “date entered”

or “signature.” The Court has also attached to this Order an example of an “Exhibit List.”

Each party must create an Exhibit List that is substantially similar to the attached form and,

prior to trial, must list the number of each exhibit the party intends to offer at trial and briefly

describe each such exhibit. 

11. No less than 2 court days before the start of trial, each party must deliver to

chambers, in looseleaf binders, a sufficient number of complete sets of all documentary

exhibits to ensure that the judge, his law clerk, and each juror will have their own set of

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documentary exhibits during trial. These sets are in addition to exhibits counsel will

officially submit to the courtroom deputy at trial and any copies of exhibits counsel will want

to show witnesses on the stand. All exhibits must be premarked for identification according

to the system set forth herein.

EVIDENTIARY MOTIONS

12. No less than 12 court days before the final pretrial conference, counsel must meet

and confer to resolve any objections to the use of witnesses, deposition excerpts, and/or

exhibits. 

13. The Court will entertain foundational objections as to any document only if (1)

the document is of real significance in adjudicating the merits of the case and (2) objecting

counsel articulates a principled basis for believing that the document is not what it purports

to be. 

14. If, after meeting and conferring, a party continues to object to the admission of

evidence on either of the following foundational grounds: (1) the authenticity of a document

or exhibit, or (2) the qualifications of expert witnesses, the objecting party may file a motion

to exclude the evidence, along with any other motions in limine.

15. All motions in limine, including those referred to in paragraph 14, must be filed,

served and lodged separately with chambers no less than 10 court days before the final

pretrial conference. Failure to file a timely objection may waive a party's right to challenge

the admissibility of evidence at trial. 

16. No less than 5 court days before the final pretrial conference, oppositions to

evidentiary motions must be filed, served, and separately lodged with chambers. There will

be no replies.

VOIR DIRE

17. Counsel must meet to prepare a joint set of voir dire questions. 

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18. No less than 10 court days before the final pretrial conference, the parties must

file jointly a set of voir dire questions they would propose the Court to ask. (Note: The Court

has attached to this order a short list of basic questions which the Court will ask the potential

jurors in open court.) The parties also must deliver a copy of the proposed voir dire

questions directly to chambers. The parties also must describe any request to conduct limited

voir dire by counsel, setting forth each proposed question and justifying why the question

should be asked by counsel rather than the Court.

19. Proposed voir dire questions about which the parties cannot agree also must be

set forth in the parties' joint submission. In the parties' joint submission, (1) the proponent

of the question must set forth succinctly the basis for his or her request that the question be

asked, with citation to authority, and immediately thereafter, (2) the party opposing use of

the question must set forth succinctly the basis for his or her opposition, with citation to

authority. 

JURY INSTRUCTIONS

20. Counsel must meet to prepare a joint set of case-specific jury instructions.

21. No later than 15 court days before the final pretrial conference, the parties must

file their joint set of proposed case-specific jury instructions. The parties also must deliver

two copies of the proposed jury instructions directly to chambers. The parties must not

submit generic instructions; the Court uses the instructions approved by the Ninth Circuit for

these purposes.

22. Proposed jury instructions about which the parties cannot agree also must be set

forth in the parties' joint submission. In the parties' joint submission, (1) the proponent of

the instruction must set forth succinctly the basis for his or her request that the instruction be

given, with citation to authority, and immediately thereafter, (2) the party opposing use of the

instruction must set forth succinctly the basis for his or her opposition, with citation to

authority.

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JOINT PRETRIAL STATEMENTS

23. Counsel must meet to prepare a joint pretrial statement. The parties must file the

joint pretrial statement no later than 15 court days before the final pretrial conference.

Counsel also must deliver two copies of the statement directly to chambers. The joint pretrial

statement must contain the following information:

a. a succinct chronological description of the alleged events and circumstances

out of which the parties' claims and defenses arise;

b. a brief description of the substance of claims and defenses that remain to be

decided, citing the primary sources of legal authority for each such claim or

defense;

c. a statement of the relief requested, itemizing the elements of damages claimed;

d. a statement of any stipulations proposed for pretrial and trial purposes.

PRESENTATION TIME LIMITS

24. Counsel are advised that at the final pretrial conference the Court will impose

time limitations on each side's presentation at trial. Usually, the Court imposes "over-all"

limits on each side (e.g., 12 hours each), meaning that each party may use the allotted time

in whatever manner the party chooses, e.g., making an opening statement, conducting direct

and cross-examination, entering documents, performing demonstrations, making closing

argument, etc. Accordingly, counsel must attempt to generate a joint proposal with respect

to what amount of time will be necessary to present this case, and must be prepared to justify

their proposal(s) at the final pretrial conference.

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SETTLEMENT

25. The Court strongly encourages the parties to continue discussing settlement of

the case, exploring in good faith all reasonable settlement options. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: December 1, 2005 /s/ Wayne D. Brazil 

WAYNE D. BRAZIL

United States Magistrate Judge

Copies to:

Parties, WDB

stats

Attachments

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