Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_09-cv-04980/USCOURTS-cand-3_09-cv-04980-6/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 365
Nature of Suit: Personal Injury - Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Account Receivable

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

IN RE: YASMIN AND YAZ (DROSPIRENONE) MARKETING,

SALES PRACTICES AND PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION

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3:09-md-02100-DRH-PMF 

MDL No. 2100 

This Document Relates to: 

ALL CASES 

ORDER # 12 

CASE MANAGEMENT

(PFS) 

A. Plaintiff Fact Sheet, Authorizations and Responsive Documents.

1. The parties have agreed upon a Plaintiff Fact Sheet (“PFS”) that includes 

document requests in Section XII and a variety of Authorizations. See Exhibit 1. Each Plaintiff 

shall produce to Defendants a completed PFS, executed Authorizations and documents 

responsive to Section XII of the PFS (“Responsive Documents”) pursuant to the terms of this 

Order.

2. A completed PFS, which requires that each Plaintiff sign the Declaration in 

Section XIII, shall be considered to be interrogatory answers and responses to requests for 

production under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and will be governed by the standards 

applicable to written discovery under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Accordingly, 

Defendants’ use of the PFS is in lieu of interrogatories and other discovery devices that they 

would otherwise have propounded. As set forth below in Section C, each PFS that is completed 

must be substantially complete. The PFS questions and requests for production have been 

negotiated and agreed to by the parties. All objections to the admissibility of information 

contained in the PFS are reserved and therefore no objections shall be lodged in the responses to 

the questions and requests contained in the PFS.

3. Nothing in this section prohibits a Plaintiff from withholding or redacting 

information based upon a recognized privilege. If information is withheld or redacted on the 

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basis of privilege, Plaintiff shall provide Defendants with a privilege log. In the event that a 

dispute arises concerning the completeness or adequacy of a Plaintiff’s response to any request 

contained in the PFS, this section shall not prohibit the Plaintiff from asserting that his or her 

response is adequate.

4. Nothing in the PFS shall be deemed to limit the scope of inquiry at depositions 

and admissibility of evidence at trial. The scope of inquiry at depositions shall remain governed 

by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The admissibility of information in responses to the 

PFS shall be governed by the Federal Rules and no objections are waived by virtue of any PFS 

response. 

B. Schedule of Production of PFSs. 

 1. Each Plaintiff whose case is currently docketed in this Court or whose case 

becomes part of this MDL after the date of entry of this Order shall have 45 days from the date 

of service of the first answer to her Complaint or the docketing of her case in this MDL, or 45 

days from the date of this Order, whichever is later, to produce to Defendants a completed PFS, 

executed Authorizations and Responsive Documents. As to cases transferred to this MDL after 

the date of this Order, Defendants will send timely notice by first-class mail of entry of the 

Transfer Order in the MDL-2100 docket to Plaintiff’s counsel identified on the “Involved 

Counsel” service list provided by the JPML, and will inform Plaintiff’s counsel that, pursuant to 

this Order, Plaintiff has 45 days from the date of service of the first answer to her Complaint or 

the docketing of her case in this MDL, whichever is later, to produce to Defendants a completed 

PFS, executed Authorizations and Responsive Documents. 

 2. Plaintiffs who file a case directly in the Southern District of Illinois are hereby on 

notice that, pursuant to this Order, each Plaintiff has 45 days from the date of service of the first 

answer to her Complaint to produce to Defendants a completed PFS, executed Authorizations 

and Responsive Documents. 

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3. Service of the PFS shall be either in hard-copy or in an electronic format on CD 

via first class mail, addressed to Defendants’ Counsel at: 

YAZ MDL Plaintiff Fact Sheet 

c/o Susan A. Weber, Esq. 

Sidley Austin LLP 

One South Dearborn 

Chicago, IL 60603 

C. PFSs Must Be Substantially Complete In All Respects. Every Plaintiff is required to 

provide Defendants’ Counsel (as set forth above) with a PFS that is substantially complete in all 

respects. Substantially complete in all respects requires that a Plaintiff:

1. Answer all applicable questions in the PFS (Plaintiff may answer questions in 

good faith by indicating “not applicable” or “I don’t know” or “Unknown”; 

2. Include a signed Declaration (found at Section XIII of the PFS); 

3. Provide duly executed record release Authorizations; and 

4. Produce the documents requested in the PFS, to the extent such documents are in 

Plaintiff’s possession. 

D. Authorizations For The Release Of Records. 

1. As set forth above, Authorizations for the Release of Records together with copies 

of such records, to the extent that those records or copies thereof are in the Plaintiff’s possession, 

shall be provided along with the PFS at the time that the Plaintiff is required to serve a PFS 

pursuant to this Order

2. In addition to the addressed Authorizations described above, Plaintiff’s counsel 

shall also maintain in their file unaddressed, executed Authorizations. Plaintiff’s counsel shall 

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provide executed Authorizations to Defendants’ counsel within 21 days of a request for 

Authorizations. 

3. Undated Authorizations constitute permission for Defendants to date (and where 

applicable, re-date) Authorizations before sending to records custodians. Should Plaintiffs 

provide Authorizations that are dated, this shall not constitute a deficiency or be deemed a 

substantially non-complete PFS. 

4. In the event that an institution or medical provider to whom any Authorization is 

presented refuses to provide records in response to that Authorization, Defendants shall notify 

Plaintiff’s individual representative counsel. Should a particular form be required, Defendants 

will provide it to Plaintiff’s individual representative counsel. The individual Plaintiff shall 

execute and return within 21 days whatever form is required by that institution or provider. 

5. Defendants’ record copy service shall have the right to contact institutions or 

medical providers to follow-up on medical record copying or production. 

E. Non-compliance with PFS Requirements. 

1. Any Plaintiff who fails to comply with her PFS obligations under this Order may 

be subject to having her claims, as well as any derivative claim(s), dismissed. If Defendants 

have not received a completed PFS from a Plaintiff within 20 days following the due date set 

forth herein, Defendants will send a Notice of Overdue Discovery to Plaintiff’s counsel 

identifying the discovery overdue and stating that, unless the Plaintiff complies with the Court’s 

discovery orders, the case may be subject to dismissal. If Defendants have not received a 

completed PFS within 21 days after serving a Plaintiff with a 20-day notice, Defendants may 

move the Court for an Order dismissing the Complaint without prejudice. Plaintiff shall have 14 

days from the date of Defendants’ motion to file a response either certifying that the Plaintiff has 

served upon Defendants and Defendants have received a completed PFS, and attaching 

appropriate documentation of receipt or an opposition to Defendants’ motion. If a Plaintiff files 

such a notice, the Plaintiff’s claims shall not be dismissed. Unless Plaintiff has served 

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Defendants with a completed PFS or has moved to vacate the dismissal without prejudice within 

60 days after entry of any such Order of Dismissal without Prejudice, the order will be converted 

to a Dismissal With Prejudice upon Defendants’ motion.    

F. Copies of Records. Defendants or their designee shall make available all records 

obtained by use of Authorizations to the attorney of record for each individual Plaintiff within 30 

days of the receipt of the records. The parties shall meet and confer concerning the mechanism 

for providing copies of medical records and the payment for such copies. 

G. Defendant Fact Sheet. A separate Case Management Order to govern a Defendant Fact 

Sheet (“DFS”) shall be submitted to the Court shortly.

Dated: March 3, 2010 /s/ DavidRHer|do|

 Honorable David R. Herndon 

 Chief Judge, United States District Court 

MO792463

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