Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_15-cv-01590/USCOURTS-cand-4_15-cv-01590-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 899
Nature of Suit: Other Statutes - Administrative Procedure Act/Review or Appeal of Agency Decision
Cause of Action: 05:551 Administrative Procedure Act

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Center for Food Safety et al. v. Vilsack et al., No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

Stipulation to Set Briefing Schedule

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BENJAMIN C. MIZER 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General 

ERIC R. WOMACK 

Assistant Branch Director 

M. ANDREW ZEE (CA Bar No. 272510) 

Attorney 

Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch 

U.S. Department of Justice 

450 Golden Gate Avenue, Room 7-5395 

San Francisco, CA 94102 

Telephone: (415) 436-6646 

Facsimile: (415) 436-6632 

E-mail: m.andrew.zee@usdoj.gov 

Attorneys for Defendants 

 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

TOM VILSACK, in his official capacity as 

Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

STIPULATION AND ORDER TO SET 

BRIEFING SCHEDULE FOR 

DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS 

AMENDED COMPLAINT 

 

 

Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 1 of 7
Center for Food Safety et al. v. Vilsack et al., No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

Stipulation to Set Briefing Schedule

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STIPULATION 

 Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 6-1(a), Plaintiffs, Center for Food Safety, Beyond 

Pesticides, Equal Exchange, Food & Water Watch, La Montanita Co-op, Organic Seed Growers 

and Trade Association, The Cornucopia Institute, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, 

PCC Natural Markets, Greensward/New Natives LLC, Frey Vineyards, Ltd., Organic Consumers 

Association, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and Ohio Ecological Food and 

Farm Association, and Defendants, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture; Anne Alonzo, Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service; and Miles 

McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program, all sued solely in their official 

capacities, through their respective undersigned counsel, stipulate and agree as follows: 

1. On April 7, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Complaint in this Court asserting two causes of 

action against Defendants. ECF No. 1. In response, Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss, ECF 

No. 16. Following briefing and a motion hearing pursuant to a stipulated briefing schedule, see 

ECF No. 12, the Court on October 9, 2015 entered an Order Granting the Motion to Dismiss with 

leave to file an Amended Complaint. ECF No. 49. On October 30, 2015, Plaintiffs filed their 

Amended Complaint. ECF No. 50. Defendants anticipate that, in response to Plaintiffs’ 

Amended Complaint, they may file a dispositive Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b). 

2. Counsel for the parties have conferred and, consistent with the Commentary to 

Local Rule 7-2, wish to stipulate to the below briefing schedule for Defendants’ anticipated 

Motion to Dismiss:

 December 10, 2015: Defendants’ deadline to file Motion to Dismiss or 

Answer to Amended Complaint.

 January 21, 2016: Plaintiffs’ deadline to file Opposition to Motion.

Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 2 of 7
Center for Food Safety et al. v. Vilsack et al., No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

Stipulation to Set Briefing Schedule

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 February 4, 2016: Defendants’ deadline to file Reply in Support of Motion.

 February 18, 2016 or as soon as feasible thereafter: Hearing on Motion at a 

time convenient to the Court. 

3. The reasons for the requested additional time for the parties’ briefing are the need 

to address thoroughly those issues presented by Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint in any motion 

briefing, as well as existing commitments in the schedules of counsel for Plaintiffs and 

Defendants. 

4. Pursuant to Local Rule 6-2(a), undersigned counsel for Defendants has filed a 

declaration in support of this stipulation. 

 THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED, by and between the 

parties, subject to the Court’s approval, that the above briefing schedule shall govern any Motion 

to Dismiss filed by Defendants in response to the Amended Complaint. 

 

Dated: November 5, 2015. Respectfully submitted, 

 /s/ Sylvia Shih-Yau Wu PAIGE M. TOMASELLI 

(State Bar No. 237737) 

SYLVIA SHIH-YAU WU 

(State Bar No. 273549) 

Center for Food Safety 

303 Sacramento Street, 2nd Floor 

San Francisco, CA 94111 

Phone: (415) 826-2770 

Fax: (415) 826-0507 

Emails: ptomaselli@centerforfoodsafety.org 

swu@centerforfoodsafety.org 

Counsel for Plaintiffs

 

Dated: November 5, 2015. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

BENJAMIN C. MIZER 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General 

Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 3 of 7
Center for Food Safety et al. v. Vilsack et al., No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

Stipulation to Set Briefing Schedule

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ERIC R. WOMACK 

Assistant Branch Director 

 /s/ Andrew Zee 

M. ANDREW ZEE (CA Bar No. 272510) 

Attorney 

Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Attorneys for Defendants 

 

Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 4 of 7
Center for Food Safety et al. v. Vilsack et al., No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

Stipulation to Set Briefing Schedule

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ATTESTATION 

 Pursuant to Local Rule 5-1(i)(3), I attest that I am the ECF user whose user ID and 

password are being used in the electronic filing of this document, and further attest that I have 

obtained the concurrence in the filing of the document from the other signatory. 

 /s/ Andrew Zee 

 M. ANDREW ZEE (CA Bar #272510) 

Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 5 of 7
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Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 6 of 7
Center for Food Safety et al. v. Vilsack et al., No. 3:15-cv-01590-HSG 

Stipulation to Set Briefing Schedule

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

 I hereby certify that on the 5th day of November, 2015, I electronically transmitted the 

foregoing document to the Clerk of Court using the ECF System for filing. 

 /s/ Andrew Zee 

 M. ANDREW ZEE 

Case 4:15-cv-01590-HSG Document 52 Filed 11/09/15 Page 7 of 7