Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_02-cv-01157/USCOURTS-caed-2_02-cv-01157-11/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

GREGORIO C. FUNTANILLA,

Plaintiff, No. CIV S-02-1157 LKK GGH P

vs.

KAREN KELLY, et al.,

Defendants. ORDER

 /

Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding pro se with a civil rights action pursuant to

42 U.S.C. § 1983. Pending before the court is defendants’ March 20, 2007, request to modify the

scheduling order and for leave to file a summary judgment motion. For the following reasons,

this motion is denied.

On August 22, 2005, the court issued the original scheduling order. In this order,

the court set the motion cut-off deadline for January 27, 2006. On November 7, 2005, plaintiff

filed a motion for partial summary judgment. On May 19, 2006, defendants filed a pretrial

statement. In the section titled “Further Discovery or Motions,” defendants stated, “Anticipated

Motion for Summary Judgment if leave is granted.” May 19, 2006, pretrial statement, p. 14. 

On May 23, 2006, the court issued an order vacating the pretrial conference and

jury trial pending resolution of plaintiff’s motion. On September 7, 2006, the court

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recommended that plaintiff’s motion be denied. On January 8, 2007, the Honorable Lawrence K.

Karlton adopted these findings and recommendations. On January 17, 2006, the court issued a

new scheduling order setting the pretrial conference for April 6, 2007, and the jury trial for June

26, 2007, before Judge Karlton.

In the pending request, defendants seek leave to file a summary judgment motion. 

Defendants state that the former Deputy Attorney General who was assigned to the case prior to

April 2006 was in the process of leaving the office to assume an appointed position with another

state agency. Defendants state that it is anticipated that their summary judgment motion will

result in the dismissal of most, if not all, of the remaining defendants and claims. 

Present counsel has been assigned to this case since April 2006. There is no

explanation as to why counsel waited approximately 11 months to make the pending request. 

The sentence in defendants’ pretrial statement that they anticipated filing a summary judgment

motion if leave was granted did not constitute a proper request for leave to file a belated

summary judgment motion. 

The court sets deadlines for the filing of pretrial motions, etc. so that cases move

forward and are resolved in a timely and efficient fashion. While the court extends those

deadlines upon a showing of good cause, for the reasons discussed above, the court finds no good

cause has been shown to grant the pending request.

On March 14, 2007, plaintiff filed a request that the court re-set the deadline for

the filing of his pretrial statement due to inadequate law library access caused by a chicken-pox

out break. Good cause appearing, the court will grant plaintiff a thirty day extension of time to

file his pretrial statement.

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Defendants’ March 20, 2007, request to modify the scheduling order is denied;

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2. Plaintiff’s request for an extension of time to file a pretrial statement is

granted; plaintiff’s pretrial statement is due within thirty days of the date of this order;

defendants’ pretrial statement is due twenty days thereafter.

DATED: 4/3/07

/s/ Gregory G. Hollows

 

 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

funt1157.ord

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