Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_11-cv-05678/USCOURTS-cand-5_11-cv-05678-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 895
Nature of Suit: Freedom of Information Act of 1974
Cause of Action: 05:552 Right to Privacy Act

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MELINDA HAAG (CSBN 132612)

United States Attorney

JOANN M. SWANSON (CSBN 88143)

Chief, Civil Division

JAMES A. SCHARF (CSBN 152171)

Assistant United States Attorney

150 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 900

San Jose, CA 95113

Telephone: (408) 535-5044

FAX: (408) 535-5081

James.Scharf@usdoj.gov

Attorneys for Defendant United States Department of Education1

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

 SAN JOSE DIVISION

RANDY CHAPEL, ) CASE NO. CV 11-04344 PSG

)

Plaintiff, )

)

v. )

)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT )

OF EDUCATION, )

)

Defendant. )

____________________________________)

)

)

CAROL NYE-WILSON, )

DALE WILSON ) CASE NO. CV 11-05678 HRL

)

Plaintiffs, ) ADMINISTRATION MOTIONS TO

) CONSIDER WHETHER CASES

v. ) SHOULD BE RELATED AND TO

) EXTEND TIME TO RESPOND TO

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT ) COMPLAINT; SUPPORTING 

OF EDUCATION, ) DECLARATION; [PROPOSED] 

) ORDER

Defendant. )

____________________________________)

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that, pursuant to Civil L. R. 3-12 and Civil L. R. 7-11,

Defendant United States Department of Education hereby moves the Court for an order finding

Counsel for the defendant in Case No. CV 11-05678 HRL specially appears for the 1

purposes of this motion only. 

Case 5:11-cv-05678-PSG Document 6 Filed 01/02/12 Page 1 of 6
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that the above-referenced cases are related.

These FOIA actions should be related because the actions concern substantially similar

FOIA requests. Litigating these cases before different judges would not be an efficient use of the

Court’s resources and could result in inconsistent judgments. See Civil L.R. 3-12(a). 

Accordingly, defendant requests that these cases be found to be related and that the later-filed

case, CV 11-05678 HRL, be reassigned to Magistrate Judge Grewal for future her handling. 

Plaintiffs in both cases have consented in writing to having Magistrate Judge Grewal handle both

cases.

In addition, defendant hereby moves the Court for an order extending the time for

defendant to respond to the complaint in CV 11-05678 HRL, which is now due on January 3,

2012. Defendant intends to respond to plaintiffs’ outstanding FOIA requests on or about

December 23, 2011. Defendant’s response to the complaint in CV 11-05678 HRL is currently

due January 3, 2012. As it did in CV 11-04344, defendant intends to file a motion to dismiss

rather than an answer on the grounds that the lawsuit is moot. However, in order prepare that

motion, defendant would like to receive the Court’s anticipated order on defendant’s motion to

dismiss in CV 11-04344 PSG as said order may address the reasonableness of defendant’s search

efforts and thus affect defendant’s arguments. 

In addition, defense counsel AUSA James A. Scharf will be on vacation during the week

of December 26, 2011 and agency counsel Jill Siegelbaum will be out of the office from

December 23 through December 29, 2011. Because of their unavailability during this period of

time, it will be very difficult for defendant to file a motion on January 3, 2012.

In addition, the requested extension would afford the parties additional time to meet and

confer regarding the sufficiency of December 23, 2011 response to plaintiffs’ outstanding FOIA

requests prior to filing its motion. 

Accordingly, defendant requests that the Court issue an order requiring defendant to

respond to plaintiffs’ complaint in CV 11-05678 HRL within 30 days of the filing of its order on

defendant’s motion to dismiss in CV 11-04344 PSG. Alternatively, defendant requests that the

Court grant defendant an additional thirty days to respond to the complaint to and including

Case 5:11-cv-05678-PSG Document 6 Filed 01/02/12 Page 2 of 6
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February 2, 2012. 

Dated: December 16, 2011 Respectfully submitted,

MELINDA HAAG

United States Attorney

___________/S/_____________

James A. Scharf

Assistant United States Attorney

DECLARATION OF JAMES A. SCHARF

I, James A. Scharf, declare as follows:

1. I am an attorney in good standing with the bar of this Court. I represent defendant

United States Department of Education in CV 11-04344 PSG and currently expect to represent

defendant United States Department of Education in CV 11-05678 HRL. This declaration is

made in support of the Administrative Motions to Determine Whether Cases Should Be Related

in accordance with Civil Local Rule 3-12 and Civil Local Rule 7-11 and to Extend Time to

Respond to Complaint. 

2. The matters stated in this declaration are true of my own personal knowledge

and/or review of my files and, if necessary, I could and would competently testify to them. 

3. Both CV 11-04344 PSG and CV 11-05678 HRL are FOIA lawsuits based on

substantially similar FOIA requests. Further, Ms. Nye-Wilson is Randy Chapel’s mother and it

appears that Mr. Chapel is helping Ms. Nye-Wilson and Dale Wilson make FOIA requests and

litigate their action. Accordingly, defendant requests an order finding these cases related and

transferring the later-filed action to Magistrate Judge Grewal. Plaintiffs in both cases have

consented in writing to having Magistrate Judge Grewal handle both cases. 

4. Defendant intends to respond to Ms. Nye-Wilson’s and Dale Wilson’s outstanding

FOIA requests on or about December 23, 2011. Defendant’s response to their complaint is

currently due January 3, 2012. As it did in CV 11-04344 PSG, defendant intends to file a motion

to dismiss on the grounds that their lawsuit is moot. However, in order to prepare that motion,

defendant would like to receive the Court’s anticipated order on defendant’s motion to dismiss in

Case 5:11-cv-05678-PSG Document 6 Filed 01/02/12 Page 3 of 6
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CV 11-04344 (heard December 6, 2011) as said order may address the reasonableness of

defendant’s document search efforts and thus affect defendant’s arguments.

5. In addition, defense counsel AUSA James A. Scharf will be on vacation during

the week of December 26, 2011 and agency counsel Jill Siegelbaum will be out of the office

from December 23 through December 29, 2011. Because of their unavailability during this

period of time, it will be very difficult for defendant to file a motion on January 3, 2012.

6. Granting this request would also afford the parties additional time to meet and confer

about the sufficiency of defendant’s anticipated December 23, 2011 response to plaintiffs’

outstanding FOIA requests.

7. Accordingly, defendant requests that the Court issue an Order requiring defendant to

respond to plaintiffs’ complaint in CV 11-05678 HRL within 30 days of the filing of its order on

defendant’s motion to dismiss in CV 11-04344 PSG. Alternatively, defendant requests that the

Court extend the time to respond to the complaint by 30 days to and including February 2, 2012. 

8. By e-mail sent December 14, 2011, I asked Randy Chapel and Carol Nye-Wilson

whether they objected to the relief requested by these administrative motions. All of the

plaintiffs replied that they consented to having both cases handled by Magistrate Judge Grewal. 

As of this filing, plaintiffs Carol Nye-Wilson and Dale Wilson have not yet advised defendant

whether or not they object to the requested extension of time to respond to their complaint. 

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on December 16, 2011, at San Jose, California.

 /S/ 

James A. Scharf

Case 5:11-cv-05678-PSG Document 6 Filed 01/02/12 Page 4 of 6
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[PROPOSED] ORDER

An Administrative Motion to Consider Whether Cases Should Be Related has been filed

stating that the following cases are related within the meaning of Civil L.R. 3-12: Chapel v.

United States Department of Education, CV 11-04344 PSG and Nye-Wilson, et al., v. United

States Department of Education, CV 11-05678 HRL. 

On the basis of the material submitted to the Court and the Court’s own files in the two

cases, as the Judge assigned to the earliest filed case, I find that the cases ARE RELATED as

defined by Civil L.R. 3-12. Accordingly, the Clerk of Court is ordered to reassign the later-filed

action to the undersigned. Counsel are instructed that all future filings are to bear the initials

PSG immediately after the case number. All case management dates and events presently

scheduled in the reassigned case are vacated. 

Defendant’s response to plaintiffs’ complaint in CV 11-05678 HRL shall be due within

thirty days of the filing of the Court’s order on defendant’s motion to dismiss in CV 11-04344

PSG.

Good cause appearing, it is so ordered. 

DATED: ____________________, 2011 

PAUL S. GREWAL

United States District Court Magistrate 

Judge

1/2/2012

Case 5:11-cv-05678-PSG Document 6 Filed 01/02/12 Page 5 of 6
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

The undersigned hereby certifies that she is an employee of the Office of the United States 

Attorney for the Northern District of California and is a person of such age and discretion to be 

competent to serve papers. The undersigned further certifies that she is causing a copy of the following:

ADMINISTRATION MOTIONS TO CONSIDER WHETHER CASES SHOULD BE RELATED

AND TO EXTEND TIME TO RESPOND TO COMPLAINT; SUPPORTING DECLARATION;

[PROPOSED] ORDER

RANDY CHAPEL v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

CV 11-04344 PSG

CAROL NYE-WILSON; DALE WILSON v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION

CV 11-05678 HRL

to be served this date upon the party(ies) as follows:

 / FIRST CLASS MAIL by placing such envelope(s) with postage thereon fully prepaid in the

designated area for outgoing U.S. mail in accordance with this office's practice.

to the parties addressed as follows:

Randy Chapel

PO Box 1050

Boulder Creek, CA 95006

Carol Nye-Wilson 

610 West Drive 

Boulder Creek, CA 95006

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the 

foregoing is true and correct.

Executed this 16th day of December 2011, at San Jose, California.

/s/

_______________________________

 Mimi Lam

Legal Assistant

Case 5:11-cv-05678-PSG Document 6 Filed 01/02/12 Page 6 of 6