Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_14-md-02555/USCOURTS-cand-4_14-md-02555-12/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 370
Nature of Suit: Other Fraud
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Contract Dispute

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[PROPOSED] PRETRIAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE ORDER

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IN RE COCA-COLA PRODUCTS 

MARKETING AND SALES PRACTICES 

LITIGATION (NO. II) 

This Document Relates to All Actions. 

Case No. 14-md-02555-JSW

[PROPOSED] PRETRIAL 

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

ORDER

1. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (“the Panel”) has designated 

this Court as the transferee court for MDL No. 2555 – In re Coca-Cola Products Marketing and 

Sales Practices Litigation (No. II). Accordingly, this Order shall govern the practice and 

procedure in those actions transferred to this Court by the Panel pursuant to the Panel’s order of 

August 7, 2014, as well as all related actions originally filed in this court or transferred or 

removed to this Court. This Order shall also govern the practice and procedure in any tag-along 

actions transferred to this Court by the Panel—including the Conditional Transfer Orders 

docketed on September 5, 2014 and September 18, 2014—and any related actions subsequently 

filed in this Court or otherwise transferred or removed to this Court.

2. The actions described in Paragraph 1 of this Order are consolidated for all 

pretrial purposes. Any “tag-along actions” later filed in, removed to, or transferred to this Court, 

or directly filed in the Northern District of California, will automatically be consolidated with 

this action without the necessity of future motions or orders. This consolidation does not 

constitute a determination that these actions should be consolidated for trial, nor does it have the 

effect of making any person, firm or corporation a party to any action in which he, she or it has 

not been named, served or added as such in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure.

3. The Court will be guided by the Manual for Complex Litigation, Fourth 

approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States, as well as by the Civil Local Rules of 

Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (“the Civil Local 

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Rules”), and this Court’s Standing Orders. Counsel are directed to familiarize themselves with 

the Manual for Complex Litigation, Fourth, the Civil Local Rules, and this Court’s Standing 

Orders. 

4. For the convenience of the parties and the Court, the Clerk of the Court 

will maintain a master docket with a single docket number and master record under the style: 

“In re Coca-Cola Products Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation (No. II), MDL 2555, Master 

Case No. 4:14-md-02555-JSW.” When a pleading is intended to apply to all actions, this shall 

be indicated by the words: “This Document Relates to All Cases.” When a pleading is intended 

to apply to just one of the consolidated actions, that case name and number shall appear 

immediately after the words “This Document Relates to.”

5. This case is subject to Electronic Case Filing (“ECF”), pursuant to Local 

Rule 5-1(e), which requires that documents in such a case be filed electronically. Local Rule 5-

1(c)(1) provides in part that “Each attorney of record is obligated to become an ECF user and 

obtain a user ID and password for access to the system upon filing a case in this district. Each 

attorney of record is obligated to become an ECF user and obtain a user ID and password before 

e-filing a document in an existing case in this district.” If he or she has not already done so, 

counsel shall register forthwith as an ECF User and be issued an ECF User ID and password. 

Forms and instructions can be found on the Court’s Website at 

http://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cm-ecf. All documents shall be e-filed to the master file, 14-2555. 

Documents that pertain only to an individual action shall also be e-filed in the respective action 

to which the document pertains. Any paper which is to be filed in any of these actions shall be efiled with the Clerk of this Court and not with the transferor district court.

6. When an action that properly belongs as part of “In re Coca-Cola Products 

Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation (No. II)” is filed after the date of this Order in the 

Northern District of California or is transferred here from another court, the Clerk of this Court 

shall:

a. File a copy of this Order in the separate file for such action;

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b. Make an appropriate entry on the master docket sheet;

c. Mail to the attorneys for the plaintiff in the newly filed or 

transferred case a copy of this Order;

d. Upon the first appearance of any new defendant, mail to the 

attorneys for the defendant in any such newly filed or transferred 

cases a copy of this Order.

7. Counsel who appeared in the transferor district court prior to the transfer 

need not enter a separate appearance before this Court. No parties to any of these actions shall 

be required to obtain local counsel in this district and the requirements of Civil Local Rule 11-1

of the Rules of this Court are waived as to any attorney appearing in these actions who is duly 

admitted to practice before any United States Court.

8. Pursuant to this Court’s May 28, 2015 Order Regarding Motion to 

Appoint Lead Plaintiffs’ Counsel (Dkt. 53), the Fleischman Law Firm, PLLC and the Barrett 

Law Group are appointed as co-lead counsel for all Plaintiffs in this MDL and are empowered to 

act on behalf of all Plaintiffs. An executive steering committee has also been permitted in order 

to consult with Co-Lead Counsel in order to collectively represent the interests of all Plaintiffs.

9. Pursuant to this Court’s July 22, 2015 Order Regarding Organization of 

Plaintiffs’ Counsel, and Protocols (Dkt. 74), Co-Lead Counsel is specifically authorized to: (a) 

determine and present the Plaintiffs’ position on matters arising during the coordinated pretrial 

proceedings; (b) coordinate and conduct discovery on behalf of the Plaintiffs; (c) delegate tasks 

to other counsel in the interests of economy and efficiency; (d) enter into stipulations with 

opposing counsel; (e) convene meetings of the Steering Committee for the purpose of discussing 

matters of common concern; (f) agree on a plan for conducting the MDL on behalf of all 

Plaintiffs; (g) assess members of the Steering Committee and other counsel performing 

authorized common benefit work common benefit payments into a Common Benefit Fund as 

necessary for “shared costs” and collect and maintain such funds; (h) brief and argue motions; (i) 

consult with and employ expert witnesses; (j) record and report expenses for work performed to 

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the Steering Committee; (k) monitor work performed by the Steering Committee, and other class 

counsel; (l) perform all tasks necessary to carry out the functions of lead counsel and to properly 

coordinate Plaintiffs’ pretrial activities; (m) form task-specific subcommittees of counsel as 

appropriate; (n) designate Plaintiffs’ counsel authorized to attend hearings and depositions; (o) 

negotiate settlements subject to Court approval on behalf of Plaintiffs; (p) if there is a settlement, 

propose a plan of allocation; and (q) coordinate and communicate with Defendants’ counsel with 

respect to these aforementioned matters.

10. Any paper filed in any of these actions which is substantially identical to 

any other paper filed in another of these actions shall be sufficient if it incorporates by reference 

the paper to which it is substantially identical. Where counsel for more than one party plan to 

file substantially identical papers they shall join in the submission of such papers and shall file 

only one paper on behalf of all so joined.

11. Any orders including protective orders previously entered by this Court or 

any transferor district court shall remain in full force and effect unless modified by this Court 

upon application.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Date: September ___, 2015 

______________________________

JEFFREY S. WHITE

United States District Judge

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Nothing in this Order shall alter any prior order of this Court, including the Order dated July 

22, 2015. 29 AS MODIFIED

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