Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_17-cv-03327/USCOURTS-cand-4_17-cv-03327-8/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 791
Nature of Suit: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
Cause of Action: 29:1001 E.R.I.S.A.: Employee Retirement

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JOINT REQUEST TO EXTEND MEDIATION COMPLETION DEADLINE BY 60 DAYS; ORDER 

Case No. 4:17-cv-03327-HSG 

Michele R. Stafford, Esq. (SBN 172509) 

Matthew P. Minser, Esq. (SBN 296344) 

SALTZMAN & JOHNSON LAW CORPORATION 

1141 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 100 

Alameda, California 94502 

Telephone: (510) 906-4710 

Facsimile: (415) 882-9287 

Email: mstafford@sjlawcorp.com 

Email: mminser@sjlawcorp.com 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs, District Council 16 

Nor. Cal. Health and Welfare Trust Fund, et al. 

Wallace E. Smith (SBN 112091) 

Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP 

275 Battery Street, Suite 2600 

San Francisco, California 94111 

Telephone: (415) 954-0200 

Facsimile: (415) 393-9887 

Email: wallace.smith@squirepb.com 

Attorneys for Defendant, RBE Construction, Inc., et al.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

DISTRICT COUNCIL 16 NORTHERN 

CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND WELFARE 

TRUST FUND, et al., 

 Plaintiffs, 

v. 

RBE CONSTRUCTION INC., a California 

corporation, doing business as SLINGSHOT 

DRYWALL, 

Defendant. 

Case No. 4:17-cv-03327-HSG 

JOINT REQUEST TO EXTEND 

MEDIATION COMPLETION DEADLINE 

BY 60 DAYS; ORDER 

 Plaintiffs and Defendant RBE Construction, Inc. dba Slingshot Drywall, by and through their 

respective counsel of record, hereby respectfully request to extend the deadline to hold the mediation 

session by 60 days. Good cause exists for the continuance, as follows: 

1. On October 26, 2017, the Court ordered the Parties to participate in mediation within the 

presumptive deadline of ninety days, (Dkt. No. 24), as stipulated. The deadline for the Parties to 

participate in mediation was January 24, 2018. 

Case 4:17-cv-03327-HSG Document 44 Filed 11/19/18 Page 1 of 4
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JOINT REQUEST TO EXTEND MEDIATION COMPLETION DEADLINE BY 60 DAYS; ORDER 

Case No. 4:17-cv-03327-HSG 

2. On November 13, 2017, the Court issued a Notice of Appointment of Mediator James H. 

Fleming (Dkt. No. 25). 

3. The Parties participated in a pre-mediation phone conference on November 29, 2017 with 

Mr. Fleming, and scheduled a mediation hearing for January 22, 2018. 

4. In late December 2017, Defendant provided documents necessary to complete the 

pending audit to Plaintiffs’ auditor, Lindquist, LLP (“Lindquist”). 

5. Lindquist initially advised Plaintiffs’ counsel that a draft audit report would be completed 

in early February. 

6. On January 28, 2018, the Parties submitted a joint request to extend the mediation 

completion deadline by 60 days. The Court granted that request and extended the mediation completion 

deadline to March 23, 2018 (Dkt. No. 29). 

7. Plaintiffs’ auditor Lindquist was unable to complete the draft audit in the timeframe 

initially estimated due to the number of documents reflecting work performed over a period of two 

years. The draft audit was not completed until March 7, 2018. On March 12, 2018, the Court granted 

a request to extend the mediation completion deadline to June 10, 2018 (Dkt. No. 31). The Court has 

subsequently granted further extensions (Dkt. No. 34, Dkt. No. 37, and Dkt. No. 39) through 

November 19, 2018. 

8. Defendant has been working to review the audit and respond to the specific findings. 

Plaintiffs have been cooperative in informally providing additional information requested by Defendant. 

Because the period at issue spans over 18 months and multiple projects, it has taken longer than 

anticipated for Defendant to review and respond to the audit. Defendant RBE has a new bookkeeper and 

requires additional time to respond to the audit. The Parties continue to informally exchange documents 

to ensure each side has full access to materials needed to reconcile Defendant’s disagreement over the 

audit findings. 

9. The Parties believe that mediation will be most effective once the Plaintiffs and 

Defendant have had the chance to complete the audit dispute process leaving the only remaining issue to 

mediate being the amounts owed to Plaintiffs. 

Case 4:17-cv-03327-HSG Document 44 Filed 11/19/18 Page 2 of 4
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JOINT REQUEST TO EXTEND MEDIATION COMPLETION DEADLINE BY 60 DAYS; ORDER 

Case No. 4:17-cv-03327-HSG 

10. Counsel has discussed the current status of the matter with Mr. Fleming, the appointed 

mediator. He is unable to continue acting as mediator if the Defendant cannot commit to completing its 

review of additional documents before December 19, 2018. Defendant believes an in-person meeting 

with its staff and Plaintiffs’ auditor may be necessary to resolve the audit dispute. Defendant cannot 

complete its review of documents and meet to discuss resolution of the audit dispute in sufficient time to 

schedule a mediation session before December 19, 2018. Therefore, a new mediator will have to be 

selected. 

11. The Parties request that the Court extend the November 19, 2018 deadline to hold the 

mediation session by 60 days (January 18, 2019) to allow the Parties to complete the audit dispute 

process prior to mediating. The Parties further request that the matter be referred back to the Court’s 

ADR department for the appointment of a new mediator. 

DATED: November 15, 2018 

By:

SALTZMAN & JOHNSON LAW 

CORPORATION 

/s/ Matthew P. Minser

 Matthew P. Minser

 Attorneys for Plaintiffs, District Council 16 

Nor. Cal. Health and Welfare Trust Fund, et al.

DATED: November 15, 2018 SQUIRE PATTON BOGGS (US) LLP 

 

By: /s/ Wallace E. Smith 

 Wallace E. Smith 

Attorneys for Defendant, RBE Construction, Inc., 

et al.

CERTIFICATION RE: SIGNATURES 

 I attest that concurrence in the filing has been obtained from the other Signatory. 

DATED: November 15, 2018 

By: /s/ Wallace E. Smith 

 Wallace E. Smith

Case 4:17-cv-03327-HSG Document 44 Filed 11/19/18 Page 3 of 4
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JOINT REQUEST TO EXTEND MEDIATION COMPLETION DEADLINE BY 60 DAYS; ORDER 

Case No. 4:17-cv-03327-HSG 

ORDER 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

The deadline to hold the mediation session is extended by 60 days to January 18, 2019. The 

matter shall be referred back to the ADR department for appointment of a new mediator for this matter. 

DATED: November 19, 2018 

 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

 

Case 4:17-cv-03327-HSG Document 44 Filed 11/19/18 Page 4 of 4