Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-02032/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-02032-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 441
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Voting
Cause of Action: 42:1983cv Civil Rights Act - Civil Action for Deprivation of Rights

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DON HIGGINSON,

Plaintiff,

v.

XAVIER BECERRA, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No.: 17-cv-02032-WQH-JLB

ORDER: (1) GRANTING IN PART 

AND DENYING IN PART JOINT 

MOTION TO CONTINUE ENE AND 

DISCOVERY DEADLINES; AND 

(2) ISSUING AMENDED ENE 

ORDER

[ECF Nos. 15, 29]

Before the Court is the parties’ Joint Motion to Continue Early Neutral Evaluation 

Conference and Discovery Deadlines. (ECF No. 29.) The parties request that the Early 

Neutral Evaluation Conference (ENE) and all discovery deadlines set forth in the Court’s 

October 27, 2017 Order (ECF No. 15) be reset until after the parties have rulings on 

Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction (ECF No. 11), the Motion to Intervene filed 

by third parties California League of United Latin American Citizens, Jacqueline 

Contreras, Xavier Flores, Judy Ki, and Hiram Soto (ECF No. 18), and Defendant’s 

impending motion to dismiss. (ECF No. 29 at 3.) The parties request a continuance of 

these dates for the following reasons: (1) the case is unlikely to settle as Plaintiff seeks only 

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injunctive and declaratory relief; (2) a ruling on the pending Motion for Preliminary 

Injunction will affect the parties’ settlement positions; (3) Defendant’s impending motion 

to dismiss may dispose of the case; (4) if the Motion to Intervene is granted additional 

parties will be added; and (5) Defendant’s counsel are scheduled to attend an annual statewide meeting in Sacramento on the day of the ENE. (Id. at 3.)

The Court DENIES in part the joint motion as the Court is not persuaded that the 

bases identified by the parties’ in their motion are best addressed by the requested 

continuance of the ENE and other deadlines set forth in the October 27, 2017 Order until 

after a ruling on the parties’ pending and impending motions. For good cause shown, 

however, the Court GRANTS in part the joint motion by resetting the ENE and Case 

Management Conference (CMC) to December 13, 2017 at 1:45 PM and ordering the 

telephonic appearance of counsel only. The October 27, 2017 Order (ECF No. 15) is 

hereby amended as follows:

A telephonic, counsel-only Early Neutral Evaluation (“ENE”) of your case will be 

held on December 13, 2017, at 1:45 PM in the Chambers of Magistrate Judge Jill L. 

Burkhardt, Edward J. Schwartz U.S. Courthouse, 221 West Broadway, Suite 5140, San 

Diego, California 92101. Plaintiff’s principal attorney responsible for the litigation is 

responsible for placing one joint call with all participating counsel already on the line into 

Chambers at (619) 557-6624. 

In the event the case does not settle at the ENE Conference, a Case Management 

Conference pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(b) is SET for December 13, 2017, and will be 

held at the conclusion of the ENE Conference.

The following are mandatory directions for the parties preparing for the ENE 

Conference. Absent express permission obtained from this Court, and 

notwithstanding the pendency of any motion, counsel shall timely comply with the 

dates and deadlines ordered herein.

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1. Purpose of Conference: The purpose of the ENE Conference is to permit an 

informal discussion between the attorneys, parties, and the settlement judge of every aspect 

of the lawsuit in an effort to achieve an early resolution of the case. All ENE Conference 

discussions will be informal, off the record, privileged and confidential. Counsel for any 

non-English speaking parties is responsible for arranging for the appearance of an 

interpreter at the ENE Conference.

2. Personal Appearance of Parties Not Required: The principal attorneys 

responsible for the litigation, must appear by telephone and be legally and factually 

prepared to discuss settlement of the case. The principal attorneys are responsible for 

ensuring that all parties, adjusters for insured defendants, and other representatives of a 

party having full settlement authority as explained below may be reached by telephone 

should the need arise during the ENE conference. Counsel appearing without a means to 

contact their clients by telephone (whether or not counsel has been given settlement 

authority) will be cause for immediate imposition of sanctions and may also result in the 

immediate termination of the conference. If each of the principal attorneys responsible for 

the litigation are not listed on the docket as an “ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED,” then they 

each shall enter their appearance on the docket as soon as practicable, but in no event later 

than ten calendar days prior to the ENE conference. 

Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, persons required to attend the 

conference pursuant to this Order shall not be excused from attendance. Requests for 

excuse from attendance for extraordinary circumstances shall be made in writing at 

least ten calendar days prior to the conference. Failure to appear at the ENE conference 

will be grounds for sanctions.

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3. Full Settlement Authority Required1: In addition to counsel who will try 

the case, a party or party representative with full settlement authority must be available by 

telephone should the need to contact them arise at the conference. In the case of an entity, 

an authorized representative of the entity who is not retained outside counsel must be 

present and must have discretionary authority to commit the entity to pay an amount up to 

the amount of the Plaintiff’s prayer (excluding punitive damages prayers). The purpose of 

this requirement is to have representatives available who can settle the case during the 

course of the conference without consulting a superior. Counsel for a United States

government entity may be excused from this requirement so long as the government 

attorney who attends the ENE conference (1) has primary responsibility for handling the 

case, and (2) may negotiate settlement offers which the attorney is willing to recommend 

to the government official having ultimate settlement authority.

3. ENE Statements Required: On or before December 4, 2017, the parties 

shall lodge statements of five pages or less directly to the chambers of Magistrate Judge 

Burkhardt outlining the nature of the case, the claims, the defenses, and the parties’ 

positions regarding settlement of the case. The settlement position must include a specific 

and current demand or offer addressing all relief or remedies sought. If a specific demand 

or offer cannot be made at the time the brief is submitted, then the reasons therefor must 

be stated along with a statement as to when the party will be in a position to state a demand 

or offer. A general statement that a party will “negotiate in good faith,” “offer a nominal 

 

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“Full settlement authority” means that the individuals at the settlement conference must be 

authorized to explore settlement options fully and to agree at that time to any settlement terms acceptable 

to the parties. Heileman Brewing Co. v. Joseph Oat Corp., 871 F.2d 648, 653 (7th Cir. 1989). The person 

needs to have “unfettered discretion and authority” to change the settlement position of a party. Pitman 

v. Brinker Int’l, Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485-86 (D. Ariz. 2003). The purpose of requiring a person with 

unlimited settlement authority to attend the conference contemplates that the person’s view of the case 

may be altered during the face to face conference. Id. at 486. A limited or a sum certain of authority is 

not adequate. See Nick v. Morgan’s Foods, Inc., 270 F.3d 590, 595-97 (8th Cir. 2001).

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cash sum,” or “be prepared to make an offer at the conference” is not a specific demand or 

offer. The statement shall also list all attorney and non-attorney conference attendees for 

that side, including the name(s) and title(s)/position(s) of the party/party representative(s) 

who will attend and have settlement authority at the conference. 

ENE statements shall be lodged via email at efile_burkhardt@casd.uscourts.gov. If 

exhibits are attached and the total submission amounts to more than 20 pages, a hard copy 

must also be delivered directly to chambers. Whether these statements are submitted 

confidentially or whether they are served on opposing counsel is within the parties’ 

discretion. Statements of more than five pages will not be considered.

4. Submission of Magistrate Judge Consent Form: No later than November 

9, 2017, each party shall provide Plaintiff’s counsel with an executed copy of the attached 

consent form, titled Notice, Consent, and Reference of a Civil Action to a Magistrate Judge. 

Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 73.1, if (and only if) all parties have consented to the reference 

to a magistrate judge, then Plaintiff shall file the consent form(s) in paper format at the 

Clerk’s Office by November 13, 2017. If the paper format filing reflects consent by all

parties, then the form(s) will be forwarded to the assigned district judge for approval. The 

consent form(s) should not be filed with the court electronically through its Case 

Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system. No consent form will be made 

available, nor will its contents be made known to any judicial officer, unless all parties 

have consented to the reference to a magistrate judge. The parties are free to withhold 

consent without adverse substantive consequences. Questions related to the consent 

form(s) should be directed only to the clerk’s office at 619-557-5600. Please do not call 

chambers’ staff with questions related to the consent form(s).

5. New Parties Must Be Notified by Plaintiff’s Counsel: Plaintiff’s counsel 

shall give notice of the ENE Conference and this Order to parties responding to the 

complaint after the date of this notice.

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6. Case Management Under the Amended Federal Rules: The parties are 

ordered to comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 and proceed with the initial disclosure process

as follows:

a. The Rule 26(f) conference shall be completed on or before December 1, 2017;

b. The date of initial disclosure pursuant to Rule 26(a)(1)(A-D) shall occur on or 

before December 4, 2017;

c. A Joint Discovery Plan shall be filed on the CM/ECF system as well as 

lodged with Magistrate Judge Burkhardt by emailing the Plan to 

efile_burkhardt@casd.uscourts.gov, on or before December 4, 2017. The 

Plan must be one document and must explicitly cover the parties’ views and 

proposals for each item identified in Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(f)(3). The parties 

should consult both Judge Burkhardt’s and the assigned District Judge’s Civil 

Chambers Rules in drafting their Plan. A courtesy paper copy of the Plan 

shall be delivered to Judge Burkhardt’s Chambers if the Plan with its 

attachments exceeds 20 pages. In addition to complying with Chambers 

Rules, the Plan must identify whether and what good cause (specific to this 

case) exists to modify the Court’s tentative schedule for this case. The Court’s 

tentative schedule is as follows:

i. Filing of motions to amend pleadings and/or add parties: January 11, 

2018;

ii. Completion of fact and expert witness discovery: June 7, 2018;

iii. The designation and service of expert witness reports: April 6, 2018;

iv. The supplemental designation and service of rebuttal expert witness 

reports: May 7, 2018;

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v. The date by which dispositive motions shall be filed: July 6, 2018. 

Motions in limine are to be filed as directed in the Local Rules, or as 

otherwise set by the District Judge;

vi. The date for the Mandatory Settlement Conference: June 26, 2018; and

vii. The date for a Pretrial Conference before the District Judge assigned to 

the case: November 9, 2018.

7. Requests to Continue or Reschedule an ENE Conference: Local Rule 

16.1.c requires that an ENE Conference take place within 45 days of the filing of the first 

answer. Requests to continue ENE Conferences are rarely granted. However, the Court 

will consider formal, filed ex parte or joint motions to continue an ENE Conference when 

extraordinary circumstances exist that make a continuance appropriate. In and of itself, 

having to travel a long distance to appear in person is not “extraordinary.” Absent 

extraordinary circumstances, requests for continuances will not be considered unless filed

no less than ten calendar days prior to the scheduled conference.

8. Settlement Prior to ENE Conference: The Court encourages the parties to 

work on settling the matter in advance of the ENE Conference. In the event that the parties 

resolve the matter prior to the day of the ENE Conference, the following procedures must 

be followed before the Court will vacate the ENE Conference and excuse the parties from 

appearing:

a. The parties may file a Joint Motion to Dismiss and separately lodge by email 

a proposed order to the assigned District Judge.

2

 If a Joint Motion to Dismiss 

is filed, the Court will vacate the ENE Conference. The parties are 

 

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See Electronic Case Filing Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual, United States District 

Court for the Southern District of California § 2(h), for the chambers’ official email address and 

procedures on emailing proposed orders.

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encouraged to contact Judge Burkhardt’s Chambers by telephone to notify the 

Court of their pending Joint Motion;

b. If the parties settle more than 24 hours before the ENE Conference but are not 

able to file a Joint Motion to Dismiss, they must file a Notice of Settlement 

containing the electronic signatures of counsel for all settling parties and 

identifying a date by which the Joint Motion to Dismiss will be filed. The 

parties are encouraged to contact Judge Burkhardt’s Chambers by telephone 

to notify the Court of their filed Notice of Settlement;

c. If the parties settle less than 24 hours before the conference, counsel for the 

settling parties must JOINTLY call chambers and inform the Court of the 

settlement and receive Court permission to not appear at the ENE Conference.

After having reviewed Judge Burkhardt’s Civil Chambers Rules, appropriate 

questions regarding this case or the mandatory directions set forth herein may be addressed

through a joint call by the parties to Judge Burkhardt’s law clerks at (619) 557-6624. For 

additional information, please see Judge Burkhardt’s Civil Chambers Rules. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 17, 2017

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