Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-00754/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-00754-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 442
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Employment
Cause of Action: 28:1446fm Notice of Removal - Family and Medical Leave Act

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

AMAPOLA MARTIN,

Plaintiff,

v.

HOME DEPOT U.S.A., INC. and ALEX 

TAYLOR,

Defendant.

Case No.: 17CV754 BEN (BGS)

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND 

DENYING IN PART JOINT 

UNOPPOSED MOTION TO AMEND 

THE SCHEDULING ORDER

On March 7, 2018, Defendant Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. and Plaintiff Amapola 

Martin filed a Joint Unopposed Motion to Amend the Scheduling Order. (ECF 20.) The 

parties seek to continue the remaining dates in the Scheduling Order1 by 90 days to allow 

Defendant Home Depot additional time to incorporate information obtained from 

Plaintiff’s remaining deposition session(s) into an anticipated motion for summary 

judgment. (Id. at 7, 10-12.) However, fact discovery closed on December 8, 2017. (ECF 

17.) The parties’ unapproved delays in completing discovery within the schedule set by 

the Court do not justify a 90-day extension of all remaining deadlines. 

/ / /

 

1 The first deadline the parties seek to continue is the date to file pretrial motions. 

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The Court amends the Scheduling Order as follows:

1. All pretrial motions must be filed by May 23, 2018. Counsel for the moving 

party must obtain a motion hearing date from the law clerk of the judge who will hear the 

motion. The period of time between the date you request a motion date and the hearing 

date may vary from one district judge to another. Please plan accordingly. Failure to 

make a timely request for a motion date may result in the motion not being heard. 

Deadlines for filing motions in limine will be set by the district judge at the final Pretrial 

Conference.

2. When filing a Motion for Summary Judgment and/or Adjudication, the 

parties need not file a separate statement of material facts absent prior leave of court.

3. The Mandatory Settlement Conference remains set for July 9, 2018 at 1:30 

p.m. in the chambers of Magistrate Judge Bernard G. Skomal. All parties, adjusters 

for insured defendants, and client representatives must be present and have full and 

complete authority to enter into a binding settlement at the MSC.

2

 The purpose of this 

requirement is to have representatives present who can settle the case during the course of 

the conference without consulting a superior. Parties seeking permission to be excused 

from attending the MSC in person must follow the procedures outlined in Judge 

Skomal’s Chambers’ Rules. Failure of any of the above parties to appear at the MSC

without the Court’s permission will be grounds for sanctions. The principal attorneys 

responsible for the litigation must also be present in person and prepared to discuss all of 

the legal and factual issues in the case. All parties are ordered to read and to fully 

 

2

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

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

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

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

v. Brinker Intl., Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485-486 (D. Ariz. 2003). The person must be able to bind the 

party without the need to call others not present at the conference for authority or approval. The purpose 

of requiring a person with unlimited settlement authority to attend the conference includes 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. Nick v. Morgan’s Foods, Inc., 270 F.3d 590 (8th Cir. 2001).

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comply with the Chamber Rules of the assigned magistrate judge.

4. Counsel or any party representing himself or herself shall lodge confidential 

settlement briefs directly to chambers by June 25, 2018. The briefs must address the 

legal and factual issues in the case and should focus on issues most pertinent to settling 

the matter. The briefs should not repeat facts or law contained in the Complaint or 

Answer. Briefs do not need to be filed or served on opposing counsel. The briefs must 

also include any prior settlement offer or demand, as well as the offer or demand the 

party will make at the MSC. The Court will keep this information confidential unless the 

party authorizes the Court to share the information with opposing counsel. MSC briefs 

must be emailed to efile_Skomal@casd.uscourts.gov. 

5. For bench trials before the Honorable Roger T. Benitez, counsel shall file 

their Memoranda of Contentions of Fact and Law and take any other action required by 

Civil Local Rule 16.1(f)(2) by August 27, 2018. In jury trial cases before the Honorable 

Roger T. Benitez, neither party, unless otherwise ordered by the Court, is required to file 

Memoranda of Contentions of Fact and Law pursuant to Civil Local Rule 16.1(f)(2).

6. Counsel shall comply with the pre-trial disclosure requirements of Federal 

Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(3) by August 27, 2018. Failure to comply with these 

disclosure requirements could result in evidence preclusion or other sanctions under 

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37.

7. Counsel shall meet and take the action required by Civil Local Rule 

16.1(f)(4) by September 3, 2018. At this meeting, counsel shall discuss and attempt to 

enter into stipulations and agreements resulting in simplification of the triable issues. 

Counsel shall exchange copies and/or display all exhibits other than those to be used for 

impeachment. The exhibits shall be prepared in accordance with Civil Local Rule 

16.1(f)(4)(c). Counsel shall note any objections they have to any other parties’ Pretrial 

Disclosures under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(3). Counsel shall cooperate in 

the preparation of the proposed pretrial conference order.

///

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8. Counsel for plaintiff will be responsible for preparing the pretrial order and 

arranging the meetings of counsel pursuant to Civil Local Rule 16.1(f). By September 

10, 2018, plaintiff’s counsel must provide opposing counsel with the proposed pretrial 

order for review and approval. Opposing counsel must communicate promptly with 

plaintiff’s attorney concerning any objections to form or content of the pretrial order, and 

both parties shall attempt promptly to resolve their differences, if any, concerning the 

order.

9. The Proposed Final Pretrial Conference Order, including objections to any 

other parties’ Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(3) Pretrial Disclosures shall be 

prepared, served and lodged with the assigned district judge by September 17, 2018, and 

shall be in the form prescribed in and comply with Civil Local Rule 16.1(f)(6).

10. The final Pretrial Conference is scheduled on the calendar of the Honorable 

Roger T. Benitez on September 24, 2018 at 10:30 a.m.. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 19, 2018

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