Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05923/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05923-90/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question

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Sonya D. Winner (State Bar No. 200348) 

E-mail: swinner@cov.com 

David M. Jolley (State Bar No. 191164) 

E-mail: djolley@cov.com 

COVINGTON & BURLING LLP 

One Front Street 

San Francisco, CA 94111 

Telephone: (415) 591-6000 

Facsimile: (415) 591-6091 

Emily Johnson Henn (State Bar No. 269482) 

E-mail: ehenn@cov.com 

COVINGTON & BURLING LLP 

333 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 700 

Redwood Shores, CA 94065 

Telephone: (650) 632-4700 

Facsimile: (650) 632-4800 

Attorneys for Defendant 

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTIIERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

VERONICA GUTIERREZ, et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., 

Defendant. 

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER ON 

LIMITED DISCOVERY RE 

CLASS COUNSEL'S FEE MOTION 

Civil Case No.: CV-07-5923 WHA 

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] 

ORDER ON LIMITED DISCOVERY 

RELATING TO CLASS COUNSEL'S FEE 

MOTION 

Honorable William Alsup 

Case 3:07-cv-05923-WHA Document 666 Filed 03/27/15 Page 1 of 4
1 WHEREAS, Class Counsel's Motion for an A ward of Attorneys' Fees and Costs in this case 

2 (Dkt. No. 638) includes a request that the Court order defendant Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. ("Wells 

3 Fargo") to pay attorneys' fees pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1021.5 ("Section 

4 1021.5")~ 

5 WHEREAS, Wells Fargo is seeking limited discovery in connection with Class Counsel's 

6 request pursuant to Section 1021.5, and it has filed a motion with the Court seeking leave to take such 

7 discovery from Class Counsel (Dkt. No. 655)~ 

8 WHEREAS, the parties have agreed that, in the briefing and argument on Class Counsel's 

9 request pursuant to Section 1021.5, neither party shall cite to or rely on any of their contemporaneous 

10 subjective evaluations and/or determinations of the financial risks and potential rewards associated with 

11 Class Counsel's representation of the plaintiffs and the class at the time they made vital litigation 

12 decisions, and no briefing, declarations, or argument provided by either party in support of or in 

13 opposition to Class Counsel's request pursuant to Section 1021.5 shall be construed as presenting or 

14 relying upon any such contemporaneous subjective evaluations. Wells Fargo shall not, in opposing 

15 Class Counsel's request pursuant to Section 1021.5, make any arguments criticizing the absence of 

16 evidence regarding such contemporaneous subjective evaluations, or otherwise rely on its own or its 

17 counsel's contemporaneous subjective evaluations and/or determinations regarding the risks and 

18 potential success of this case. This agreement is not intended to affect or limit any argument made by 

19 Class Counsel in support of their request for a fee award from the class judgment. In light of this 

20 agreement, and subject to the Court's approval, Wells Fargo further agrees to withdraw its request for 

21 formal discovery relating to documents and information underlying any such subjective evaluations. 

22 WHEREAS, the parties have met and conferred, and have agreed upon a limited set of document 

23 requests from Wells Fargo to Class Counsel with a response date of April10, 2015. These requests are 

24 as follows: 

25 1. All documents comprising or containing any agreements between or among Class 

26 Counsel regarding any advancement of costs, or any collection, allocation, or distribution of fees 

27 received, or anticipated or hoped to be received, by Class Counsel in connection with the 

28 representation of any plaintiff or class in this case. 

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER ON 

LIMITED DISCOVERY RE 

CLASS COUNSEL'S FEE MOTION 

1 

Case 3:07-cv-05923-WHA Document 666 Filed 03/27/15 Page 2 of 4
1 

2 WHEREAS, this Stipulation will, with the approval of the Court, result in Wells Fargo 

3 withdrawing its pending Motion for Leave to Take Limited Discovery (Dkt. No. 655) and obviate the 

4 need for further briefmg from the parties on that Motion. It will also obviate the need for the Court to 

5 evaluate the various questions about issues raised by the Motion as set out in the Court's Request for 

6 Response and Tentative Comments (Dkt. No. 657). 

7 Accordingly, 

8 IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED by and between the parties that Class Counsel shall respond to 

9 the agreed-upon set of document requests from Wells Fargo on or before April 10,2015. 

10 IT IS FURTHER STIPULATED by and between the parties that, in the briefing and argument on 

11 Class Counsel's request pursuant to Section 1021.5, neither party shall cite to or rely on any of their 

12 contemporaneous subjective evaluations and/or determinations of the financial risks and potential 

13 rewards associated with Class Counsel's representation of the plaintiffs and the class at the time they 

14 made vital litigation decisions, and no briefing, declaration, or argument provided by either party in 

15 support of or in opposition to Class Counsel's request pursuant to Section 1021.5 shall be construed as 

16 presenting or relying upon any such contemporaneous subjective evaluations. Wells Fargo shall not, in 

17 opposing Class Counsel's request pursuant to Section 1021.5, make any arguments criticizing the 

18 absence of evidence regarding such contemporaneous subjective evaluations, or otherwise rely on its 

19 own or its counsel's contemporaneous subjective evaluations and/or determinations regarding the risks 

20 and potential success of this case. 

21 IT IS FURTHER STIPULATED by and between the parties that nothing in this Stipulation shall 

22 be construed as precluding either party from pointing to objective, publicly-available information that 

23 they contend should have a bearing on the Court's evaluation of Class Counsel's request pursuant to 

24 Section 1021.5. 

25 IT IS FURTHER STIPULATED by and between the parties that nothing in this Stipulation is 

26 intended to affect or limit any briefmg or argument made by Class Counsel in support of their request 

27 for a fee award from the class judgment. 

28 

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER ON 

LIMITED DISCOVERY RE 

CLASS COUNSEL'S FEE MOTION 

2 

Case 3:07-cv-05923-WHA Document 666 Filed 03/27/15 Page 3 of 4
1 IT IS FUR TilER STIPULATED by and between the parties that, subject to the approval of the 

2 Court, Wells Fargo's pending Motion for Leave to Take Limited Discovery (Dkt. No. 655) shall be 

3 deemed withdrawn and there shall be no further briefmg on that motion or in response to the Court's 

4 Request for Response and Tentative Comments (Dkt. No. 657). 

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DATED: March26, 2015 

DATED: March26, 2015 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: ____________ _ 

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER ON 

LIMITED DISCOVERY RE 

CLASS COUNSEL'S FEE MOTION 

COVINGTON & BURLING LLP 

By: Is/ David M Jolley 

David M. Jolley 

Attorneys for Defendants 

LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & 

BERNSTEIN, LLP 

By: Is/ Michael W. Sobol 

Michael W. Sobol 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

Hon. William Alsup 

United States District Judge 

3 Since Wells Fargo has withdrawn its motion for leave to take 

limited discovery, this order terminates docket number 655. 

The April 23 hearing is hereby vacated. March 27, 2015. 

Case 3:07-cv-05923-WHA Document 666 Filed 03/27/15 Page 4 of 4