Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-00638/USCOURTS-casd-3_17-cv-00638-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 380
Nature of Suit: Other Personal Property Damage
Cause of Action: 28:1441pd Removal- Property Damage

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Saint Onge Orchids, LLC,

Plaintiff,

v.

County of San Diego, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No.: 17-cv-00638-GPC-JLB

ORDER GRANTING JOINT 

MOTION TO CONTINUE EARLY 

NEUTRAL EVALUATION AND 

CASE MANAGEMENT 

CONFERENCE AND RELATED 

DATES

[ECF No. 6]

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

and Case Management Conference and Related Dates. (ECF No. 6.) The parties seek to 

continue the April 26, 2017 Early Neutral Evaluation (“ENE”) and Case Management 

Conferences and all related dates by 60 days. (Id. at 2.) For good cause shown, the Joint 

Motion is GRANTED in part. Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED: 

1. The ENE Conference set for April 26, 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, is CONTINUED to June 14, 2017, 

at 9:00 AM. In the event the case does not settle at the ENE Conference, a Case 

Management Conference pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(b) will be held at the conclusion 

of the ENE Conference.

2. Personal Appearance of Parties Required: All parties, adjusters for insured 

defendants, and other representatives of a party having full settlement authority as 

explained below, and the principal attorneys responsible for the litigation, must be present 

in person and legally and factually prepared to discuss settlement of the case. Counsel 

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appearing without their clients (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 ENE Conference. If each of the principal attorneys responsible for the 

litigation is 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 ENE 

Conference pursuant to this Order shall not be excused from personal attendance. 

Requests for excuse from attendance for extraordinary circumstances shall be filed 

as a motion at least ten calendar days prior to the conference. Failure to appear at the 

ENE Conference will be grounds for sanctions.

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

case, a party or party representative with full settlement authority1 must be present for the 

ENE 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 company 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 

present who can settle the case during the course of the ENE Conference without consulting 

a superior. 

4. ENE Statements Required: On or before June 5, 2017, the parties shall 

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

 

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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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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 

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.

5. 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 May 31, 2017;

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

or before June 5, 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 June 5, 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 

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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: July 14, 2017;

ii. Completion of fact and expert witness discovery: December 8, 2017;

iii. The designation and service of expert witness reports: October 13, 

2017;

iv. The supplemental designation and service of rebuttal expert witness 

reports: November 10, 2017;

v. The date by which dispositive motions, inclusive of any motions 

addressing any Daubert issues, shall be filed: January 12, 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: December 14, 

2017; and

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

the case: May 11, 2018.

6. 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.

///

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7. 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.

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 If a Joint Motion to Dismiss 

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

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.

Dated: April 7, 2017

 

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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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