Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_19-cv-00857/USCOURTS-casd-3_19-cv-00857-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity Action

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JACKIE FISHER, on behalf of himself 

and all others similarly situated, 

Plaintiff,

v.

EDDIE BAUER, LLC,

Defendant.

Case No.: 19-CV-857-JM-WVG

ORDER ON JOINT MOTION TO 

CONTINUE EARLY NEUTRAL 

EVALUATION CONFERENCE AND, 

IN THE ALTERNATIVE, SET 

TELEPHONIC EARLY NEUTRAL 

EVALUATION CONFERENCE

On February 28, 2020, this Court issued an order setting an Early Neutral Evaluation

Conference (“ENE”) in this matter to April 14, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. (Doc. No. 24.) On March 

20, 2020, the Court sua sponte issued an order vacating the April 14, 2020 ENE and 

resetting the ENE and Case Management Conference (“CMC”) to April 28, 2020 at 9:00 

a.m. (“ENE Order”). (Doc. No. 25.) On April 7, 2020, the Parties filed a Joint Motion to 

Continue the Early Neutral Evaluation Conference and Case Management Conference 

(“Joint Motion”) and posed two requests, which are now pending before the Court. (Doc. 

No. 27.) First, the Parties move the Court to continue the ENE and CMC to “late July or 

August 2020” to accommodate challenges the Parties have encountered in the face of the 

COVID-19 pandemic and the Parties’ “plan to attend [private] mediation.” (Id. 3:9-18.) 

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Second, and alternatively, the Parties move the Court to hold a telephonic ENE and CMC

on April 28, 2020, should the Court deny the Parties’ continuance request. As explained 

below, the Court GRANTS IN PART AND DENIES IN PART the Parties’ Joint Motion. 

The April 28, 2020 ENE and CMC shall remain on calendar as previously ordered but shall 

be conducted telephonically, rather than in person, amongst all participants and the Court. 

Rule 16(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires a movant to establish 

good cause upon seeking modification of the scheduling order. Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(b). This 

good cause standard is primarily informed by the movant’s diligence in attempting to fully 

comply with the deadlines set by the Court. Matrix Motor Co. v. Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki 

Kaisha, 218 F.R.D. 667, 671 (C.D. Cal. 2003). Failure to make the requisite showing 

terminates the Court’s inquiry into whether it is appropriate to grant the movant’s requested 

relief from the operative scheduling order. Zivkovic v. S. Cal. Edison Co., 302 F.3d 1080, 

1087–88 (9th Cir. 2002). 

As a threshold matter, the Court is acutely cognizant of the strain that the COVID19 pandemic has brought upon society-at-large, especially upon litigants, their counsel, and 

the judiciary. Thus, the Court accepts the Parties’ representations that they, and particularly 

Defendant, a nationwide retailer, have faced setbacks including travel restrictions, 

corporate office closures, and operational changes that have stalled settlement discussions 

and routine discovery. However, the Parties have not made the requisite showing under 

Rule 16(b) to merit a two-month continuance of the ENE and CMC. Other than having 

agreed to attend private mediation, which the Court supports, the parties have not provided 

the Court with a specific date when they are scheduled to do so. The Joint Motion also 

explains the inconveniences the Parties have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic 

but these challenges are not unique to them during this unprecedented pandemic. All 

parties now in litigation before this Court are having to work through the very same 

practical and logistical burdens as best they can while simultaneously trying to keep 

litigation moving forward.

Without a firm and near date for private mediation and because we must capture the 

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momentum and march forward as best we can, the Court DENIES IN PART the Parties’ 

Joint Motion, as it relates to the Parties’ request to continue the ENE and CMC. All dates 

as memorialized in the operative scheduling order remain in effect, including the April 28, 

2020 ENE and CMC.

At the same time, the Court GRANTS IN PART the Parties’ Joint Motion, as it 

relates to the Parties’ request for a telephonic, rather than in-person, ENE and CMC on 

April 28, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Good cause supports the Parties’ request to this end, for the 

reasons noted above. Accordingly, the Court ORDERS all participants in the April 28, 

2020 ENE, including all parties vested with full and complete settlement authority, 

adjusters for Defendant, if insured, and counsel, to telephonically appear for the ENE. No 

personal appearances for the ENE will be allowed. 

For purposes of the April 28, 2020 ENE, all participants are ORDERED to dial 

Chambers’ conference phone number no later than 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

to make their telephonic appearances. Chambers’ conference phone number is (888) 363-

4734; the access code is 9189689. The Parties and their counsel shall initiate their 

participation in the telephonic ENE by first dialing the conference phone number and then 

following all instructions as prompted. Should anyone experience technical difficulty in 

connecting with the Court through the conference phone number, they shall immediately 

contact this Court’s Chambers via telephone at (619) 557-6384.

Finally, counsel is responsible for designating one attorney for each party to serve 

as the party’s point-of-contact with the Court. No later than Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 

each attorney acting as the point-of-contact shall lodge his/ her direct telephone number 

and the names of all individuals who will participate in the ENE on their client’s behalf, 

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

/ / /

/ / / 

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including the parties themselves, insurance adjusters, if any, and counsel. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 9, 2020

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