Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_02-cv-00018/USCOURTS-caed-2_02-cv-00018-10/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 893
Nature of Suit: Environmental Matters
Cause of Action: 42:9607 Real Property Tort to Land

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26 The reasons for the denial have been set forth in the opposing papers.

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF

TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL,

Plaintiff, CIV-S-02-0018 GEB/JFM/GGH

vs.

BRIGHTON OIL COMPANY, et al.,

Defendants. ORDER

 /

The motion of California Highway Patrol, and other state defendants, to permit

depositions of certain persons to take place in this stayed case came on for hearing. The

attending parties placed their appearances on the record.

The motion is denied without prejudice to its renewal in two eventualities. First, 1

if any of the persons whose depositions were sought by CHP (and for that matter the deposition

of any persons with significantly pertinent information regarding the issues in this lawsuit) have a

medically certifiable illness which will likely result in their passing in six months or less, the

court will lift the stay for the purposes of preserving such testimony. Any such notice of

Case 2:02-cv-00018-TLN-EFB Document 960 Filed 02/08/06 Page 1 of 2
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The court may direct that certain document disclosures may be made and logistics for 2

future settlement conferences will be set. The court may set a date for presentation of possible

remedial actions which will have to take place on the site. 

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deposition to preserve testimony must be accompanied by the medical certification, which will be

filed under seal and which certification is not to be disseminated by any receiving party for

purposes outside of this lawsuit. The person proffering such a terminally ill deponent shall

produce, no less than five business days prior to the deposition, all non-privileged documents in

the proffering party’s actual or constructive possession which relate to the subject matter of the

persons’ testimony. Thus, for example, if a person was going to be deposed on the subject of

amount of oil transported to the Brighton site over the years, all documents actually or

constructively held by the party proffering the deponent, which reflect on that transportation,

must be produced.

Secondly, the court hereby schedules a status conference in this case for April 14,

2006 at 10:00 a.m. The court anticipates that it will set the parameters for settlement

proceedings to be scheduled shortly thereafter. Indeed, if all the phase one activities have been

completed in advance of the conference, the court may hold the first phase 2 settlement

conference on that day. However, if it appears to the court that Phase I is bogged down with 2

necessary, future investigation activities, such that the immediate completion of Phase I cannot

be envisioned, the undersigned on his own may invite a renewal of the motion on that date.

This entire settlement process should be completed no later than the Fall of 2006.

DATED: 2/8/06 

/s/ Gregory G. Hollows

____________________________________

 GREGORY G. HOLLOWS

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

GGH:gh:035

brighton.depo

Case 2:02-cv-00018-TLN-EFB Document 960 Filed 02/08/06 Page 2 of 2