Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-04574/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-04574-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Federal Question: Other Civil Rights

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LAW OFFICES OF

BERTRAND, FOX, ELLIOT, 

OSMAN & WENZEL 

A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION

THE WATERFRONT BUILDING 

2749 HYDE STREET 

SENDER’S DIRECT E-MAIL: 

rosman@bfesf.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94109 

Facsimile (415) 353-0990 

SENDER’S DIRECT DIAL: 

(415) 353-0999 ext. 104

August 1, 2016 

VIA ELECTRONIC FILING (ECF) 

Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler 

United States District Court 

Northern District of California 

San Francisco Courthouse, Courtroom C - 15th Floor 

450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102 

Re: Martinez, et al. v. County of Sonoma, et al. 

USDC Northern District of CA Case No. 15-cv-04574-JD 

Lopez, et al. v. County of Sonoma, et al. 

USDC Northern District of CA Case No. 16-cv-01573-JD 

Dear Magistrate Judge Beeler: 

Defendants County of Sonoma (“the County”), Steve Freitas, Michael Merchen, Brian 

Gallaway, Chad McMasters, Jason Squires, Robert Travelstead, William Walton, David Cooper, 

Matthew Crook, Joseph Galante, Adam Gordon, Todd Grenier, Amanda Lee, Joseph Medeiros, 

Joseph Nougier, Michael Patrick, Craig Peterson and Kyle Smith hereby respectfully request that 

all individual defendants except Lt. Merchen and Sgt. Gallaway be excused from attending the 

Settlement Conference in these matters scheduled for August 16, 2016. 

At all relevant times, Freitas, Merchen, Awad, Gallaway, McMasters, Squires, 

Travelstead, Walton, Cooper, Crook, Galante, Gordon, Grenier, Lee, Medeiros, Nougier, Patrick, 

Peterson and Smith were acting in the course and scope of their employment with the County. 

Therefore, the County is providing them with a defense and indemnity. None of the individual 

defendants have settlement authority. They do have first-hand information about the incident, 

which information was or will be provided to counsel at the deputies’ depositions and which 

information will be contained in defendants’ MSC Statement, which will be served on plaintiffs. 

Personal attendance of the 18 individual defendants will cause a hardship to the Sonoma 

County Sheriff’s Office, Detention Division as it will impact the Division’s ability to properly 

staff the shifts worked by these lieutenants, sergeants, and deputies and/or will require the 

Case 3:15-cv-04574-JD Document 48 Filed 08/05/16 Page 1 of 2
Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler 

August 1, 2016 

Page 2 

LAW OFFICES OF 

BERTRAND, FOX, ELLIOT, 

OSMAN & WENZEL 

County to pay significant overtime pay. Further, Steve Freitas is Sheriff-Coroner for the County 

of Sonoma. His personal attendance at the mediation will cause a hardship to the County as it 

will require the highest ranking law enforcement officer to leave the County and be inaccessible. 

Defendants will have present at the Settlement Conference: (1) Janelle Crane, Liability 

Manager for the County, who has authority to participate in the Settlement Conference, to enter 

into a tentative settlement agreement and authority to recommend the agreement to the Board of 

Supervisors; (2) Assistant Sheriff Randall Walker; (3) Lieutenant Michael Merchen; and (4) 

Sergeant Brian Gallaway. 

Prior to drafting this correspondence, defense counsel discussed the settlement 

conference with plaintiff’s counsel, who did not oppose the above-named personnel not being 

present. 

Defendants thank the Court in advance for its consideration of this request. 

Very truly yours, 

BERTRAND, FOX, ELLIOT, 

OSMAN & WENZEL 

 By: /s/ Richard W. Osman 

 Richard W. Osman 

RWO/jo 

cc: John H. Scott 

 Izaak D. Schwaiger 

 Lizabeth N. deVries 

The court ordinarily hears from defendants who also are percipient witnesses at settlement 

conferences and tries not to inconvenience parties overly. That said, the court has worked with 

both counsel before and trusts their assessment of appropriate attendance. The court asks counsel 

to ensure that defendants who might be helpful to the court's ordinary settlement process 

(including the ordinary joint session) are present. 

Dated: August 5, 2016

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORN

I

A

IT IS SO ORDERED

Judge Laurel Beeler

Case 3:15-cv-04574-JD Document 48 Filed 08/05/16 Page 2 of 2