Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00595/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00595-22/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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STIPULATION REQUESTING EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA 

J. ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; [PROPOSED] ORDER (2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB)

KAMALA D. HARRIS, State Bar No. 146672

Attorney General of California

SARAH E. MORRISON, State Bar No. 143459

Supervising Deputy Attorney General

OLIVIA W. KARLIN, State Bar No. 150432

LAURA J. ZUCKERMAN (Counsel for service) 

State Bar No. 161896

Deputy Attorneys General

1515 Clay Street, 20th Floor

Oakland, CA 94612

Telephone: (510) 622-2174

Fax: (510) 622-2270

E-mail: Laura.Zuckerman@doj.ca.gov 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs California

Department of Toxic Substances Control and Toxic 

Substances Control Account

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SACRAMENTO DIVISION

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TOXIC 

SUBSTANCES CONTROL and the TOXIC 

SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACCOUNT,

Plaintiffs,

v.

JIM DOBBAS, INC., a California 

corporation; CONTINENTAL RAIL, INC., 

a Delaware corporation; DAVID VAN 

OVER, individually; PACIFIC WOOD 

PRESERVING, a dissolved California 

corporation; WEST COAST WOOD 

PRESERVING, LLC., a Nevada limited 

liability company; and COLLINS & 

AIKMAN PRODUCTS, LLC, a Delaware 

limited liability company,

Defendants.

______________________________________

AND RELATED COUNTERCLAIMS AND 

CROSS CLAIMS

2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB

STIPULATION REQUESTING 

EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND 

TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA J. 

ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER

Trial Date: January 4, 2017

Action Filed: March 3, 2014

Case 2:14-cv-00595-WBS-JDP Document 153 Filed 01/20/16 Page 1 of 6
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STIPULATION REQUESTING EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA 

J. ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; [PROPOSED] ORDER (2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB)

Plaintiffs the State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Toxic 

Substances Control Account (collectively, “DTSC”), through their attorneys, and individual 

defendant David Van Over, acting in pro per (“Van Over”), hereby submit this stipulation 

requesting that the Court issue an order extending all court-ordered deadlines for four (4) months 

to permit the parties to undertake actions necessary to settle this litigation. 

The foregoing Stipulation is based on the following facts:

1. In this action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9601 (“CERCLA”), DTSC seeks to recover response costs it incurred 

or expects to incur in response to the release and/or threatened release of hazardous substances at, 

around, and/or beneath the property located at 147 A Street, Elmira, Solano County, CA, 

identified by Solano County Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 142-010-130, 142-010-140 and 142-042-

010 (“the Site”) from six (6) defendants. The Court has entered and approved consent decrees 

resolving the liability of two defendants in this action and has entered default judgments against 

three (3) others. Van Over is the current owner and operator of the Site, and he is the last 

remaining defendant in the case.

2. The parties have been engaged in settlement discussions. Zuckerman Declaration, ¶ 

2. Van Over has asserted an inability to pay any response costs owed to DTSC, and has agreed to 

submit documentation supporting an inability to pay claim by January 22, 2016. Zuckerman 

Declaration, ¶ 3. DTSC will evaluate Van Over’s financial documentation. Id. If Van Over’s 

financial documentation substantiates his inability to pay response costs claim, DTSC anticipates 

the parties will enter into a proposed consent decree to memorialize their settlement. Id. 

3. For its CERCLA settlements, DTSC follows section 122(h) of CERCLA, and 

conducts a thirty (30) day public review and comment period on the proposed consent decree 

before moving for its approval by the Court. 42 U.S.C § 9622(h). Zuckerman Declaration, ¶ 5. 

A continuance of approximately four (4) months will allow sufficient time for the parties to 

evaluate Van Over’s financial documentation, engage in settlement discussions, publish and 

notice any proposed consent decree entered into with Van Over for public comment, comply with 

Case 2:14-cv-00595-WBS-JDP Document 153 Filed 01/20/16 Page 2 of 6
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STIPULATION REQUESTING EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA 

J. ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; [PROPOSED] ORDER (2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB)

the statutorily required public comment period for the proposed consent decree, address public 

comments, and file a noticed motion for judicial approval of a settlement with Van Over. Id. 

3. The parties prefer to expend their available resources focusing on settlement rather 

than conducting discovery and litigating the matter. Zuckerman Declaration, ¶ 4. The parties 

further agree that it would be mutually beneficial, and that it would conserve the judicial 

resources of this Court, to continue the discovery, pretrial, and trial dates by approximately four

(4) months in order that the parties may conclude their settlement discussions. Id.

4. These parties have made no prior request to extend the discovery or trial deadlines.

Zuckerman Declaration, ¶ 6.

5. Based on the foregoing, DTSC and Van Over hereby jointly request that the Court 

enter an order continuing the remaining court deadlines for approximately four (4) months as 

follows:

A. Fact Discovery Cutoff – from March 30, 2016 to August 3, 2016.

B. Expert Report Due Date – from April 29, 2016 to August 31, 2016.

C. Expert Discovery Cutoff – from June 30, 2016 to October 31, 2016.

D. Motion Filing Deadline – from September 2, 2016 to January 6, 2017.

E. Final Pretrial Conference – from November 7, 2016 to March 13, 2017.

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Case 2:14-cv-00595-WBS-JDP Document 153 Filed 01/20/16 Page 3 of 6
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STIPULATION REQUESTING EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA 

J. ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; [PROPOSED] ORDER (2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB)

F. Trial – from January 4, 2017 to May 10, 2017.

IT IS SO STIPULATED.

Dated: _______1/19/16____________ KAMALA D. HARRIS

Attorney General of California

 /s/ 

LAURA J. ZUCKERMAN

Deputy Attorney General

Attorneys for Plaintiffs State of California 

Department of Toxic Substances Control and 

Toxic Substances Account

Dated: __1/14/16_____________ DAVID VAN OVER

Defendant

 /s/

DAVID VAN OVER

[PROPOSED] ORDER

IT IS ORDERED that the deadlines for the above-captioned case are extended as follows:

A. Fact Discovery Cutoff – from March 30, 2016 to August 3, 2016.

B. Expert Report Due Date – from April 29, 2016 to August 31, 2016.

C. Expert Discovery Cutoff – from June 30, 2016 to October 31, 2016.

D. Motion Filing Deadline – from September 2, 2016 to January 6, 2017.

E. Final Pretrial Conference – from November 7, 2016 to March 13, 2017 at 

1:30 p.m.

F. Trial – from January 4, 2017 to May 9, 2017 at 9:00 a.m.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 19, 2016

Case 2:14-cv-00595-WBS-JDP Document 153 Filed 01/20/16 Page 4 of 6
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STIPULATION REQUESTING EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA 

J. ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; [PROPOSED] ORDER (2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB)

DECLARATION OF LAURA J. ZUCKERMAN

I, Laura J. Zuckerman, declare as follows:

1. I am a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, Office of 

the Attorney General. In that capacity, I am one of the attorneys for plaintiffs California 

Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Toxic Substances Control Account (collectively, 

“DTSC”) in this action. I have personal knowledge of the facts stated herein, and, if called to do 

so, could and would testify competently thereto. 

2. DTSC and defendant David Van Over (“Van Over”), the last remaining defendant in 

this action, have been engaged in settlement discussions in an effort to resolve this matter without 

further litigation. 

3. Van Over is representing himself in pro per. Van Over has asserted an inability to pay 

any response costs owed to DTSC, and has agreed to submit documentation supporting an 

inability to pay claim by January 22, 2016. DTSC will evaluate Van Over’s financial 

documentation. If Van Over’s financial documentation substantiates his inability to pay response 

costs claim, DTSC anticipates the parties will enter into a proposed consent decree to 

memorialize their settlement. 

4. The parties would prefer to expend their available resources focusing on settlement 

rather than conducting discovery and litigating the matter. The parties have discussed and agreed 

that it would be mutually beneficial, and would conserve the judicial resources of this Court, to 

continue the discovery, pretrial, and trial dates by approximately four (4) months in order that the 

parties may conclude their settlement discussions.

5. For its CERCLA settlements, Plaintiffs follow section 122(h) of CERCLA, and 

conduct a thirty (30) day public review and comment period on the proposed consent decree 

before moving for its approval by the Court. 42 U.S.C. § 9622(h). A continuance of 

approximately four (4) months will allow sufficient time for the parties to engage in settlement 

discussions and publish and notice any proposed consent decree entered into for public comment, 

comply with the statutorily required public comment period for the proposed consent decree, 

Case 2:14-cv-00595-WBS-JDP Document 153 Filed 01/20/16 Page 5 of 6
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STIPULATION REQUESTING EXTENSION OF CUT-OFF DATES AND TRIAL; DECLARATION OF LAURA 

J. ZUCKERMAN IN SUPPORT THEREOF; [PROPOSED] ORDER (2:14-cv-00595-WBS-EFB)

address public comments, and file a noticed motion for judicial approval of any settlement with 

Van Over. 

6. These parties have made no prior request to extend the discovery or trial deadlines.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on 

__________________, at Oakland, California.

______________________ 

 Laura J. Zuckerman

Case 2:14-cv-00595-WBS-JDP Document 153 Filed 01/20/16 Page 6 of 6