Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_06-cv-00362/USCOURTS-caed-1_06-cv-00362-13/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 120
Nature of Suit: Marine Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 46:741 Shipping

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EX PARTE REQUEST TO CONTINUE MOTION FOR PETITIONERS’ 

ATTORNEYS’ FEES; [PROPOSED] ORDER THEREON

McGREGOR W. SCOTT

United States Attorney

KIMBERLY A. GAAB (SBN 166452)

Assistant United States Attorney

United States Courthouse

2500 Tulare Street, Suite 4401

Fresno, California 93721

Telephone: (559) 497-4000

Facsimile: (559) 497-4099

Attorneys for Defendants/Respondents United States 

of America and Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LT. CMDR. RICHARD T. GENGLER )

and LT. CMDR. DANIEL S. )

McSEVENEY, )

)

Plaintiffs/Petitioners, )

)

v. )

)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA )

THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF )

DEFENSE AND NAVY; and )

SECRETARY DONALD C. WINTER, )

)

Defendants/Respondents. )

 )

1:06-cv-00362-OWW-WMW

EX PARTE REQUEST TO CONTINUE

MOTION FOR PETITIONERS’

ATTORNEYS’ FEES; ORDER THEREON 

 

Defendants/Respondents United States of America and

Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy (“United States”) hereby

request a continuance of the Motion for Petitioners’ Attorneys’

Fees, filed March 5, 2007 (Doc. 122), set for hearing on

April 16, 2007, to 60 days following entry of judgment in this

action, based on the attached declaration of the United States’

counsel.

Case 1:06-cv-00362-OWW Document 131 Filed 03/23/07 Page 1 of 4
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EX PARTE REQUEST TO CONTINUE MOTION FOR PETITIONERS’ 

ATTORNEYS’ FEES; [PROPOSED] ORDER THEREON

Dated: March 16, 2006. McGREGOR W. SCOTT

United States Attorney

By: /s/Kimberly A. Gaab 

KIMBERLY A. GAAB

Assistant U.S. Attorney

Attorneys for Defendants

United States of America

and Donald C. Winter, 

Secretary of the Navy

DECLARATION OF KIMBERLY A. GAAB

I, Kimberly A. Gaab, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746, declare:

1. I am an Assistant United States Attorney for the

Eastern District of California and an attorney of record for the

United States in this action. I have personal knowledge of the

matters set forth herein, and if called upon to testify, could

and would competently testify thereto.

2. On March 5, 2007, Petitioners filed a 261-page motion

for attorney fees in this action (Doc. 122), seeking attorney

fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act. The motion is

premature in that the action has not yet been dismissed or

otherwise resolved. In fact, the United States has a pending

motion to dismiss the case as moot, set for hearing on April 2,

2007, which Petitioners have opposed (see Doc. 125). Until a

determination is made with respect to the disposition of the

case, any attorney fees motion is premature. Moreover, the

disposition of the case will likely be relevant to the issues in

the attorney fees motion.

3. There is no immediacy to the motion and no reason to

have it heard before it is fully considered by the United States

and the Court after a determination is made with respect to the

Case 1:06-cv-00362-OWW Document 131 Filed 03/23/07 Page 2 of 4
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EX PARTE REQUEST TO CONTINUE MOTION FOR PETITIONERS’ 

ATTORNEYS’ FEES; [PROPOSED] ORDER THEREON

disposition of the case. From the face of the motion, it is

immediately apparent that it lacks merit in that approximately

$100,000 of the $200,000 of attorney fees sought are claimed by a

firm that associated in one day before orders were issued

discharging Petitioners from the military and mooting the case.

4. I am not in a position to respond to the motion in the

next 60 days. I have an active civil caseload of in excess of 35

cases. In the next 60 days, I have a Ninth Circuit brief due in

an employment case involving complex issues related to national

security, cross-motions for summary judgment in an action for

review of an administrative decision of the United States

Department of Agriculture, and initial discovery in several tort

cases. I also anticipate drafting a motion to quash the subpoena

of federal records in a criminal matter, taking and defending

depositions for approximately 10 experts in a medical malpractice

action with an expert discovery deadline of May 10, and defending

several depositions in a forest fire case involving the

destruction of 56,000 acres of national forest land. All of

these obligations prevent me from adequately responding to the

voluminous attorney fees motion filed by Petitioners.

5. I spoke to Petitioners’ counsel, Jennifer Lopez, and

requested a continuance of the hearing date on the attorney fees

motion to 60 days after entry of judgment in the case. Ms. Lopez

initially conditioned a continuance on the United States agreeing

to Petitioners’ proposed stipulation (including 10 purported

undisputed facts) dismissing the case. Ms. Lopez stated today

that she would agree to only a three- or four-week continuance of

the hearing.

Case 1:06-cv-00362-OWW Document 131 Filed 03/23/07 Page 3 of 4
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EX PARTE REQUEST TO CONTINUE MOTION FOR PETITIONERS’ 

ATTORNEYS’ FEES; [PROPOSED] ORDER THEREON

6. In light of the foregoing, it is respectfully requested

that the Court continue the premature Motion for Petitioners’

Attorneys’ Fees to 60 days after entry of judgment in this

action.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is

true and correct. Executed on March 16, 2007.

__/s/Kimberly A. Gaab___

 KIMBERLY A. GAAB

ORDER

IT IS SO ORDERED that the Motion for Petitioners’ Attorneys’

Fees, currently set for April 16, 2007, is continued to 60 days

after entry of judgment in this action.

Dated: 3/23/07 /s/ Oliver W. Wanger

________________________________

 OLIVER W. WANGER

 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 1:06-cv-00362-OWW Document 131 Filed 03/23/07 Page 4 of 4