Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_00-cv-01239/USCOURTS-cand-3_00-cv-01239-12/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 893
Nature of Suit: Environmental Matters
Cause of Action: 42:4321 Review of Agency Action-Environment

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High Sierra Hikers, et al. v. Weingardt, et al., C-00-1239-EDL

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Re: Plaintiffs’ Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Other Expenses

RONALD J. TENPAS

 Acting Assistant Attorney General

 Environment and Natural Resources Division

 United States Department of Justice

DAVID B. GLAZER (D.C. 400966; MD)

 Natural Resources Section

 Environment and Natural Resources Division

 United States Department of Justice

 301 Howard Street, Suite 1050

 San Francisco, California 94105

 Telephone: (415) 744-6491

 Facsimile: (415) 744-6476

 E-mail: david.glazer@usdoj.gov

Attorneys for the Federal Defendants

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION

______________________________________

)

HIGH SIERRA HIKERS ASSOCIATION, ) No. C-00-1239-EDL

et al., )

)

Plaintiffs, ) STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED]

) ORDER RE: SETTLEMENT OF

v. ) PLAINTIFFS’ CLAIMS FOR 

) ATTORNEYS’ FEES, COSTS, AND

) OTHER EXPENSES

BERNIE WEINGARDT, et al., )

)

Defendants. )

______________________________________ )

) Date: N/A

)

NATIONAL FOREST RECREATION ) Time: N/A

ASSOCIATION, et al., )

) Courtroom No. E, 15th Floor

Intervenor-Defendants. )

______________________________________ ) Hon. Elizabeth D. Laporte

Case 3:00-cv-01239-EDL Document 326 Filed 07/03/07 Page 1 of 6
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High Sierra Hikers, et al. v. Weingardt, et al., C-00-1239-EDL

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Re: Plaintiffs’ Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Other Expenses 1

RECITALS

1. Plaintiffs are the High Sierra Hikers Association, Forest Service Employees for

Environmental Ethics, and Wilderness Watch, all nonprofit organizations whose members assert

interests in the use and enjoyment of the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas

(“Wilderness Areas”) in the Sierra and Inyo National Forests. In April 2000, Plaintiffs brought

suit against the Federal Defendants for declaratory and injunctive relief under the Administrative

Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 701–706, arising out of the Federal Defendants’ alleged

violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321–4370f, the

National Forest Management Act (“NFMA”), 16 U.S.C. §§ 1600–1687, and the Wilderness Act,

16 U.S.C. §§ 1131–1136. 

2. The Federal Defendants are the U.S. Forest Service; Dale Bosworth, Chief of the

Forest Service; Jeffrey Bailey, Supervisor of the Inyo National Forest; Edward Cole, Supervisor

of the Sierra National Forest; and Bernie Weingardt, Regional Forester for Region 5.

3. Plaintiffs challenged the Forest Service’s issuance of pack stock permits for

commercial operators in the Wilderness Areas. In May 2000, a group of potentially affected

pack stock operators sought to intervene and were granted intervention for purposes of the

remedy phase of the proceedings.

4. On June 5, 2001, the district court issued a decision on the merits phase of the

case and granted the Federal Defendants’ motion for summary judgment as to the claims brought

under NFMA and the Wilderness Act. However, the district court granted the Plaintiffs’ motion

for summary judgment on the NEPA claim. 

5. On January 9, 2002, after receiving additional briefing on appropriate relief under

NEPA, the district court issued an order granting injunctive relief and ordering the Forest

Service to complete additional NEPA analysis of the cumulative impacts of its authorization of

commercial pack stock use by December 31, 2005, and a site-specific analysis for each permittee

by December 31, 2006. On June 24, 2002, the court granted the Federal Defendants’ motion to

modify the injunction to allow exceptions for designated trips for certain groups of disabled

Case 3:00-cv-01239-EDL Document 326 Filed 07/03/07 Page 2 of 6
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High Sierra Hikers, et al. v. Weingardt, et al., C-00-1239-EDL

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Re: Plaintiffs’ Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Other Expenses 2

people, youth, and Native Americans.

6. Plaintiffs appealed the grant of summary judgment on the Wilderness Act claims,

and the Federal Defendants appealed the district court’s grant of injunctive relief for the NEPA

violations. The Ninth Circuit reversed the court’s grant of summary judgment to the government

on the Wilderness Act claims, while affirming the court’s order on the NEPA violations. High

Sierra Hikers Ass’n v. Blackwell (“Blackwell”), 390 F.3d 630 (9th Cir. 2004).

7. On March 16, 2005, the Ninth Circuit ruled on the Plaintiffs’ request for

attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses for the appeal, awarding costs and a portion of the

requested fees.

8. The Plaintiffs have made a demand for attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses

for the district court proceedings from initiation of suit to the issuance of the Ninth Circuit’s

mandate in Blackwell, pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”), 28 U.S.C.

§ 2412(d)(1)(A). The Federal Defendants dispute the amount of attorneys’ fees, costs, and other

expenses demanded.

9. The Plaintiffs and Federal Defendants, in the interests of avoiding further

litigation and to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of Plaintiffs’ claims for attorneys’ fees,

costs, and other expenses under EAJA, have negotiated a settlement of those claims.

STIPULATION

The Plaintiffs and Federal Defendants hereby agree as follows:

10. The provisions of this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order shall apply to Plaintiffs,

their agents, successors and assigns, and anyone acting on their behalf, and to the Federal

Defendants.

11. Within 60 days of the date the Court approves this Stipulation and [Proposed]

Order, the Federal Defendants will pay to Plaintiffs $130,000.00 in full settlement and satisfaction of all of the Plaintiffs’ claims for attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses, in the abovecaptioned case, through the date of the Ninth Circuit’s mandate in Blackwell.

Case 3:00-cv-01239-EDL Document 326 Filed 07/03/07 Page 3 of 6
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High Sierra Hikers, et al. v. Weingardt, et al., C-00-1239-EDL

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Re: Plaintiffs’ Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Other Expenses 3

12. Plaintiffs will accept the sum of $130,000.00 in full settlement and satisfaction of

all of their claims for attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses incurred through the date of the

Ninth Circuit’s mandate in Blackwell and release the Federal Defendants from any liability for

attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses incurred or claimed, or that could have been claimed,

for work performed through that date.

13. Plaintiffs agree that, in any future proceedings in this case, they will not seek to

recover any attorneys’ fees, costs, or other expenses claimed, or that could have been claimed,

for work performed through the date of the Ninth Circuit’s mandate in Blackwell.

14. Plaintiffs represent that the proper entity to receive payment pursuant to this

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order is “Wilderness Watch,” P.O. Box 9175, Missoula, Montana 

59807. Plaintiffs are solely responsible for any apportionment of the amount paid under this

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order as among themselves. All Plaintiffs release and hold the

Federal Defendants harmless from any liability for attorneys’ fees, costs, or other claims that

might be made by entities other than Wilderness Watch as to the attorneys’ fees, costs, and other

expenses settled herein.

15. Nothing in this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order shall constitute or be construed

to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity by the United States. Nothing in this Stipulation

and [Proposed] Order shall require, or be deemed to require, that the United States pay or obligate any funds, or take any other action, in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C.

§ 1341, or any other federal appropriations law.

16. Nothing in this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order shall constitute, or be construed

to constitute, an admission of liability on the part of the Federal Defendants as to Plaintiffs’

claims for attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses in the above-captioned litigation or an

admission that the Federal Defendants’ position was not substantially justified. Nothing in this

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order shall constitute, or be construed to constitute, an admission of

liability or waiver of any defense on the part of the Federal Defendants as to Plaintiffs’ claims in

the underlying suit. Nothing in this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order shall be cited in any other

Case 3:00-cv-01239-EDL Document 326 Filed 07/03/07 Page 4 of 6
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High Sierra Hikers, et al. v. Weingardt, et al., C-00-1239-EDL

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Re: Plaintiffs’ Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Other Expenses 4

proceeding for any purpose other than in a proceeding to enforce the terms hereof.

17. The undersigned representatives of each party certify that they are fully

authorized, or have received authorization by the party or parties whom they represent, to enter

into the terms and conditions of this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order, which shall be legally

binding on them.

18. This Stipulation and [Proposed] Order contains all of the agreements between

Plaintiffs and Federal Defendants and is intended to be and is the final and sole agreement

between these parties. The Plaintiffs and Federal Defendants agree that any other prior or

contemporaneous representations or understandings not explicitly contained in this Stipulation

and [Proposed] Order, whether written or oral, are of no further legal or equitable force or effect. 

Any subsequent modifications to this Stipulation and [Proposed] Order must be in writing and

must be signed and executed by the parties and approved by the Court.

SO AGREED: FOR THE PLAINTIFFS

/s/PETER M.K. FROST 

PETER M.K. FROST

Western Environmental Law Center

1216 Lincoln Street

Eugene, Oregon 97401

Telephone: (541) 485-2471

Facsimile: (541) 485-2437

e-mail: frost@westernlaw.org

FOR THE FEDERAL DEFENDANTS

/s/David B. Glazer 

DAVID B. GLAZER

Natural Resources Section

Environment and Natural Resources Division

United States Department of Justice

301 Howard Street, Suite 1050

San Francisco, California 94105

Telephone: (415) 744-6491

Facsimile: (415) 744-6476

e-mail: david.glazer@usdoj.gov

Case 3:00-cv-01239-EDL Document 326 Filed 07/03/07 Page 5 of 6
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High Sierra Hikers, et al. v. Weingardt, et al., C-00-1239-EDL

Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Re: Plaintiffs’ Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, and Other Expenses 5

PURSUANT TO THE FOREGOING STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: _____________

___________________________

ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

July 3, 2007

U

NITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IT IS SO ORDERED

Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte

Case 3:00-cv-01239-EDL Document 326 Filed 07/03/07 Page 6 of 6