Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_13-cv-02649/USCOURTS-casd-3_13-cv-02649-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 110
Nature of Suit: Insurance
Cause of Action: 

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

WAMC COMPANY, INC. Dba CAL

WEST ENTERPRISES,

Civil

No.

13CV2649-JM (BGS)

Plaintiff,

NOTICE AND ORDER FOR

EARLY NEUTRAL

EVALUATION CONFERENCE

v.

MIDWEST INS. CO.; ILLINOIS

MIDWEST INS. AGENCY, INC.;

STAR INS. CO.,

Defendant.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that an Early Neutral Evaluation of your case

will be held on January 7, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. before United States Magistrate

Judge Bernard G. Skomal, United States District Court, 333 W. Broadway, Suite

1280, San Diego, California.

The following are mandatory guidelines for the parties preparing for

the Early Neutral Evaluation Conference.

1. Purpose of Conference: The purpose of the Early Neutral

Evaluation Conference (“ENE”) is to have an in-depth discussion of every aspect of

the lawsuit in an effort to achieve an early resolution of the case. All conference

discussions will be off the record, privileged and confidential. Counsel for any

non-English speaking parties is responsible for arranging for the appearance of an

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interpreter at the conference.

2. Personal Appearance of Parties Is Required: All parties,

adjusters for insured defendants, and other representatives of a party having full and

complete authority to enter into a binding settlement, and the principal attorneys

responsible for the litigation, must be present in person and legally and factually

prepared to discuss the case. 

3. Full Settlement Authority Required: In addition to counsel who

will try the case, a party or party representative with full settlement authority must

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be present for the conference. The purpose of this requirement is to have

representatives present who can settle the case during the course of the conference

without consulting a superior. Counsel for a government entity may be excused

from this requirement so long as the government attorney who attends the ENE

conference (1) has primary responsibility for handling the case; and (2) may

negotiate settlement offers which the attorney is willing to recommend to the

government official having ultimate settlement authority.

Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, persons required to attend

the conference pursuant to this Order will not be excused from personal attendance.

In and of itself, having to travel a long distance to appear in person is not

“extraordinary.” Failure to appear at the ENE conference will be grounds for

sanctions.

4. Confidential ENE Statements Required: No later than December

23, 2013, the parties must submit confidential statements of seven pages or less to

 “Full authority to settle” means that the individuals at the settlement conference must be authorized to 1

fully explore settlement options and to agree at that time to any settlement terms acceptable to the parties.

Heileman Brewing Co., Inc. v. Joseph Oat Corp., 871 F.2d 648 (7th Cir. 1989). The person needs to have

“unfettered discretion and authority” to change the settlement position of a party. Pitman v. Brinker Intl.,

Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485-486 (D. Ariz. 2003). The person must be able to bind the party without the need

to call others not present at the conference for authority or approval. The purpose of requiring a person

with unlimited settlement authority to attend the conference includes that the person’s view of the case

may be altered during the face to face conference. Id. at 486. A limited or a sum certain of authority is not

adequate. Nick v. Morgan’s Foods, Inc., 270 F.3d 590 (8th Cir. 2001). 

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Judge Skomal. Please also attach relevant exhibits. The statement must address the

legal and factual issues in the case and should focus on issues most pertinent to

settling the matter. The statement should not repeat facts and law contained in the

Complaint or Answer. Statements do not need to be filed or served on opposing

counsel. ENE statements must be emailed to efile_Skomal@casd.uscourts.gov.

If the accompanying exhibits exceed 30 pages, a courtesy copy of the exhibits must

also be delivered directly to chambers via courier.

5. New Parties Must Be Notified by Plaintiff’s Counsel: Plaintiff’s

counsel shall give notice of the ENE to parties responding to the complaint after the

date of this notice.

6. Case Management Under the Amended Federal Rules: In the

event the case does not settle at the ENE, the parties can expect to leave the ENE

with Rule 26 compliance dates or deadlines. 

7. Requests to Continue an ENE Conference: Local Rule 16.1(c)

requires that an ENE take place within 45 days of the filing of the first answer. 

Requests to continue ENEs are rarely granted. The Court will, however, consider

formal motions to continue an ENE when extraordinary circumstances exist and the

other party has no objection. If another party objects to the continuance, counsel

for both parties must call chambers and discuss the matter with the research

attorney/law clerk assigned to the case before any motion may be filed.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, requests for continuances will not be

considered unless filed no less than fourteen (14) days prior to the scheduled

conference.

8. Settlement Prior to ENE Conference: The Court encourages the

parties to work on settling the matter in advance of the ENE Conference. In the

event that the parties resolve the matter prior to the day of the conference, the

following procedures must be followed before the Court will vacate the ENE and

excuse the parties from appearing:

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A. The parties may file a Joint Motion to Dismiss and submit a

proposed order to the assigned district judge. If a Joint Motion to Dismiss is filed,

the Court will immediately vacate the ENE;

B. If the parties settle more than 24 hours before the conference but

are not able to file a Joint Motion to Dismiss, they must file a Notice of Settlement

containing the electronic signatures of counsel for all settling parties and must also

identify a date by which the Joint Motion to Dismiss will be filed;

C. If the parties settle less than 24 hours before the conference,

counsel for the settling parties must JOINTLY call chambers and inform the Court

of the settlement and receive Court permission to not appear at the ENE. 

Questions regarding this case or the mandatory guidelines set forth herein

may be directed to Judge Skomal’s research attorney at (619) 557-2993. Please

consult Judge Skomal’s rules, available on the Court’s website, before contacting

chambers with your questions.

A Notice of Right to Consent to Trial Before a United States Magistrate

Judge is attached for your information.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: November 19, 2013

Hon. Bernard G. Skomal

U.S. Magistrate Judge

United States District Court

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NOTICE OF RIGHT TO CONSENT TO TRIAL

BEFORE A UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

In accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), you are hereby

notified that a U.S. Magistrate Judge of this district may, upon the consent of all

parties on form1a (available in the clerk’s office), conduct any or all proceedings,

including a jury or non-jury trial, and order the entry of a final judgment. Counsel

for the plaintiff shall be responsible for obtaining the consent of all parties, should

they desire to consent.

You should be aware that your decision to consent or not to consent is

entirely voluntary and should be communicated solely to the Clerk of Court. Only

if all parties consent will the Judge or Magistrate Judge to whom the case has been

assigned be informed of your decision.

Judgments of the U.S. Magistrate Judges are appealable only to the U.S.

Court of Appeals in accordance with this statute and the Federal Rules of Appellate

Procedure.

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