Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_13-cv-02085/USCOURTS-caed-2_13-cv-02085-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 350
Nature of Suit: Motor Vehicle Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-(Citizenship)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LYTLE S. WILLIAMS,

Plaintiff,

v.

LONG CANYON VOLUNTEER FIRE

DEPARTMENT, a Colorado 

corporation, and DOES 1 

through 25, inclusive,

Defendants.

No. 2:13-cv-02085-GEB-CMK

STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) 

ORDER

The status (pretrial scheduling) conference scheduled 

for hearing on January 21, 2014, is vacated since the parties’ 

Joint Status Report filed on January 7, 2014 (“JSR”) indicates 

the following Order should issue.

DOE DEFENDANTS, SERVICE, JOINDER OF ADDITIONAL PARTIES, AMENDMENT

The parties state in the JSR: 

The parties are trying to determine who the 

actual “employer” was at the time of this 

incident. If it is determined that the 

employer in fact was an entity other than the 

Long Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, the 

parties intend to join that entity to this 

litigation. The parties anticipate needing 90 

to 120 days to make this determination.

Case 2:13-cv-02085-DWM Document 9 Filed 01/15/14 Page 1 of 5
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(JSR 1:20-26.)

Therefore, Plaintiff has until May 19, 2014, to file a 

motion in which leave is sought under Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 15(a) to file an Amended Complaint substituting a named 

defendant in place of a Doe defendant. The referenced motion must 

be noticed for hearing on the Court’s earliest available law and 

motion date. If leave is not sought as stated, Does 1 through 25

will be automatically dismissed from this action.

No further service, joinder of parties, or amendments 

to pleadings is permitted, except with leave of Court for good 

cause shown.

ADDED DEFENDANT’S OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK AMENDMENT OF THIS ORDER

If Plaintiff substitutes a named defendant in place of 

a Doe defendant, a copy of this Order shall be served on that 

defendant concurrently with the service of process. 

That defendant has 30 days after said service within 

which to file a “Notice of Proposed Modification of Status 

Order.” Although a newly-joined party’s proposed modification 

filed within this thirty day period will not have to meet the 

good cause standard, no further amendments will be permitted, 

except with leave of Court for good cause shown.

DISCOVERY

All discovery shall be completed by November 20, 2015. 

“Completed” means all discovery shall be conducted so that any 

dispute relative to discovery shall have been resolved by 

appropriate orders, if necessary, and, where discovery has been 

ordered, the order has been complied with on or before the 

prescribed “completion” date.

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Each party shall comply with Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 26(a)(2)(B) and (C)’s initial expert witness disclosure 

requirements on or before June 22, 2015, and any contradictory 

and/or rebuttal expert disclosure authorized under Rule 

26(a)(2)(D)(ii) on or before July 21, 2015.

MOTION HEARING SCHEDULE

The last hearing date for a motion is January 25, 2016, 

commencing at 9:00 a.m. A motion shall be briefed as prescribed 

in Local Rule 230. 

The parties are cautioned that an untimely motion 

characterized as a motion in limine may be summarily denied.

FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE

The final pretrial conference is set for March 21, 

2016, at 1:30 p.m. The parties are cautioned that the lead 

attorney who WILL TRY THE CASE for each party shall attend the 

final pretrial conference. In addition, all persons representing 

themselves and appearing in propria persona must attend the 

pretrial conference. 

The parties shall file a JOINT pretrial statement no 

later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the final pretrial 

conference. The joint pretrial statement shall address the 

applicable portions of Local Rule 281(b), and shall set forth 

each theory of liability (“claim”) and affirmative defense which 

remains to be tried, and the ultimate facts on which each 

theory/defense is based. Furthermore, each party shall estimate 

the length of trial. The Court uses the parties’ joint pretrial 

statement to prepare its final pretrial order and could issue the 

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final pretrial order without holding the scheduled final pretrial 

conference. See Mizwicki v. Helwig, 196 F.3d 828, 833 (7th Cir. 

1999) (“There is no requirement that the court hold a pretrial 

conference.”). 

Final pretrial procedures are “critical for ‘promoting 

efficiency and conserving judicial resources by identifying the 

real issues prior to trial, thereby saving time and expense for 

everyone.’” Friedman & Friedman, Ltd. v. Tim McCandless, Inc., 

606 F.3d 494 (8th Cir. 2010) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 16 Advisory 

Committee Note (1983 Amendment to subdivision (c)). “Toward that 

end, Rule 16 directs courts to use pretrial conferences to weed 

out unmeritorious claims and defenses before trial begins.” Smith 

v. Gulf Oil Co., 995 F.2d 638, 642 (6th Cir. 1993). The parties 

are therefore provided notice that a claim or affirmative defense 

may be dismissed sua sponte if it is not shown to be triable in 

the joint final pretrial statement. Cf. Portland Retail Druggists 

Ass’n v. Kaiser Found. Health Plan, 662 F.2d 641, 645 (9th Cir. 

1981) (indicating that a party shall be provided notice and an 

opportunity to respond with facts sufficient to justify having a 

claim or affirmative defense proceed to trial); Portsmouth

Square, Inc. v. S’holders Protective Comm., 770 F.2d 866, 869 

(9th Cir. 1985) (stating “the district court has . . . authority 

to grant summary judgment sua sponte in the context of a final 

pretrial conference”).

If feasible, at the time of filing the joint pretrial 

statement counsel shall also email it in a format compatible with 

WordPerfect to: geborders@caed.uscourts.gov.

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TRIAL SETTING

Trial shall commence at 9:00 a.m. on June 21, 2016. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 15, 2014

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