Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-03771/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-03771-5/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 470
Nature of Suit: Civil (Rico)
Cause of Action: 18:1961 Racketeering (RICO) Act

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ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR CONSOLIDATION AND 

APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL 

Case No. 4:19-cv-01150-YGR 

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

OAKLAND DIVISION 

YOUXIANG EILEEN WANG and DALTON 

CHEN, on behalf of themselves and all others 

similarly situated, 

Plaintiffs, 

 v. 

LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE 

SOUTHWEST and PREMIER FINANCIAL 

ALLIANCE, INC., 

Defendants. 

Case No. 4:19-cv-01150-YGR 

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS 

YOUXIANG EILEEN WANG AND DALTON 

CHEN’S MOTION FOR CONSOLIDATION 

AND APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CLASS 

COUNSEL 

AS MODIFIED BY THE COURT 

4:18-cv-03771-YGR 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 1 of 12
1 

 ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR CONSOLIDATION AND 

APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL 

Case No. 4:19-cv-01150-YGR

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Upon review of the Motion for Consolidation and Appointment of Interim Class Counsel, filed 

by Plaintiffs Youxiang Eileen Wang and Dalton Chen (Dkt. No. 108), and for good cause shown, the 

Court hereby GRANTS the Motion and ORDERS as follows: 

1. The following Actions pending in this District, and any other action arising out of the

same or similar operative facts now pending or hereafter filed in, removed to, or transferred to this 

District shall be consolidated for all purposes, including pretrial proceedings, trial, and appeal, 

pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a) (hereafter the “Consolidated Action”): 

a. Chen et al. v. Premier Financial Alliance, Inc. et al., Case No. 4:18-cv-03771-

YGR; and 

b. Wang et al. v. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest et al., Case No. 4:19-cv01150-YGR. 

2. All papers filed in the Consolidated Action must be filed under Case No. 4:18-cv-03771-

YGR, the number assigned to the first-filed case, and must bear the following caption: 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

OAKLAND DIVISION 

IN RE PFA INSURANCE MARKETING 

LITIGATION 

Case No. 4:18-CV-03771-YGR 

3. The case file for the Consolidated Action will be maintained under Master File No. 4:18-

CV-03771-YGR.

4. The Clerk is directed to administratively close the following related case: Wang et al. v.

Life Insurance Company of the Southwest et al., Case No. 4:19-cv-01150-YGR. 

5. Any action subsequently filed, transferred or removed to this Court that arises out of the

same or similar operative facts as the Consolidated Action will be consolidated with it and will be 

subject to this Order. 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 2 of 12
2 

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR CONSOLIDATION AND 

APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL 

Case No. 4:19-cv-01150-YGR

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6. The Court appoints Girard Sharp LLP as Interim Class Counsel pursuant to Rule 23(g) of

the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

7. Until such time as the Court appoints lead counsel, Interim Class Counsel shall have sole

authority over all matters concerning the prosecution of this action on behalf of Plaintiffs and the 

proposed class, including: 

a. directing, coordinating, and supervising the prosecution of plaintiffs’ claims;

b. initiating, responding to, scheduling, briefing, and arguing all motions;

c. appearing at all hearings and conferences regarding the case;

d. determining the scope, order, and conduct of all discovery proceedings;

e. assigning work to any additional plaintiffs’ counsel, as necessary and appropriate;

f. retaining experts;

g. communicating with the Court;

h. communicating with opposing counsel;

i. facilitating coordination and communications among counsel for the parties and

the Court;

j. conducting settlement negotiations on behalf of named plaintiffs and

the class;

k. collecting and reviewing time and expense records from all plaintiffs’

counsel on a monthly basis, or as provided for under any Court-approved

protocol;

l. coordinating activities to avoid duplication and inefficiency in the filing, serving,

and/or implementation of pleadings, other court papers, discovery papers, and

discovery practice, and, generally, in the litigation; and

m. performing such other duties that may be incidental to proper coordination of

Plaintiffs’ pretrial activities or authorized by further order of the Court.

8. The Court approves the Time and Expense Reporting Protocol, attached hereto as

Exhibit A and entered in the Consolidated Case Number. All Plaintiffs’ counsel shall comply 

with the terms thereof. 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 3 of 12
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ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR CONSOLIDATION AND 

APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL 

Case No. 4:19-cv-01150-YGR

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9. A consolidated complaint shall be filed within fourteen days after the entry of this

order.

10. Defendants in the consolidated action must respond to the consolidated complaint within

21 days of its filing. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: 

YVONNE GONZALEZ ROGERS

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

April 16, 2020

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 4 of 12
EXHIBIT A

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 5 of 12
ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

OAKLAND DIVISION 

Case No. 18-cv-3771-YGR

(consolidated with 19-cv-1150-YGR)

ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM 

CLASS COUNSEL’S TIME AND 

EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

IN RE: PFA LIFE INSURANCE 

MARKETING LITIGATION 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 6 of 12
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ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

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Having reviewed Plaintiffs’ submission, the Court hereby enters this Order to establish a 

protocol for the recording, submission and review of attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by counsel 

for the Plaintiffs in this action. 

I. INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S TIME AND EXPENSE RECORDS

A. General Standards

1. Time and expense reports generated pursuant to this Order will be considered as

submitting counsel’s representation to the Court, under oath, that the time and expenses submitted meet 

the criteria set forth below. 

2. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, the recovery of attorneys’ fees and expense

reimbursements will be limited to the attorneys and professional staff of Interim Class Counsel. 

3. Only time and expenses that advance the litigation will be considered as compensable.

B. Time Reporting

4. All time shall be maintained in tenth-of-an hour increments. Time entries not maintained

in tenth-of-an-hour increments may be disallowed. 

5. All attorneys and staff working on this case will keep contemporaneous records of their

time spent in connection with work on this litigation, indicating the amount of time spent, the particular 

activity, and their position in the firm (Partner, Of Counsel, Senior Counsel, Associate, Staff Attorney, 

Law Clerk, Paralegal, Legal Assistant, or Contract Attorney). “Contemporaneous” means that an 

individual’s time spent on a particular activity should be recorded no later than seven days after that 

activity occurred. Full descriptions of the work performed are required. Time entries that are not 

sufficiently detailed will not be considered for payment. 

6. Interim Class Counsel will maintain their time records in an electronic database. Failure

to maintain detailed time and expense records or to provide a sufficient description of the activities 

performed will be grounds for denying the recovery of attorneys’ fees or expenses in whole or in part. 

7. Time records must report the billing rates for each individual listed. Current hourly rates

are to be used in calculating time. Billing rates may be adjusted at the conclusion of the matter 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 7 of 12
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ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

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dependent on uniform or local rates given relative years of experience to ensure the rate change reflects 

the value added. 

8. Contract attorneys (e.g., temporary attorneys who are paid hourly) may be hired by

Interim Class Counsel. It is the responsibility of Interim Class Counsel to ensure that all contract 

attorney work is performed in an efficient manner. Contract attorneys should be billed at rates 

reasonable for the type of work performed and the experience of the individual, taking into account 

that contract attorneys' rates do not include the same overhead as firm attorneys. The Court will 

review billings for contract attorneys in light of this difference and with the view that the class 

is not funding a windfall. 

9. Only time spent on matters that advance the litigation will be considered in determining

fees. Interim Class Counsel will be responsible for auditing time and expense records for compliance 

with the directives set forth in this Order. Girard Sharp LLP will designate one attorney to periodically 

review and approve timekeeping and bills each month and strike any duplicative or unreasonable fees 

and costs. 

10. Interim Class Counsel’s auditing responsibilities notwithstanding, the ultimate

determination of what is compensable work, and the extent or rate at which it is compensable, is within 

the purview of the Court. 

11. Compensable work done on behalf of the putative class may include, but is not

limited to:

fact investigation and factual and legal research;

preparation of research memoranda, pleadings, and briefs; 

conducting document discovery (e.g., reviewing, indexing, and coding documents);

preparation for and attendance at depositions;

preparation of and responding to discovery requests; 

preparation for and attendance at hearings;

preparation for and attendance at meetings with defense counsel or with co-counsel;

work with clients;

work with experts; 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 8 of 12
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ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

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settlement negotiations and related activities; 

prosecution or defense of appeals in the instant matter; 

trial preparation and trial; and 

performance of administrative matters specifically related to tasks undertaken for the 

benefit of the class. 

12. Compensable work does not include:

x

x

x

x

x

x

excessive time for a particular task;

work performed by a person more senior than necessary for the task;

duplicative time;

“read and review” time (e.g. billing time for reading every document filed on the

court’s docket regardless of whether it related to the individual’s responsibilities)

unless specifically related to a billable task;

time for which descriptions are missing or incomplete; and

internal firm time for firm management.

C. Expense Reporting

13. Interim Class Counsel is entirely self-funded for this matter. If that changes, Interim

Class Counsel will report the change to the Court within 14 days. 

14. All costs and expenses in this case will be advanced by Interim Class Counsel. Interim

Class Counsel will seek reimbursement of these costs and expenses following a judgment or settlement. 

1. Expenses

15. To be eligible for reimbursement, expenses must meet the requirements of this section.

Expenses must be: 

x appropriately authorized by class counsel; 

x timely submitted; 

x reasonable in amount; and 

x supported by adequate documentation. 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 9 of 12
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ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

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16. Reimbursable expenses include:

x costs related to obtaining, reviewing, indexing, and paying for hard-copies of 

computerized images of documents; 

x legal research (e.g., Westlaw or PACER charges); 

x deposition, court reporter, and transcript costs; 

x costs for the storage, retrieval, and searches of electronically stored information; 

x court, filing, and service costs; 

x group administration matters, such as meetings and conference calls; 

x reasonable travel expenses, including lodging and meals; 

x expert witness and consultant fees and related expenses; 

x investigator fees and related expenses; 

x printing, copying, coding, and scanning; 

x telephone, postage charges, and courier charges; 

x data and materials provided by outside third-party vendors, consultants and 

attorneys; 

x witness expenses, including travel; 

x translation costs; and 

x bank or financial institution charges. 

2. Expense Limitations

17. Only reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. Except in extraordinary circumstances

approved by Interim Class Counsel, all travel reimbursements are subject to the following limitations: 

x Airfare: Only the price of a coach seat for a reasonable itinerary will be 

reimbursed. Business/First Class Airfare will not be fully reimbursed. If 

Business Class/First Class Airfare is used, then an estimate of the difference 

between the Business Class/First Class Airfare and coach fare must be shown on 

the travel reimbursement form, and only the coach fare will be reimbursed. 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 10 of 12
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ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS 

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x

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Hotel: Hotel room charges for the average available room rate of a business hotel, 

such as Hyatt, Westin, or Marriott hotels, in the city in which the stay occurred will 

be reimbursed. Unless a special discounted rate is negotiated, luxury hotels will not 

be fully reimbursed but will be reimbursed at the average available rate of a business 

hotel. 

Meals: Meal expenses must be reasonable. Meal expense submissions must be 

supported by receipts or credit card statements that reflect the date and those 

partaking in the meal. Expenses for alcoholic beverages will not be reimbursed. 

Cash Expenses: Miscellaneous cash expenses for which receipts generally are not 

available (tips, luggage handling, short taxi rides etc.) will be reimbursed up to 

$50.00 per day, as long as the expenses are properly itemized. 

Rental Automobiles: Luxury automobile rentals will not be reimbursed. If luxury

automobiles are selected when non-luxury vehicles are available, then the difference 

between the luxury and non-luxury vehicle rates must be shown on the travel 

reimbursement form, and only the non-luxury rate may be claimed, unless such 

larger sized vehicle is needed to accommodate several people. 

Mileage: Mileage claims must be documented by stating origination point,

destination, total actual miles for each trip, and the rate per mile paid by the 

member’s firm. The maximum allowable rate will be the maximum rate allowed by 

the IRS (currently $0.58 per mile).

Parking: Parking will be limited to actual documented costs.

18. Other non-travel expenses will be limited as follows:

x Long Distance and Cellular Telephone: Long distance and cellular telephone 

charges must be documented. 

x Shipping, Courier, and Delivery Charges: All such claimed expenses must be 

documented. 

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 11 of 12
ORDER RE: PROTOCOL FOR INTERIM CLASS COUNSEL’S 

TIME AND EXPENSE SUBMISSIONS

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x Postage Charges: A contemporaneous postage log or other supporting 

documentation must be maintained. Postage charges are to be reported at actual 

cost. 

x Telefax Charges: Contemporaneous records should be maintained and submitted 

showing faxes sent and received. The per-fax charge shall not exceed $1.00 per 

page. 

x In-House Photocopy: A contemporaneous photocopy log or other supporting 

documentation must be maintained. The maximum copy charge is $0.30 per 

page. 

x Computerized Research: Claims for Westlaw, PACER, and other computerized 

legal research expenses should be in the exact amount charged to the firm for 

these research services. 

D. Verification of Expenses

19. Attorneys and staff must keep receipts for all expenses. Credit card receipts or monthly

credit card statements are an appropriate form of verification. Hotel and restaurant costs must be 

supported by credit card statements, hotel invoice or restaurant bill. The description of unclaimed 

expenses on the statement or invoice may be redacted. Receipts need not be submitted on a monthly 

basis, but shall be maintained by the attorneys and may be required later as a condition of payment. 

II. SUBMITTING TIME AND EXPENSE REPORTS

20. On a quarterly basis, Interim Class Counsel will file in camera reports reflecting the

hours billed and expenses incurred in this matter pursuant to this Protocol. 

21. Interim Class Counsel’s first submission, covering calendar year 2019 and the first

quarter of 2020, will be due to the court on April 30, 2020. Thereafter, each submission to the Court 

will be due on the 30th day of the month following the end of the quarter being reported. For example, 

third quarter reports will be due on October 30. 

22. Interim Class Counsel may be required to submit detailed time records in connection with

any fee application. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: _____________________ _____________________________________ 

YVONNE GONZALEZ ROGERS 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE April 16, 2020

Case 4:18-cv-03771-YGR Document 134 Filed 04/16/20 Page 12 of 12