Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_15-cv-01740/USCOURTS-caed-2_15-cv-01740-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Breach of Contract

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

COUNTRY VISIONS, INC., a 

California corporation,

Plaintiff,

v.

MIDSOUTH LLC, an Illinois 

corporation,

Defendant.

AND RELATED COUNTERCLAIM

No. 2:15-cv-01740-GEB-CKD

STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) 

ORDER

The status (pretrial scheduling) conference scheduled 

for hearing on November 9, 2015, is vacated since the parties’ 

Joint Status Report filed on October 26, 2015 (“JSR”) indicates 

the following Order should issue.

SERVICE, JOINDER OF ADDITIONAL PARTIES, AMENDMENT

The parties “agree that the deadline for joinder of 

additional parties” and “for any amendment of pleadings be 90 

days from the entry of the Court’s scheduling order.” (JSR 2:14-

16, 2:18-20, ECF No. 18.) 

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Therefore, the parties have until February 5, 2016, to 

file a motion in which leave is sought under Federal Rule of 

Civil Procedure 15(a) to amend a pleading and/or join an 

additional party, after which time no further service, joinder of 

parties, or amendments and/or supplements to the pleadings will 

be permitted, except with leave of Court for good cause shown. 

ADDED PARTY’S OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK AMENDMENT OF THIS ORDER

If a party joins a party pursuant to the leave given 

above, a copy of this Order shall be served on that party

concurrently with the service of process. 

The newly added party 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 to this Order will be 

permitted, except with leave of Court for good cause shown.

DISCOVERY

All discovery shall be completed by November 16, 2016. 

“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.

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 15, 2016, and any contradictory 

and/or rebuttal expert disclosure authorized under Rule 

26(a)(2)(D)(ii) on or before July 15, 2016.

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MOTION HEARING SCHEDULE

The last hearing date for a motion is January 23, 2017, 

commencing at 9:00 a.m. Any 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 scheduled to commence 

at 1:30 p.m. on March 13, 2017. 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 

claim/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 

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.”). 

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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, 498 (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 

Microsoft Word to: geborders@caed.uscourts.gov.

SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE

The parties state in the JSR that they “agree to the 

scheduling of a settlement conference.” (JSR 4:22.) Accordingly, 

the parties are hereby authorized to contact the courtroom deputy 

assigned to a magistrate judge for the purpose of attempting to 

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schedule a settlement conference at a mutually convenient date 

and time.

TRIAL SETTING

Trial shall commence at 9:00 a.m. on June 20, 2017.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 5, 2015

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