Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_10-cv-00180/USCOURTS-azd-2_10-cv-00180-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Monica Sandschafer; Guillermina

Bethancourt de Pichardo; Ayensa Millan;

Joel Nelson, 

Plaintiffs, 

vs.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisor

Andrew Kunasek, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. 10-180-PHX-JAT

ORDER

Defendants have filed a Motion to Consolidate the case pending here with a case

before Judge Wake, No. CV 09-2603-PHX-NVW. (Doc. #8.) Judge Wake normally would

rule on the Motion because he has the first-filed case, but he referred the issue to the

undersigned for decision. (Doc. #35.)

Pursuant to Local Rule of Civil Procedure 42.1(a), a party may file a motion to

transfer a case or cases to a single Judge if two or more cases are pending before different

Judges and the party believes that such cases: “(1) arise from substantially the same

transaction or event; (2) involve substantially the same parties or property; (3) involve the

same patent, trademark, or copyright; (4) call for determination of substantially the same

question of law; or (5) for any other reason would entail substantial duplication of labor if

heard by different Judges.”

Case 2:10-cv-00180-FJM Document 19 Filed 03/10/10 Page 1 of 2
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The case pending before the undersigned, No. CV10-180-PHX-JAT, arises out of the

allegedly unlawful arrests on December 15, 2008 and December 17, 2008 and subsequent

prosecutions of certain political opponents of Sheriff Arpaio. Plaintiffs Sandschafer,

Guillermina Bethancourt, and Ayensa Millan were arrested on December 15, 2008 while

sitting in the public waiting area of the Offices of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

for the purpose of trying to schedule a meeting with a Supervisor. Plaintiffs Sandschafer and

Nelson were arrested on December 17, 2008 while attending a public meeting of the

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Kristy Lynn Theilen, the Plaintiff in Judge Wake’s original case, is also a political

opponent of Sheriff Arpaio. Ms. Theilen too was arrested while sitting in the waiting area

of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on December 15, 2008. Maricopa County

prosecuted all the Plaintiffs in the pending case and Judge Wake’s case on the charges

stemming from their arrests.

The Court finds that the pending case and Judge Wake’s case arise from substantially

the same transaction or event and involve substantially the same parties or property. Further,

because no Rule 16 Scheduling Conference has been set in the pending case and the Rule 16

Conference in Judge Wake’s case will not occur until April 30, 2010, delay from granting

the Motion to Consolidate, if any, will be minimal. Judicial economy therefore favors

consolidation.

Accordingly,

IT IS ORDERED GRANTING Defendants’ Motion to Consolidate to Related Case

(Doc. #8). Case Number CV10-180-PHX-JAT shall be consolidated into Case Number

CV09-2603-PHX-NVW.

DATED this 10th day of March, 2010.

Case 2:10-cv-00180-FJM Document 19 Filed 03/10/10 Page 2 of 2