Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-04758/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-04758-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 410
Nature of Suit: Antitrust
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question: Anti-trust

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IN RE: DITROPAN XL ANTITRUST

LITIGATION 

This Order Relates to:

ALL CASES

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CASE NO. M:06-CV-01761-JSW

MDL No. 1761

PRETRIAL ORDER NO. 1:

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

ORDER UPON TRANSFER

1. SCOPE OF ORDER: This Order shall govern the practice and procedure in

those actions transferred to this Court by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (“the

Panel”) pursuant to its Transfer Order of April 24, 2006, any “tag-along” actions transferred to

this Court by the Panel pursuant to the Panel’s Rules of Procedure, and all related actions that

have been or will be originally filed in, transferred to, or removed to this Court and assigned

thereto. 

2. CONSOLIDATION: The actions described in paragraph 1 of this Order are

consolidated for pretrial purposes. Any “tag-along actions” later filed in, removed to, or

transferred to this Court, or directly filed in the Northern District of California, will

automatically be consolidated with this action without the necessity of future motions or orders. 

This consolidation does not constitute a determination that this actions should be consolidated

for trial, nor does it have the effect of making any person, firm or corporation a party to any

action in which he, she or it has not been named, served or added as such in accordance with the

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. If any action is filed in, removed to, or transferred to this 

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Court after the date of this Order, the existing parties shall meet and confer and 

promptly inform the Court whether the new action is an indirect or direct purchaser action and

whether the new action should be consolidated for all purposes with the Indirect Purchaser

Action or the Direct Purchaser Action described below.

a. The “Indirect Purchaser” actions pending in this Court are hereby

consolidated for all purposes pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a). The

consolidated Indirect Purchaser actions, together with all other Indirect Purchaser actions that

may subsequently be coordinated or consolidated pursuant to the provisions of this Order, shall

be collectively referred to as the “Indirect Purchaser Action.”

b. The “Direct Purchaser” actions pending in this Court are hereby

consolidated for all purposes pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a). The

consolidated Direct Purchaser actions, together with all other Direct Purchaser actions that may

subsequently be coordinated or consolidated pursuant to the provisions of this Order, shall be

collectively referred to as the “Direct Purchaser Action.” 

3. GUIDELINES: The Court will be guided by the Manual for Complex Litigation,

Fourth (“MCL 4th”) (2004 ed.), as well as by the Civil Local Rules of Court for the United

States District Court for the Northern District of California (“the Civil Local Rules”) and this

Court’s Standing Orders. Counsel are directed to familiarize themselves with the MCL 4th, the

Civil Local Rules, and this Court’s Standing Orders.

4. MASTER DOCKET FILE: The Clerk of the Court will maintain a master docket

case file under the style “In re Ditropan XL Antitrust Litigation” and the identification “MDL

No. 1761.” When a pleading is intended to apply to all actions, this shall be indicated by the

words: “This Document Relates to All Cases.” When a pleading is intended to apply to just the

Indirect Purchaser Action or the Direct Purchaser Action, either “Indirect Purchaser Action” or

the “Direct Purchaser Action” shall appear immediately after the words “This Document Relates

to.” 

5. FILING: This case is subject to Electronic Case Filing (“ECF”), pursuant to

General Order 45, Section VI of which requires that all documents in such a case be filed

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electronically. General Order 45 provides at Section IV (A) that “Each attorney of record is

obligated to become an ECF User and be assigned a user ID and password for access to the

system upon designation of the action as being subject to ECF.” If he or she has not already

done so, counsel shall register forthwith as an ECF User and be issued an ECF User ID and

password. Forms and instructions can be found on the Court’s Website at

ecf.cand.uscourts.gov.

All documents shall be e-filed in the master file, 06-1761. Documents that pertain to

only the “Indirect Purchaser Action” or the “Direct Purchaser Action” shall also be e-filed in the

respective consolidated action to which the document pertains.

6. DOCKETING NEW CASES: When an action that properly belongs as part of

“In re Ditropan XL Antitrust Litigation” is filed after the date of this Order in the Northern

District of California or is transferred here from another court, the Clerk of this Court shall:

a. File a copy of this Order in the separate file for such action;

b. Make an appropriate entry on the master docket sheet;

c. Mail to the attorneys for the plaintiff in the newly filed or transferred case

a copy of this Order;

d. Upon the first appearance of any new defendant, mail to the attorneys for

the defendant in such newly filed or transferred cases a copy of this

Order.

7. ORGANIZATION OF COUNSEL AND CASES:

a. The cases consolidated into the Indirect Purchaser Action are listed in

Schedule A. Schedule A shall be amended to include any action(s) brought on behalf of a

proposed class of indirect purchasers of Ditropan XL subsequently filed in, or transferred to, this

Court. 

b. The cases consolidated into the Direct Purchaser Action are listed in

Schedule B. Schedule B shall be amended to include any action(s) brought on behalf of a

proposed class of direct purchasers of Ditropan XL subsequently filed in, or transferred to, this

Court. 

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c. Pursuant to the Manual for Complex Litigation, appointment of Lead

Counsel is appropriate for the prompt and efficient resolution of this litigation. Accordingly, the

Court appoints the following counsel:

i) The Court designates the following attorneys to act as Co-Lead

Counsel on behalf of all plaintiffs in the consolidated Indirect Purchaser Action, with all the

responsibilities hereinafter described:

Timothy J. Becker

Zimmerman Reed, PLLP

651 Nicollet Mall

Suite 501

Minneapolis, MN 55402

Kenneth A. Wexler

Wexler Toriseva Wallace LLP

One North LaSalle Street

Suite 2000

Chicago, IL 60602

Jeffrey Kodroff

Spector, Roseman & Kodroff, P.C.

1818 Market Street, Suite 2500

Philadelphia, PA 19103

ii) The Court designates the following attorneys to act as Co-Lead

Counsel on behalf of all plaintiffs in the consolidated Direct Purchaser Action, with all the

responsibilities hereinafter described:

Tomas Sobol

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

One Main Street

4th Floor

Cambridge, MA 02142

Dianne M. Nast

Roda Nast, P.C.

801 Estelle Drive

Lancaster, PA 17601

d. Co-Lead Counsel in the Indirect Purchaser Action and the Direct

Purchaser Action, working together in a coordinated fashion, shall have sole authority over the

following matters on behalf of all plaintiffs in the In re Ditropan XL Antitrust Litigation: (1) the

scope, order and conduct of all discovery proceedings; and (2) designation of which attorneys

may appear at hearings and conferences with the Court.

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e. Co-Lead Counsel in the Indirect Purchaser Action and the Direct

Purchaser Action shall have the following responsibilities and duties, to be carried out either

personally or through designated counsel, with respect to the specific actions for which they are

Co-Lead Counsel: (1) to initiate, brief and argue motions and prepare, serve and file opposing

briefs in proceedings initiated by other parties; (2) to coordinate plaintiffs’ pretrial activities and

plan for trial; (3) to negotiate with defense counsel with respect to settlement and other matters;

(4) to call meetings of plaintiffs’ counsel when appropriate; (5) to conduct all pre-trial and posttrial proceedings; (6) to consult with and employ experts; (7) to require counsel to keep a daily

record of time spent and expenses incurred in connection with this litigation and to serve at least

bi-monthly on Co-Lead Counsel reports setting forth time and expenses, billing rates and such

other pertinent data as may be required by Co-Lead Counsel; (8) to perform such other duties

and undertake such other responsibilities as they deem necessary or desirable in connection with

the prosecution of their respective actions; and (9) to coordinate and communicate with

plaintiffs’ and defendants’ counsel and the Court, with respect to matters addressed in this

paragraph.

f. No substantive motion, request for discovery, or other pretrial

proceedings shall be initiated or filed by a plaintiff except through Co-Lead Counsel in the

Indirect Purchaser Action or the Direct Purchaser Action, or with leave of Court. 

8. DISCOVERY: Pending the initial conference and further orders of this Court, all

outstanding discovery proceedings are stayed and no further discovery shall be initiated. The

Court appoints the following firm as Chair of Discovery for the Indirect Purchaser Action who

shall be responsible, together will all Indirect Purchaser Co-Lead Counsel, for all obligations set

forth in the Manual for Complex Litigation related to the effective coordination of discovery in

this Coordinated Action and also as the document repository for Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs:

Jason J. Thompson

Charfoos & Christensen, P.C.

5510 Woodward Avenue

Detroit, MI 48202

9. APPEARANCES: Counsel who appeared in a transferor court prior to transfer

need not enter an additional appearance before this Court. Moreover, attorneys admitted to

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practice and in good standing in any United States District Court are admitted pro hac vice in

this litigation, and the requirements of the Northern District of California Local Rule 11-3 are

waived. Association of local counsel is not required.

10. INITIAL CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE: Matters relating to pretrial

and discovery proceedings in this cases will be addressed at an initial Case Management

Conference to be held on Friday, October 27, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Jeffrey S. White in

Courtroom 2, 17th Floor, United States Courthouse, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco,

California. Counsel shall be prepared at the conference to suggest procedures that will facilitate

the expeditious, economical, and just resolution of this litigation. In particular, Defendants and

Co-Lead Counsel in the Indirect Purchaser Action and the Direct Purchaser Action shall meet

and confer and work in good faith to address the following issues and either make an agreedupon proposal to the Court or be in a position to identify areas of agreement and disagreement:

a. timing for filing consolidated amended complaints in the Indirect

Purchaser Action;

b. timing for Defendants’ responses to the consolidated amended complaints

in both the Indirect Purchaser Action and the Direct Purchaser Action;

c. the scope and timing of discovery;

d. dispositive motion procedures and schedule;

e. a proposed protective order; and

f. other issues that may affect the efficient progress and resolution of these

actions.

The parties shall submit to the Court by Friday, October 20, 2006, a brief written

statement indicating their preliminary understanding of the facts involved in the litigation and

the critical factual and legal issues, as well as a summary of the parties’ positions on the items 

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listed above. These statements will not be binding, will not waive claims or defenses, and may

not be offered in evidence against a party in later proceedings. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: September 11, 2006 

JEFFREY S. WHITE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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Schedule A

(Indirect Purchaser Action)

1. City of Fargo Health Trust Fund. v. Alza Corp., No. C05-04684 JSW

2. Local 28 Sheet Metal Workers v. Alza Corp., No. C05-04758 JSW

3. United Food and Commercial Workers Union and Employers Midwest Health Benefits

Fund v. Alza Corp., No. C06-00314 JSW

4. Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 572 Health and Welfare Fund v. Alza Corp., No C06-

01074 JSW

5. Teamserters Local No. 35 Health Plan v. Alza Corp., No. C06-1362 JSW

6. Jabo’s Pharmacy, Inc. v. Johnson & Johson, et al., No C06-2390

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Schedule B

(Direct Purchaser Action)

1. American Sales Co., Inc. v. Alza Corp., No. C06-02937 JSW

2. SAJ Distributors, Inc., et al. v. Alza Corp., No. C06-03760 JSW

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