Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-00765/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-00765-3/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
IATSE Local 16
Defendant
Charlotte Laughon
Plaintiff

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States District C

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For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Charlotte Laughon,

 Plaintiff,

 v.

IATSE Local 16,

 Defendant(s).

_____________________________/

No. C 05-0765 WDB

ORDER SETTING HEARING DATE

AND BRIEFING SCHEDULE ON

PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL'S MOTION

TO WITHDRAW

AND

SETTING DEADLINE FOR PARTIES

TO ADDRESS ISSUE OF

MAGISTRATE JUDGE

JURISDICTION

1. Plaintiff's Counsel's Motion to Withdraw

On December 22, 2005, plaintiff's counsel filed a motion to withdraw as counsel for

plaintiff in this case. The Court will conduct a hearing on plaintiff's counsel's motion to

withdraw on February 1, 2006, at 3:30 p.m. in Courtroom 4, 3rd Floor, 1301 Clay Street,

Oakland, CA.

If plaintiff wishes to oppose her attorney's motion to withdraw, her opposition brief

must be filed with the Court by January 18, 2006. If plaintiff's brief contains

communications that she believes are otherwise protected by the attorney/client privilege,she

may submit the brief (with the purportedly privileged material clearly identified) to the 

undersigned's chambers for lodging (rather than filing). The undersigned will then decide

whether it is necessary to file the entire brief or portions of the brief under seal. Regardless

of whether the brief or any portion thereof is ultimately filed under seal, plaintiff is
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 At this juncture, the Court does not require plaintiff to serve a copy of her brief on defense

counsel. If and when the Court determines that all or a portion of the brief should NOT be filed under

seal, it will order plaintiff to serve the unsealed portion of the brief (if any) on defense counsel. 

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required to serve a full copy of the brief on her counsel, Mr. Siegel, on the same day she

lodges the brief with the Court.1

If defendant wishes to oppose plaintiff's counsel's motion, its opposition brief must

also be filed by January 18, 2006. Plaintiff's counsel's reply is due January 25, 2006.

II. Deadline for Parties to Address Issue of Magistrate Judge Jurisdiction

Plaintiff's lawsuit was assigned, by the Court's random assignment system, to the

undersigned magistrate judge. A magistrate judge does not have the power to make

potentially dispositive decisions about the case without the consent of both parties (in other

words, a magistrate judge lacks the power to rule on certain types of important motions or

to preside at trial unless both sides agree, in writing, and in advance, to permit the magistrate

judge to exercise those powers of the District Court.) 

The parties have not yet addressed whether they will consent to the assignment of this

case to a magistrate judge. By February 3, 2006, the parties must consider the enclosed

“Consent to Assignment or Request for Reassignment,” make an election, and file the

consent or request. 

The Court notes that it will conduct the hearing scheduled above on plaintiff's

counsel's motion to withdraw regardless of the parties' decisions regarding magistrate

judge jurisdiction.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 4, 2006 __________________________

WAYNE D. BRAZIL

United States Magistrate Judge

Copies to:

Plaintiff's counsel and defendant's counsel through ECF system, plaintiff, WDB