Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_19-cv-07291/USCOURTS-cand-3_19-cv-07291-1/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Alphabet Inc.
Defendant
Sergey Brin
Defendant
L. John Doerr
Defendant
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.
Defendant
Diane B. Greene
Defendant
John L. Hennessy
Defendant
Harry Markarian
Plaintiff
Ann Mather
Defendant
Alan R. Mulally
Defendant
Larry Page
Defendant
Sundar Pichai
Defendant
Ruth M. Porat
Defendant
Eric E. Schmidt
Defendant
K. Ram Shriram
Defendant
Robin L. Washington
Defendant
William Wessels
Interested Party

Document Text:

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER CONSOLIDATING RELATED 

SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE ACTIONS AND SETTING BRIEFING SCHEDULE

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ROBBINS LLP

BRIAN J. ROBBINS (190264) 

brobbins@robbinsllp.com 

CRAIG W. SMITH (164886) 

csmith@robbinsllp.com 

STEVEN R. WEDEKING (235759) 

swedeking@robbinsllp.com

5040 Shoreham Place 

San Diego, CA 92122 

Telephone: (619) 525-3990 

Facsimile: (619) 525-3991 

Attorneys for Plaintiff William Wessels

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION

WILLIAM WESSELS, Derivatively on Behalf 

of ALPHABET INC.,

Plaintiff,

v.

LARRY PAGE, SERGEY BRIN, SUNDAR 

PICHAI, RUTH M. PORAT, JOHN L. 

HENNESSY, L. JOHN DOERR, ROGER W. 

FERGUSON, JR., ANN MATHER, ALAN R. 

MULALLY, K. RAM SHRIRAM, ROBIN L. 

WASHINGTON, ERIC E. SCHMIDT, and 

DIANE B. GREENE, 

Defendants,

-andALPHABET INC., a Delaware corporation, 

Nominal Defendant.

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Case No. 3:19-cv-06880-RS 

STIPULATION AND ORDER 

CONSOLIDATING RELATED 

SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE

ACTIONS AND SETTING BRIEFING 

SCHEDULE

Date Action Filed: October 22, 2019 

[Caption continued on next page.] 

Case 3:19-cv-07291-RS Document 37 Filed 01/02/20 Page 1 of 8
STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER CONSOLIDATING RELATED 

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HARRY MARKARIAN, Derivatively on 

Behalf of ALPHABET INC., 

Plaintiff,

v. 

LARRY PAGE, SERGEY BRIN, SUNDAR 

PICHAI, RUTH M. PORAT, JOHN L. 

HENNESSY, L. JOHN DOERR, ROGER W. 

FERGUSON, JR., ANN MATHER, ALAN 

R. MULALLY, K. RAM SHRIRAM, ROBIN

L. WASHINGTON, ERIC E. SCHMIDT, and

DIANE B. GREENE,

Defendants,

-andALPHABET INC., a Delaware corporation,

Nominal Defendant.

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Case No. 3:19-cv-07291-RS

Date Action Filed: November 5, 2019

Case 3:19-cv-07291-RS Document 37 Filed 01/02/20 Page 2 of 8
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STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER CONSOLIDATING RELATED 

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WHEREAS, there are presently two pending related stockholder derivative actions 

brought on behalf of Alphabet Inc. ("Alphabet" or the "Company") against the Individual 

Defendants,1 current and former directors and officers of the Company (collectively, Alphabet and 

the Individual Defendants are referred to herein as "Defendants"): (i) Wessels v. Page, et al., Case 

No. 3:19-cv-06880-RS (the "Wessels Action"); and (ii) Markarian v. Page, et al., Case No. 3:19-

cv-07291-RS (the "Markarian Action") (together, the "Related Derivative Actions");

WHEREAS, on December 10, 2019, the Court issued an order relating the Wessels and 

Markarian Actions (Wessels Action, Stipulation and Order Regarding Defendants' Administrative 

Motion to Consider Whether Cases Should Be Related, ECF No. 19; Markarian Action, 

Stipulation and Order Regarding Defendants' Administrative Motion to Consider Whether Cases 

Should Be Related, ECF No. 20);

WHEREAS, under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a), when actions involve "a 

common question of law or fact," the Court may "(1) join for hearing or trial any or all matters at 

issue in the actions; (2) consolidate the actions; or (3) issue any other orders to avoid unnecessary 

cost or delay"; 

WHEREAS, the Related Derivative Actions challenge similar alleged misconduct by 

Alphabet's directors and executive officers and involve common questions of law and fact; 

WHEREAS, the parties therefore respectfully submit that consolidation of the Related 

Derivative Actions is appropriate; and 

WHEREAS, to avoid potentially duplicative actions and to prevent any waste of the 

Court's resources, the parties agree that: (1) the Related Derivative Actions should be consolidated 

for all purposes, including pre-trial proceedings and trial, into a single consolidated action 

(hereinafter referred to as the "Consolidated Derivative Action"); and (2) lead counsel for the 

1 The "Individual Defendants" refers to Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, Ruth M. Porat, 

John L. Hennessy, L. John Doerr, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., Ann Mather, Alan R. Mulally, K. Ram 

Shriram, Robin L. Washington, Eric E. Schmidt, and Diane B. Greene. 

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plaintiffs in the Consolidated Derivative Action should be appointed, whether by stipulation or 

competing motions. 

WHEREFORE, the parties, through their undersigned counsel, hereby agree, stipulate, 

and respectfully request that the Court enter an Order as follows: 

1. Aside from defenses and objections related to the absence of a summons or of

service as it pertains to the complaints filed in the Wessels or Markarian Actions, Defendants 

expressly reserve all defenses and objections to the complaints filed in the Related Derivative 

Actions and any complaints that are ultimately filed in the Consolidated Derivative Action. 

2. The following actions shall be consolidated for all purposes, including pre-trial

proceedings and trial, into one consolidated action: 

Abbreviated Case Name Case Number Date Filed

Wessels v. Page, et al. 3:19-cv-06880-RS 10/22/2019

Markarian v. Page, et al. 3:19-cv-07291-RS 11/05/2019

3. Every pleading filed in the Consolidated Derivative Action, or in any separate

action included herein, must bear the following caption: 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

IN RE ALPHABET INC.

STOCKHOLDER DERIVATIVE

LITIGATION

___________________________________ 

This Document Relates To:

ALL ACTIONS.

Lead Case No. 3:19-cv-06880-RS

(Consolidated with Case No. 3:19-cv-07291- 

RS) 

Judge: Richard Seeborg

Courtroom: 3 

4. The files of the Consolidated Derivative Action will be maintained in one master

file under Lead Case No. 3:19-cv-06880-RS. 

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5. Based on the agreement of the plaintiffs, Lead Counsel for plaintiffs for the conduct

of In re Alphabet Inc. Stockholder Derivative Litigation, Lead Case No. 3:19-cv-06880-RS, is 

designated as follows: 

ROBBINS LLP

BRIAN J. ROBBINS

CRAIG W. SMITH

STEVEN R. WEDEKING

5040 Shoreham Place 

San Diego, CA 92122 

Telephone: (619) 525-3990 

Facsimile: (619) 525-3991 

brobbins@robbinsllp.com 

csmith@robbinsllp.com 

swedeking@robbinsllp.com 

6. Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel will be responsible for coordinating all activities and

appearances on behalf of plaintiffs and for the dissemination of notices and orders of this Court. 

The parties further agree that no motion, request for discovery, or other pre-trial or trial 

proceedings will be initiated or filed by any plaintiffs except through plaintiffs' Lead Counsel. 

7. Defendants take no position as to which firm(s) should be appointed lead counsel.

8. Defendants' counsel may rely upon all agreements made with any of plaintiffs' Lead

Counsel, or other duly authorized representative of plaintiffs' Lead Counsel, and such agreements 

will be binding on plaintiffs. 

9. This Order shall apply to each purported derivative action arising out of the same

or substantially the same transactions or events as the Related Derivative Actions that is 

subsequently filed in, removed to, or transferred to this Court. 

10. If a case that properly belongs as part of In re Alphabet Inc. Stockholder Derivative

Litigation, Lead Case No. 3:19-cv-06880-RS, is hereafter filed in this Court or transferred here 

from another court, plaintiffs' counsel shall promptly call to the attention of the Clerk of the Court 

the filing or transfer of any case that might properly be consolidated as part of In re Alphabet Inc. 

Stockholder Derivative Litigation, Lead Case 3:19-cv-06880-RS. 

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11. In the interest of efficiency and avoidance of unnecessary duplication of effort or 

judicial resources by the Court or the parties, it is further Ordered that: (i) within sixty (60) days 

of the entry of an order consolidating the Related Derivative Actions, plaintiffs shall file a 

consolidated complaint (the "Consolidated Complaint") or designate an operative complaint (the 

"Operative Complaint"); (ii) Defendants shall answer, move, or otherwise respond to the 

Consolidated Complaint or Operative Complaint within sixty (60) days after the Consolidated 

Complaint is filed or the Operative Complaint is designated; (iii) plaintiffs shall respond to 

Defendants' anticipated motion to dismiss sixty (60) days after it is filed; and (iv) Defendants shall 

file a reply to plaintiffs' response forty (40) days after plaintiffs' response is filed. Defendants shall 

have no obligation to answer, move, or otherwise respond to any complaint filed or to be filed in 

the Wessels Action, the Markarian Action, or the Consolidated Derivative Action other than the 

Consolidated Complaint or, if no Consolidated Complaint is filed, the Operative Complaint. 

12. The initial case management conferences currently scheduled for January 30, 2020

in the Related Derivative Actions, attendant deadlines, and related ADR procedures shall be 

deferred until the Court issues a ruling on Defendants' anticipated motion to dismiss. 

13. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5(b)(2)(E), all parties consent to service 

by e-mail of any document required to be served in the Consolidated Derivative Action. 

IT IS SO STIPULATED.

Dated: December 27, 2019 Respectfully submitted,

ROBBINS LLP

/s/ Steven R. Wedeking

STEVEN R. WEDEKING

BRIAN J. ROBBINS

CRAIG W. SMITH

STEVEN R. WEDEKING 

5040 Shoreham Place

San Diego, CA 92122

Telephone: (619) 525-3990

Facsimile (619) 525-3991

E-mail: brobbins@robbinsllp.com

csmith@robbinsllp.com 

swedeking@robbinsllp.com

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Counsel for plaintiff William Wessels

Dated: December 27, 2019 STEPHENS & STEPHENS LLP

/s/ Conrad B. Stephens

CONRAD B. STEPHENS

505 South McClelland Street

Santa Maria, CA 93454

Telephone: (805) 922-1951

Facsimile: (805) 922-8013

E-mail: conrad@stephensfirm.com

Counsel for plaintiff Harry Markarian

Dated: December 27, 2019 WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATI

/s/ Benjamin M. Crosson

BENJAMIN M. CROSSON

BORIS FELDMAN

BENJAMIN M. CROSSON

CHERYL W. FOUNG

STEPHEN B. STRAIN

650 Page Mill Road

Palo Alto, CA 94304 

Telephone: (650) 565-3851

Facsimile: (650) 493-6811

E-mail: boris.feldman@wsgr.com

 bcrosson@wsgr.com

 cfoung@wsgr.com

 sstrain@wsgr.com

GIDEON A. SCHOR (admitted pro hac vice)

1301 Avenue of the Americas

40th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Telephone: (212) 999-5800

Facsimile: (212) 999-5899

E-mail: gschor@wsgr.com

Counsel for defendants Larry Page, Sergey 

Brin, Sundar Pichai, Ruth M. Porat, John L. 

Hennessy, L. John Doerr, Roger W. Ferguson, 

Jr., Ann Mather, Alan R. Mulally, K. Ram 

Shriram, Robin L. Washington, Eric E. 

Schmidt, Diane B. Greene, and nominal 

defendant Alphabet Inc.

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SIGNATURE ATTESTATION

I, Steven R. Wedeking, am the ECF user whose identification and password are being used 

to file the foregoing Stipulation and [Proposed] Order Consolidating Related Shareholder 

Derivative Actions and Setting Briefing Schedule. In compliance with Civil L.R. 5-1(i)(3), I 

hereby attest that each of the signatories identified above has concurred in this filing.

Executed this 27th day of December 2019 at San Diego, California.

/s/ Steven R. Wedeking

STEVEN R. WEDEKING

**** 

ORDER

PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: _______________________ ______________________________________

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

1/2/20

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