Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_13-cv-00198/USCOURTS-azd-4_13-cv-00198-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
5.62 Acres of Land
Defendant
Landmark Title Assurance Agency
Defendant
Trust 18223-T
Defendant
United States of America
Plaintiff

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

United States of America, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

5.62 Acres of Land, More or Less, 

Situate in Santa Cruz County, State 

Arizona; Landmark Title Assurance 

Agency of Arizona, An Arizona LLC 

Under Trust 18223-T; et al., 

Defendants. 

No. CV-13-00198-TUC-JAS (BGM) 

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION 

Currently pending before the Court is the Government’s Amended Motion to 

Transfer Related Cases (Doc. 68). The Government seeks to consolidate the above 

entitled case (CV-13-198-TUC-JAS (BGM), with case numbers CV-13-441-TUC-RM, 

CV-13-443-TUC-JGZ (DTF), and CV-13-480-TUC-DCB. Defendants have filed an 

Opposition to Amended Motion to Transfer Related Cases (Doc. 69), and the 

Government has filed its Reply (Doc. 79). This Court has the lowest number case. 

Pursuant to Rules 72.1 and 72.2 of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure,1

 this matter 

was referred to Magistrate Judge Macdonald for Report and Recommendation. The 

Magistrate Judge recommends that the District Court deny the Government’s motion 

 1

 Rules of Practice of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. 

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(Doc. 68). 

 The Government seeks consolidation of four land condemnation cases arising 

from the construction of security towers and related infrastructure along the international 

border between the United States of America and Mexico. See Govt.’s Amended Mot. to 

Transfer Related Cases (Doc. 68) at 2; Defs.’ Opp. (Doc. 69) at 2. In reply, the 

Government clarifies that it seeks consolidation for the purposes of discovery and for 

ruling on currently pending motions in limine. Govt.’s Reply (Doc. 79) at 2–3. 

 Actions may be consolidated where the actions involve a common question of law 

or fact. Fed. R. Civ. P. 42; LRCiv. 42.1. Moreover, whether or not to allow 

consolidation is in the Court’s sound discretion. In re Exxon Valdez, 102 F.3d 429, 432 

(9th Cir. 1996). 

 Discovery is closed in all four cases, and as such, consolidation would only be for 

the purpose of ruling on the pending motions in limine. The Court finds that it would be 

improper to bind the trial judge in each case with the evidentiary rulings of a single 

judge. 

As such, the Magistrate Judge recommends that the District Judge enter an order 

DENYING the Government’s Amended Motion to Transfer Related Cases (Doc. 68). 

 Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b) and Rule 72(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure, any party may serve and file written objections within fourteen (14) days after 

being served with a copy of this Report and Recommendation. A party may respond to 

another party’s objections within fourteen (14) days after being served with a copy. Fed. 

R. Civ. P. 72(b)(2). No replies shall be filed unless leave is granted from the District 

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Court. If objections are filed, the parties should use the following case number: CV-13-

0198-TUC-JAS. 

Failure to file timely objections to any factual or legal determination of the 

Magistrate Judge may result in waiver of the right of review. 

 Dated this 31st day of July, 2015. 

Honorable Bruce G. Macdonald

United States Magistrate Judge 

Case 4:13-cv-00198-DCB Document 89 Filed 07/31/15 Page 3 of 3