Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00356/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-00356-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Erica Ferrier
Plaintiff
Gordon & Wong Law Group, P.C.
Defendant

Document Text:

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ERICA FERRIER,

Plaintiff,

v.

GORDON & WONG LAW GROUP, 

P.C.,

Defendant.

No. 2:14-cv-00356-GEB-DAD

STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) 

ORDER

The status (pretrial scheduling) conference scheduled 

for hearing on May 12, 2014, is vacated since the parties‟ Joint 

Status Report filed on April 28, 2014 (“JSR”) indicates the 

following Order should issue.

SERVICE, JOINDER OF ADDITIONAL PARTIES, AMENDMENT

No further service, joinder of parties or amendments to 

pleadings is permitted, except with leave of Court for good cause 

shown. 

DISCOVERY

All discovery shall be completed by September 22, 2014. 

“Completed” means all discovery shall be conducted so that any 

dispute relative to discovery shall have been resolved by 

appropriate orders, if necessary, and, where discovery has been 

ordered, the order has been complied with on or before the 

prescribed “completion” date.

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Further, the parties state in the JSR concerning expert 

discovery: “N/a, as the parties will not be relying upon experts 

in this case.” (JSR 4:2-3, ECF No. 7.) Therefore, expert 

discovery deadlines are not scheduled herein. 

MOTION HEARING SCHEDULE

The last hearing date for a motion is November 17, 

2014, commencing at 9:00 a.m. A motion shall be briefed as 

prescribed in Local Rule 230. 

The parties are cautioned that an untimely motion 

characterized as a motion in limine may be summarily denied.

FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE

The final pretrial conference is set for January 26, 

2015, at 2:30 p.m. The parties are cautioned that the lead 

attorney who WILL TRY THE CASE for each party shall attend the 

final pretrial conference. In addition, all persons representing 

themselves and appearing in propria persona must attend the 

pretrial conference. 

The parties shall file a JOINT pretrial statement no 

later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the final pretrial 

conference. The joint pretrial statement shall address the 

applicable portions of Local Rule 281(b), and shall set forth 

each theory of liability (“claim”) and affirmative defense which 

remains to be tried, and the ultimate facts on which each 

theory/defense is based. Furthermore, each party shall estimate 

the length of trial. The Court uses the parties‟ joint pretrial 

statement to prepare its final pretrial order and could issue the 

final pretrial order without holding the scheduled final pretrial 

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conference. See Mizwicki v. Helwig, 196 F.3d 828, 833 (7th Cir. 

1999) (“There is no requirement that the court hold a pretrial 

conference.”). 

Final pretrial procedures are “critical for „promoting 

efficiency and conserving judicial resources by identifying the 

real issues prior to trial, thereby saving time and expense for

everyone.‟” Friedman & Friedman, Ltd. v. Tim McCandless, Inc., 

606 F.3d 494 (8th Cir. 2010) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 16 Advisory 

Committee Note (1983 Amendment to subdivision (c)). “Toward that 

end, Rule 16 directs courts to use pretrial conferences to weed 

out unmeritorious claims and defenses before trial begins.” Smith 

v. Gulf Oil Co., 995 F.2d 638, 642 (6th Cir. 1993). The parties 

are therefore provided notice that a claim or affirmative defense 

may be dismissed sua sponte if it is not shown to be triable in 

the joint final pretrial statement. Cf. Portland Retail Druggists 

Ass‟n v. Kaiser Found. Health Plan, 662 F.2d 641, 645 (9th Cir. 

1981) (indicating that a party shall be provided notice and an 

opportunity to respond with facts sufficient to justify having a 

claim or affirmative defense proceed to trial); Portsmouth

Square, Inc. v. S‟holders Protective Comm., 770 F.2d 866, 869 

(9th Cir. 1985) (stating “the district court has . . . authority 

to grant summary judgment sua sponte in the context of a final 

pretrial conference”).

If feasible, at the time of filing the joint pretrial 

statement counsel shall also email it in a format compatible with 

WordPerfect to: geborders@caed.uscourts.gov.

///

///

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TRIAL SETTING

Trial shall commence at 9:00 a.m. on April 28, 2015.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: May 1, 2014

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