Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-02582/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-02582-11/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
American Airlines, Inc.
Defendant
Annette Weiskircher
Plaintiff
Nathaniel Weiskircher
Plaintiff

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JOINT STIPULATION TO CONTINUE TRIAL AND CERTAIN PRETRIAL DEADLINES 1

Robert Heintz (SBN 152277) 

LAW OFFICE OF ROBERT HEINTZ 

6121 Oak Avenue 

Carmichael, CA 95608 

Tel: 916.486.1147 

Robin J. Smith (SBN 145899) 

R.J. SMITH LAW OFFICE 

P.O. Box 698 

Roseville, CA 95661 

Tel: 916.437.4301 

Fax: 916.437.4302 

rsmith@rjsmithlawoffice.com 

Attorney for Plaintiffs 

NATHANIEL WEISKIRCHER 

and ANNETTE WEISKIRCHER 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

NATHANIEL WEISKIRCHER and 

ANNETTE WEISKIRCHER, 

 Plaintiffs, 

vs. 

AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC., 

 Defendant. 

No. 2:19-cv-2582-JAM-KJN 

JOINT STIPULATION TO 

CONTINUE TRIAL AND 

CERTAIN PRETRIAL 

DEADLINES 

The parties jointly stipulate to extend the trial date and certain pretrial deadlines 

as set forth below. This request is based on the following facts, to which the parties 

hereto stipulate and agree:

1. Plaintiffs filed this action in August 2019 in the Superior Court of

California. Defendant removed the action to this Court in December 2019. Plaintiffs’ 

original attorney became ill, and his illness caused a significant delay in discovery. 

Plaintiffs consented to the association of current counsel, and the parties got the case back 

on track. Trial was rescheduled to September 13, 2021. Trial was subsequently 

rescheduled four more times, with trial being most recently set for March 11, 2024. The 

Case 2:19-cv-02582-JAM-KJN Document 77 Filed 01/16/24 Page 1 of 7
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JOINT STIPULATION TO CONTINUE TRIAL AND CERTAIN PRETRIAL DEADLINES 2

resetting shave been a result of delays caused by the above issue with counsel and also 

because of plaintiff Nathaniel Weiskircher’s ongoing health needs, which are, in part, at 

issue in this lawsuit, and which is necessitating this stipulation for an additional 

continuance. 

2. The parties have nonetheless been diligent in litigating and defending this

suit, including through, for example, both of plaintiffs’ deposition, depositions of four of 

Mr. Weiskircher’s treating physicians, and the exchange of expert and rebuttal expert 

reports. Defendant also moved for plaintiff Annette Weiskircher to be dismissed, which 

this Court granted. Additionally, the parties have agreed to mediate this action on January 

17, 2024. 

3. Because Mr. Weiskircher had hip surgery in December 2022 and shoulder

surgery on February 9, 2023, the parties agreed it was necessary to postpone the experts’ 

depositions given Mr. Weiskircher’s then-anticipated surgeries and corresponding 

treatment. Specifically, Mr. Weiskircher’s hip surgery required him to be bedridden for 

the first four weeks after his surgery, and he is still in recovery from that surgery. (As 

previously mentioned to the Court, Plaintiff has spina bifida and has relied on a 

wheelchair for almost thirty years, which complicates surgeries and increases recovery 

time.) Because Mr. Weiskircher would not be fully recovered by the January 2023 trial 

setting, the parties agreed to continue trial to August 2023 (D.E. #59) and to extend the 

discovery deadline to May 9, 2023 (D.E. # 61). 

4. Because Mr. Weiskircher was still recovering from his February shoulder

surgery,his doctor opined that Mr. Weiskircher would not be able to load-bear on 

the shoulder until June 1, 2023 at the earliest, and he relies on shoulder bearing to transfer 

to and from his wheelchair. Accordingly, his occupational and physical therapies had to 

progress slowly, which, in turn, extended the window of time that it would take to 

determine the degree to which the surgery was a success. This four-month recovery time 

(February to June) contributed to the parties’ request to continue the discovery deadline 

and trial from August 2023 to March 2024. 

Case 2:19-cv-02582-JAM-KJN Document 77 Filed 01/16/24 Page 2 of 7
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JOINT STIPULATION TO CONTINUE TRIAL AND CERTAIN PRETRIAL DEADLINES 3

5. Mr. Weiskircher contends the incident underlying this action caused him to

need the hip and shoulder surgeries. Defendant, however, disputes both liability and 

causation. Thus, because the need for the surgeries is at issue in this suit, the parties’ 

experts must opine on the cause for and necessity of Mr. Weiskircher’s surgeries and his 

post-surgery conditions, which were expected to be known towards the end of 2023, and 

Mr. Weiskircher may need to be deposed about these issues. Accordingly, the parties had 

to further postpone expert discovery in anticipation of potentially serving supplemental 

expert reports to address Mr. Weiskircher’s recent surgeries and subsequent treatment, 

including the corresponding costs. For efficiency’s sake, the parties agreed no experts 

should be deposed until at least the end of 2023, necessitating the extension of the 

discovery deadlines and trial setting. 

6. Then, in December 2023, Mr. Weiskircher was scheduled to have a

necessary heart surgery, which he does not contend is related to the issues in this suit. 

Due to an infection he developed, his surgeon had to postpone the surgery until January 

23, 2024. According to his physicians, the surgery has a minimum three-month recovery 

period, during which Mr. Weiskircher will be bedridden and housebound. He will 

therefore not be available to attend trial until April 23, 2024 at the earliest. 

7. Under Rule 3.1332(c)(2), the unavailability of a party because of illness or

other excusable circumstances is an affirmative showing of good cause requiring a 

continuance. 

8. Accordingly, good cause exists for the Court to extend trial to allow Mr.

Weiskircher to recover from his required heart surgery and thereafter be present during 

trial, and in the interim, the parties will mediate and conduct expert depositions. 

Case 2:19-cv-02582-JAM-KJN Document 77 Filed 01/16/24 Page 3 of 7
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JOINT STIPULATION TO CONTINUE TRIAL AND CERTAIN PRETRIAL DEADLINES 4

9. The parties therefore stipulate and agree to extend the following pretrial

dates and continue trial as set forth below: 

DATE ACTION ITEM 

March 1, 2024 

Plaintiff’s supplemental expert witness 

disclosures 

March 22, 2024 

Defendant’s supplemental expert 

witness disclosures 

May 10, 2024 

Deadline to file joint mid-litigation 

statement 

May 24, 2024 Deadline to complete all discovery 

September __, 2024 at ____ a.m. Pre-trial Conference 

September 23, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Jury/bench trial 

8. A proposed order refecting the modified dates is filled concurrently

herewith. 

IT IS SO STIPULATED. 

Dated: January 12, 2024 

R.J. SMITH LAW OFFICE

By:/s/ Robin J. Smith 

Robin J. Smith 

R.J. SMITH LAW OFFICE 

P.O. Box 698 

Roseville, California 95661 

Telephone: 916.437.4301 

Robert Heintz 

robert-heintz@heintzlaw.net 

LAW OFFICE OF ROBERT 

HEINTZ 

6121 Oak Ave. 

Carmichael, California 95608 

Telephone: 916.486.1147 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

AKERMAN LLP

By: /s/ Evelina Gentry 

Evelina Gentry 

evelina.gentry@akerman.com 

601 West Fifth Street, Suite 300 

Los Angeles, California 90071 

Telephone: 213.688.9500 

Elliot Strader admitted pro hac vice 

elliot.strader@akerman.com 

Xakema Henderson admitted pro hac vice

xakema.henderson@akerman.com 

2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 3600 

Dallas, Texas 75201 

Telephone: 214.720.4300 

Attorneys for Defendants

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JOINT STIPULATION TO CONTINUE TRIAL AND CERTAIN PRETRIAL DEADLINES 5

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

I hereby certify that on January 12, 2024, a copy of the foregoing document was 

served on all counsel of record via the CM/ECF system. 

Robin J. Smith (SBN 145899)

R.J. SMITH LAW OFFICE 

P.O. Box 698 

Roseville, CA 95661 

Tel: 916.437.4301 

Fax: 916.437.4302 

rsmith@rjsmithlawoffice.com 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

Robert Heintz (SBN 152277)

LAW OFFICE OF ROBERT HEINTZ 

6121 Oak Avenue 

Carmichael, CA 95608 

Tel: 916.486.1147 

/s/ Evelina Gentry

Evelina Gentry 

Case 2:19-cv-02582-JAM-KJN Document 77 Filed 01/16/24 Page 5 of 7
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ORDER

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

NATHANIEL WEISKIRCHER and 

ANNETTE WEISKIRCHER,

Plaintiffs,

v.

AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.,

Defendant.

Case No. 2:19-cv-2582-JAM-KJN

ORDER GRANTING STIPULATION 

TO CONTINUE TRIAL AND 

CERTAIN PRETRIAL DEADLINES

(ECF 76)

Before the Court is the parties’ Stipulation to Continue Trial and Certain Pretrial 

Deadlines (“Stipulation”). Good cause appearing, the Court, therefore, GRANTS the 

Stipulation and enters the following Order. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Trial is CONTINUED from March 11, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., to July 29, 2024,

at 9:00 a.m.

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ORDER

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2. The Scheduling Order in this matter (D.E. #63) and Minute Order (D.E.

#75) are MODIFIED as follows:

DATE ACTION ITEM

March 1, 2024 Plaintiff’s supplemental expert witness disclosures

March 22, 2024 Defendant’s supplemental expert witness disclosures

May 10, 2024 Deadline to file joint mid-litigation statement

May 24, 2024 Deadline to complete all discovery

Friday, June 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Final Pretrial Conference

Monday, July 29, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Jury/bench trial

3. Unless expressly modified herein, the parties shall otherwise comply with

the Scheduling Order.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 16, 2024 /s/ John A. Mendez

THE HONORABLE JOHN A. MENDEZ

SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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