Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-01511/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-01511-4/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Covidien, Inc.
Defendant
Erin Hayes
Plaintiff
Richard Ponder
Plaintiff
State of California
Plaintiff
United States of America
Plaintiff

Document Text:

EX PARTE NOTICE AND ADMINISTRATIVE MOTION TO NOTIFY THE COURT OF A RECENTLY FILED 

CASE AND TO CONSIDER WHETHER CASES SHOULD BE RELATED 

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CHAVEZ & GERTLER LLP 

Mark A. Chavez (SBN 090858) 

Christian Schreiber (SBN 245597) 

42 Miller Avenue 

Mill Valley, California 94941 

Telephone: (415) 381-5599 

Facsimile: (415) 381-5572 

mark@chavezgertler.com 

christian@chavezgertler.com 

BROWN | POORE LLP 

Scott A. Brown (SBN 177099) 

David M. Poore (SBN 192541) 

1350 Treat Boulevard, Suite 420 

Walnut Creek, California 94597 

Telephone: (925) 943-1166 

Facsimile: (925) 943-1164 

sbrown@bplegalgroup.com 

dpoore@bplegalgroup.com 

Attorneys for Qui Tam Plaintiffs 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURRT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the 

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ex rel. 

ERIN HAYES AND RICHARD PONDER, 

Qui Tam Plaintiffs and 

Relators, 

v. 

COVIDIEN, INC., 

Defendant. 

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Case No. C 14-1511 EDL 

LODGED UNDER SEAL 

EX PARTE NOTICE AND 

ADMINISTRATIVE MOTION TO 

NOTIFY THE COURT OF A 

RECENTLY FILED CASE AND TO 

CONSIDER WHETHER CASES 

SHOULD BE RELATED

NOT TO BE FILED IN THE PUBLIC 

RECORD 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 21 Filed 07/07/15 Page 1 of 6
2 SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT 

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United States District Court 

Northern District of Californi

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Pursuant to Local Rules 3-12, 7-10 and 7-11, Qui Tam Plaintiffs and Relators Erin Hayes 

and Richard Ponder (“Qui Tam Plaintiffs”) file this Ex Parte Notice and Administrative Motion to 

make the Court aware of a recently filed case and to make a request that the Court consider 

whether the newly filed case should be related to the instant case. The newly filed case, captioned 

Richard Ponder v. Covidien L.P. (Case No. 3:15-cv-03094-DMR), commenced by Plaintiff 

Richard Ponder, is a wrongful termination employment action filed in this Court on July 2, 2015 

and assigned to the Honorable Donna M. Ryu. 

Qui Tam Plaintiffs request that the Court consider whether the Ponder case is related to 

two cases currently before the Court: the qui tam action, United States ex rel. Hayes, et al. v. 

Covidien, Inc., 3:14-cv-01511-EDL; and Mr. Hayes’ wrongful termination action, Erin Hayes v. 

Covidien, L.P., et al., 3:15-cv-02142-EDL, which was assigned to this Court on June 3, 2015. 

Because the previously filed qui tam case is under seal, this Administrative Motion is being filed 

ex parte and is not being served on Defendant. See Declaration of Christian Schreiber filed 

herewith. 

A. LITIGATION HISTORY 

Qui Tam Plaintiffs filed this action under seal on April 1, 2014. The matter was assigned 

to the Honorable Elizabeth D. Laporte. The action alleges, inter alia, violations of the federal 

False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq., (“the FCA” or “the Act”) and the California False 

Claims Act, Cal. Gov’t C. § 12650 et seq. (“the CFCA”). The matter remains under seal. 

Plaintiffs understand that Covidien, Inc. has been provided with a copy of Plaintiffs’ complaint. 

On February 23, 2015, Plaintiff Erin Hayes filed a wrongful termination case in Santa 

Clara County Superior Court. The complaint alleges whistleblower retaliation claims related to 

Plaintiff’s wrongful termination by Defendant Covidien, LP (“Covidien”), brought pursuant to the 

California Labor Code § 1102.5 and the anti-retaliation provisions of the FCA and CFCA. 

Covidien, L.P. removed the wrongful termination action on May 12, 2015. The matter was first 

assigned the Honorable Howard R. Lloyd. Judge Lloyd recused himself on May 14, 2015, and the 

matter was reassigned to the Honorable Nathanael Cousins the same day. Plaintiffs filed an ex 

parte application to have Mr. Hayes’ wrongful termination complaint related to the qui tam action 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 21 Filed 07/07/15 Page 2 of 6
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United States District Court 

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before this Court, and on June 3, 2015, the Hayes wrongful termination complaint was reassigned 

to the Honorable Elizabeth D. Laporte. 

On July 2, 2015, Plaintiff Ponder filed his wrongful termination case in this Court, and it 

was assigned to the Honorable Donna M. Ryu. The Complaint identified Mr. Hayes’ wrongful 

termination action as a related case. 

Two later-filed qui tam cases have also been filed against Covidien or its subsidiaries, and 

those matters have already been related to this action. See United States ex rel. Howerton v. 

Covidien, et al., 14 Civ. 3289-EDL and United States ex rel. Hallam v. ev3 Endovascular, Inc., et 

al., 14 Civ. 8331-EDL. 

B. THE CASES SHOULD BE RELATED UNDER L.R. 3-12. 

Local Rule 3-12 provides: 

An action is related to another when: 

(1) The actions concern substantially the same parties, property, transaction or 

event; and 

(2) It appears likely that there will be an unduly burdensome duplication of labor 

and expense or conflicting results if the cases are conducted before different 

Judges. 

In Mr. Ponder’s recently filed wrongful termination complaint, Plaintiff Ponder alleges that 

he was wrongfully terminated by Defendant Covidien, L.P. in July 2013 after acts made in 

furtherance of the whistleblowing activities of Plaintiff Hayes. Plaintiff Ponder alleges, inter alia, 

that Covidien retaliated against him for his perceived involvement with Mr. Hayes, and for his 

refusal to engage in conduct intended to silence Mr. Hayes or thwart his whistleblowing activities. 

Plaintiff Hayes’ wrongful termination complaint alleges that he contacted federal investigators to 

inform them of various unlawful schemes undertaken by Covidien; he reported his 

communications to Covidien officials; and he was terminated. Plaintiff Ponder’s wrongful 

termination complaint alleges that he was terminated after he refused to participate in Covidien’s 

conduct to discredit Mr. Hayes. The conduct Plaintiff Hayes reported to federal investigators is 

substantially similar to the unlawful conduct alleged in the Qui Tam Plaintiffs’ complaint. 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 21 Filed 07/07/15 Page 3 of 6
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The facts upon which the claims in these three cases are based are substantially similar, 

and concern substantially the same parties and events. It thus appears likely that there would be an 

unduly burdensome duplication of labor and expense if Plaintiff Ponder’s wrongful termination 

case is not related to the qui tam case and Mr. Hayes’ wrongful termination complaint. The 

criteria of Local Rule 3-12 are satisfied, and the Qui Tam Plaintiffs respectfully requests that 

Richard Ponder v. Covidien L.P., Case No. 3:15-cv-03094-DMR, be related to United States ex 

rel. Hayes, et al. v. Covidien, Inc., 3:14-cv-01511-EDL and Erin Hayes v. Covidien L.P., et al.,

Case No. 3:15-cv-02142-EDL. 

 Pursuant to the Local Rules, Plaintiff is lodging this motion with Judge Laporte and Judge 

Ryu. 

 Respectfully submitted, 

Dated: July 6, 2015 CHAVEZ & GERTLER LLP 

 BROWN POORE LLP 

 

By: 

 Christian Schreiber 

 Attorneys for Qui Tam Plaintiffs 

 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 21 Filed 07/07/15 Page 4 of 6
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[PROPOSED] ORDER 

An Ex Parte Administrative Motion to Consider Whether Cases Should Be Related has 

been filed. As the judge assigned to the earliest filed case below that bears my initials, United 

States ex rel. Hayes, et al. v. Covidien, Inc., 3:14-cv-01511-EDL, as well as Erin Hayes v. 

Covidien L.P., et al., Case No. 3:15-cv-02142-EDL, I find that the more recently filed case,

Richard Ponder v. Covidien L.P., Case No. 3:15-cv-03094-DMR, is related to the cases already 

assigned to me, and the more recently filed case shall be reassigned to me. 

Counsel are instructed that all future filings in any reassigned case are to bear the initials of 

the newly assigned judge immediately after the case number. 

Dated: July 7, 2015 ________________________________ 

 ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE 

 United States Magistrate Judge

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 21 Filed 07/07/15 Page 5 of 6
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United States District Court 

Northern District of Californi

a

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and the 

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ex rel. 

ERIN HAYES AND RICHARD PONDER, 

Qui Tam Plaintiffs 

and Relators, 

v. 

COVIDIEN, INC., 

Defendant. 

Case No. C 14-1511 EDL 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. 

District Court, Northern District of California. 

That on July 8, 2015, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached Order, by 

placing said copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by 

depositing said envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery 

receptacle located in the Clerk's office. 

Christian Schreiber

Chavez & Gertler LLP 

42 Miller Ave. 

Mill Valley, CA 94941 

(COUNSEL FOR QUI TAM PLAINTIFFS TO SERVE APPROPRIATE PARTIES NOT 

LISTED ON THIS CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE.) 

Dated: July 8, 2015 

Richard W. Wieking 

Clerk, United States District Court 

By:________________________ 

Stephen Ybarra, Deputy Clerk to the 

Honorable ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 21 Filed 07/07/15 Page 6 of 6