Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_09-cv-00107/USCOURTS-caed-1_09-cv-00107-6/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
C. Brooks Cutter
Plaintiff
Department of Health and Human Services
Defendant
Food and Drug Administration
Defendant

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BENJAMIN B. WAGNER

United States Attorney

YOSHINORI H. T. HIMEL #66194

Assistant U. S. Attorney

501 I Street, Suite 10-100

Sacramento, California 95814

Telephone: (916) 554-2760

Facsimile: (916) 554-2900

Email: yoshinori.himel@usdoj.gov

Attorneys for Defendants

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

C. BROOKS CUTTER,

Plaintiff,

v.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION and

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES,

Defendants.

No. 1:09-cv-00107-LJO-DLB

PARTIES’ STIPULATION TO EXTEND

PROTEST DATE AND RESET STATUS

CONFERENCE

Defendants, the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and Department of

Health and Human Services, by and through their attorneys, Benjamin B. Wagner, United States

Attorney, and Yoshinori H. T. Himel, Assistant United States Attorney; and Plaintiff, C. Brooks

Cutter, respectfully request that this Court modify the schedule set forth in the Court's Order dated

April 13, 2010.

In the "Parties’ Stipulation to Extend Protest Date, and Reset Status Conference" approved

April 13, 2010, the Court extended the time in which the Plaintiff may challenge FDA's withholdings

until July 14, 2010. 

In the time since the Court’s April 13th Order, the parties have continued to make significant

progress in narrowing the remaining issues and moving toward a resolution of this case. On June 11,

2010, FDA responded by letter to the list of concerns that Plaintiff submitted to the agency on March

PARTIES’ STIPULATION TO EXTEND PROTEST DATE AND RESET STATUS CONFERENCE Page 1

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25, 2010. In that response, FDA listed the types of information that it could restore to the documents

previously released to Plaintiff and explained why the agency would be unable to restore other types

of information that Plaintiff requested. FDA also provided Plaintiff with revised versions of the

redacted documents with some information restored. On July 14, 2010, Plaintiff contacted FDA

counsel and advised that he still had concerns about FDA’s redactions. Plaintiff submitted a list of

redactions he questioned to the agency on the same day. The list provided by Plaintiff regarding his

concerns is substantially shorter than the list of concerns Plaintiff submitted to FDA on March 25th. 

The parties believe that they are making significant progress and would like to continue working

amicably toward a mutually agreeable resolution of this matter. 

FDA has agreed to review Plaintiff’s July 14th list and produce any revised versions of the

questioned documents to Plaintiff on or before August 31, 2010. The parties have agreed that

Plaintiff will have until October 15, 2010, to review any revised documents and to determine whether

to formally challenge FDA’s withholdings. Should Plaintiff decide not to challenge the withholdings,

there would be nothing left to litigate, and the parties should be able to stipulate dismissal. If Plaintiff

decides to challenge FDA’s withholdings, the issues remaining for the Court to resolve would likely

be narrowed.

The parties will not know the case status until October 15, 2010, which is after the status

conference set for August 11, 2010, at 9:30 a.m., before Judge Beck. To serve judicial efficiency,

the parties request that the status conference be continued until November 9, 2010, at 11:00 a.m.

before Judge Beck.

The parties previously agreed that FDA will not prepare a Vaughn index of redacted

information at this time. If Plaintiff decides to challenge FDA's withholdings, FDA agrees to

produce a Vaughn index within thirty (30) calendar days after Plaintiff gives defense counsel

of record and FDA counsel a notice of his intent to challenge the withholdings.

The time period for Plaintiff’s deadline to challenge Defendants’ withholdings has

already been extended a total of three hundred and twenty-three (323) days, from August 25,

2009, to allow the parties to continue their ongoing efforts to reach a mutually agreeable

resolution to this matter.

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Based upon the foregoing, the parties move this Court to enter an order granting

Plaintiff until October 15, 2010, to challenge Defendants’ withholdings, consistent with the

terms set forth in this stipulation, and to reset the status conference currently scheduled for

August 11, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. to November 9, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Beck.

Dated: July 20, 2010 KERSHAW CUTTER and RATINOFF LLP

By: /s/ Ian Hunter

for: C. BROOKS CUTTER

Dated: July 20, 2010 BENJAMIN B. WAGNER

United States Attorney

By: /s/ Y Himel

YOSHINORI H. T. HIMEL

Assistant U.S. Attorney

Of Counsel:

MARK B. CHILDRESS

Acting General Counsel

RALPH S. TYLER

Associate General Counsel

Food and Drug Division

ERIC M. BLUMBERG

Deputy Chief Counsel, Litigation

MICHAEL HELBING

Assistant Chief Counsel, Litigation

U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

10903 New Hampshire Avenue

WO32-4377

Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002

ORDER

Good cause appearing, Plaintiff’s deadline for challenging Defendant’s withholdings is

extended until October 15, 2010. The status conference presently set for 9:30 a.m. on August

11, 2010, is CONTINUED until 11:00 a.m. on November 9, 2010, before Judge Beck.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: July 22, 2010 /s/ Dennis L. Beck 

3b142a UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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