Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_15-cv-01567/USCOURTS-caed-1_15-cv-01567-5/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
J. Dubiel
Defendant
Jeff Elias
Plaintiff
Vazrick Navasartian
Defendant

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JEFF ELIAS,

Plaintiff,

v.

VAZRICK NAVASARTIAN, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 1:15-cv-01567-LJO-GSA-PC

DISCOVERY AND SCHEDULING ORDER

APPLICABLE TO DEFENDANT DUBIEL ONLY

Exhaustion Motion Filing Deadline: 06/22/17

Deadline to Amend Pleadings: 07/21/17

Discovery Deadline: 08/22/17

Dispositive Motion Filing Deadline: 10/23/17

Jeff Elias (“Plaintiff”) is a state prisoner proceeding pro se in this civil rights action 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This case now proceeds with Plaintiff’s original complaint filed 

on October 14, 2015, against defendants Vazrick Navasartian and J. Dubiel on Plaintiff’s 

medical claims under the Eighth Amendment and related state law claims. (ECF No. 1.) 

On May 4, 2016, defendant Navasartian filed an Answer to the Complaint. (ECF No. 

12.) On May 5, 2016, defendant Dubiel filed a motion to dismiss. (ECF No. 13.)

On May 6, 2016, the court issued a Discovery and Scheduling order as to defendant 

Navasartian only.1 (ECF No. 14.) The order set the following deadlines: (1) Initial 

Disclosures: June 20, 2016; (2) Motions based on Exhaustion: August 4, 2016; (3) Discovery

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1 The order stated: “At this time, discovery is only open as to Defendant Navasartian. Defendant Dubiel’s 

motion to dismiss is pending. When the motion is resolved and Defendant Dubiel files an answer, the Court will 

issue an order extending the Discovery and Scheduling Order to Defendant Dubiel.” (ECF No. 14 at 1, fn.1.)

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Cut-Off: October 3, 2016; and (4) Dispositive Motion Deadline: December 2, 2016. (Id.) All 

of the deadlines in the May 6, 2016, Discovery and Scheduling order have now expired.2 

On March 13, 2017, the court issued an order granting in part and denying in part 

defendant Dubiel’s motion to dismiss, resolving the motion. (ECF No. 34.) Therefore, the 

court now issues this Discovery and Scheduling Order applicable to defendant Dubiel only.

Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 1, 16, and 26-36, discovery shall proceed 

as follows:

I. WRITTEN DISCOVERY3

Discovery requests shall be served by the parties pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 5 and Rule 135 of the Local Rules of Practice for the United States District Court, 

Eastern District of California (Local Rules), and shall only be filed when required by Local 

Rules 250.2, 250.3, and 250.4.

The parties are limited to 25 interrogatories as described by Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 33, 25 requests for admission made according to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 36, 

and 25 requests to produce made according to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34.

Responses to document requests shall include all documents within a party's possession, 

custody, or control. Fed. R. Civ. P. 34(a)(1). Documents are deemed within a party’s 

possession, custody, or control if the party has actual possession, custody, or control thereof, or 

the legal right to obtain the property on demand. Allen v. Woodford, 2007 WL 309945, *2 

(E.D. Cal. 2007.)4

Responses to written discovery requests shall be due 30 calendar days after the request 

is served. All discovery requests must be served at least 60 calendar days before the discovery 

 

2 On December 13, 2016, defendant Navasartian filed a motion for summary judgment, which is pending. (ECF 

No. 26.)

3 Nothing in this order is meant to expand Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26. The undersigned does not require 

an exchange of initial disclosures.

4 Defendants' responses should be consistent with their right to request documents pursuant to California 

Government Code §3306.5. (“Each employer shall keep each public safety officer's personnel file or a true and 

correct copy thereof, and shall make the file or copy thereof available within a reasonable period of time after a 

request thereof by the officer.”)

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deadline. All motions to compel must be filed on or before the discovery deadline. The parties 

are required to act in good faith during the course of discovery and the failure to do so may 

result in the payment of expenses pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(a)(5) or other 

appropriate sanctions authorized by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and/or Local Rules.

If any party withholds a document on the basis of privilege, he/she shall provide a 

privilege log to the requesting party identifying the date, author, recipients, general subject 

matter, and basis of the privilege within 15 calendar days after the date the response is due. 

Failure to provide a privilege log within this time shall result in a waiver of the privilege.

If disputes arise about a party’s obligation to respond to written requests for discovery, 

the parties shall comply with all pertinent rules including Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 5, 7, 

11, 26, and 37 and Local Rules 110, 130, 131, 133, 135, 142, 144, and 230(l). However, unless 

otherwise ordered, Local Rule 251 and the requirements set forth in Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure 26 and 37− that a party certify he/she has conferred in good faith or attempted to 

confer with the opponent in an effort to resolve the dispute prior to seeking court action − shall 

not apply. Nevertheless, voluntary compliance with this provision of Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure 26 and 37 is encouraged. At a minimum, the parties shall exchange written 

correspondence in an attempt to resolve the issues. All such written exchanges shall be 

included as exhibits to motions to compel. Amendments to discovery responses served after 

the filing of and in response to a motion to compel are strongly disfavored, absent good faith.

A discovery motion that does not comply with all applicable rules will be stricken and 

may result in the imposition of sanctions. Further, a motion is not appropriate to compel 

documents that are equally available to the moving party. For example, Plaintiff may not file a 

motion to compel production of documents contained in his/her own central file.

II. DEPOSITIONS

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(a)(2)(B), Defendants may depose 

Plaintiff and any other witness confined in a prison, and may do so by video conference5or in 

 

5 This permission is on the condition that it is consistent with prison policy and the prison has the needed equipment for the 

video deposition.

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person, provided that, at least 15 calendar days before such a deposition, Defendants serve all 

parties with the notice required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(b)(1). Due to security 

concerns and institutional considerations not applicable to the Defendants, Plaintiff must seek 

leave from the Court to depose incarcerated witnesses pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 30(a)(2).

Disagreement with any directive of security staff at the correctional facility at which the 

deposition is scheduled is not a basis for Plaintiff to refuse to answer appropriate questions, and 

the failure of Plaintiff to attend, be sworn, and answer appropriate questions may result in 

sanctions. Such sanctions may include dismissal of the action pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 37. Objections made in good faith in accordance with governing rules are 

permissible. Nothing herein forecloses a party from bringing a motion for protective order 

pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c)(1) if necessary.

III. SCHEDULE AND DEADLINES

A. All motions asserting failure to exhaust administrative remedies must be filed on or 

before 06/22/2017. The issue of exhaustion must be raised by either (1) a procedurally proper 

motion for summary judgment, or (2) a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 12(b)(6) if the failure to exhaust is clear on the face of the complaint. If the parties 

believe that discovery related to exhaustion is necessary, they may request discovery pursuant 

to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(d). Requests for limited discovery must be made within 

30 calendar days of the date of service of any motion asserting failure to exhaust. A party 

may also request that discovery, other than discovery related to exhaustion, be stayed pending 

the resolution of an exhaustion motion.

B. The deadline for amending the pleadings is 07/21/2017.

C. All discovery, including the filing of any motions to compel, SHALL be completed 

on or before 08/22/2017. Absent good cause, discovery motions will not be considered if filed 

after the discovery deadline.

D. Dispositive motions must be filed on or before 10/23/2017.

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IV. EXTENSIONS OF TIME

Requests for extensions of the deadlines set forth in this Discovery and Scheduling 

Order must be filed on or before the expiration of the date in question. These deadlines 

are firm and will not be extended by the Court except upon a showing of good cause. Fed. 

R. Civ. P. 16(b)(4).

The parties are required to act in good faith during the course of discovery and are 

reminded that failure to do so may result in the imposition of sanctions.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 15, 2017 /s/ Gary S. Austin 

 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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