Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_15-cv-00096/USCOURTS-caed-1_15-cv-00096-3/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Commissioner of Social Security
Defendant
Zakary Copeland
Plaintiff

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

FRESNO DIVISION

ZAKARY COPELAND,

Plaintiff,

vs.

CAROLYN W. COLVIN, Acting 

Commissioner of Social Security,

Defendant.

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Case No.: 1:15-CV-00096-BAM

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S 

MOTION TO MODIFY SCHEDULING 

ORDER

(Doc. 13)

Plaintiff Zakary Copeland, proceeding in forma pauperis, initiated this action on January 

20, 2015. (Doc. 1.) Defendant Commissioner of Social Security lodged the certified 

administrative record on June 10, 2015. (Doc. 8.) Thereafter, on July 16, 2015, the Court 

granted Plaintiff’s request for an extension of time to August 12, 2015, in which to submit a 

confidential letter brief to Defendant. (Doc. 10.) On August 12, 2015, the Court granted the 

parties’ joint stipulation for a second extension of time until September 11, 2015, for Plaintiff to 

serve his confidential letter brief. The requested extension was due to a serious illness in 

Plaintiff’s counsel’s family. (Doc. 12.) 

Case 1:15-cv-00096-BAM Document 14 Filed 11/03/15 Page 1 of 2
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On November 2, 2015, Plaintiff submitted an untimely motion for a third extension of 

time to submit his confidential letter brief. (Doc. 13.) Plaintiff’s counsel, a solo practitioner,

represents that additional time is needed due to a critical illness in her family. According to 

counsel’s declaration, her father was hospitalized in the Critical Care Unit with a life-threatening 

illness in August and September 2015. He was later transferred to a rehabilitation facility in 

mid-September 2015. Plaintiff’s counsel has been traveling to and from her residence in 

Oakland, California to the hospital and rehabilitation center in Fresno, California. Due to these 

circumstances, counsel failed to timely serve the confidential letter brief. (Doc. 13, Declaration 

of Melissa Newel (“Newel Dec.”) ¶ 2.) Plaintiff requests an extension of time to November 17, 

2015, to submit his confidential letter brief. Defendant’s counsel reportedly does not oppose the 

motion requesting an extension of time. (Newel Dec. ¶ 3.)

Having considered Plaintiff’s unopposed motion and finding good cause, IT IS HEREBY 

ORDERED that Plaintiff’s motion to modify the Scheduling Order is GRANTED. Plaintiff 

shall have an extension of time to November 17, 2015, to serve his confidential letter brief. 

Defendant will not be prejudiced by the brief extension of time. All other deadlines set forth in 

the January 22, 2015 Scheduling Order shall be extended accordingly. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 3, 2015 /s/ Barbara A. McAuliffe _

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 1:15-cv-00096-BAM Document 14 Filed 11/03/15 Page 2 of 2