Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_16-cv-00318/USCOURTS-caed-2_16-cv-00318-3/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Scott Johnson
Plaintiff
Mohinder Pal
Defendant
Satya Pal
Defendant
Gustavo Delgado Rios
Defendant

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

----oo0oo---- 

SCOTT JOHNSON, 

 

 Plaintiff, 

v. 

MOHINDER PAL; SATYA PAL; 

GUSTAVO DELGADO RIOS; and 

DOES 1 through 10, inclusive,

 Defendants. 

CASE NO. 2:16-CV-00318 WBS CKD 

STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) 

ORDER 

 After reviewing the parties’ Joint Status Report, the 

court hereby vacates the Status (Pretrial Scheduling) Conference 

scheduled for September 12, 2016, and makes the following 

findings and orders without needing to consult with the parties 

any further. 

 I. SERVICE OF PROCESS 

 The named defendants have been served, and no further 

service is permitted without leave of court, good cause having 

been shown under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b). 

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II. JOINDER OF PARTIES/AMENDMENTS 

 No further joinder of parties or amendments to 

pleadings will be permitted by any party except with leave of 

court, good cause having been shown under Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 16(b). See Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations, Inc., 975 

F.2d 604 (9th Cir. 1992). 

 III. JURISDICTION/VENUE 

 Jurisdiction is predicated upon federal question 

jurisdiction, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1343, because plaintiff’s claims 

arise under Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101, 

et seq. Supplemental jurisdiction over the claims brought under 

the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 51, et seq, is 

predicated upon 28 U.S.C. § 1367. Venue is undisputed and is 

hereby found to be proper. 

 IV. DISCOVERY 

 The parties indicate they have served the initial 

disclosures required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(1). 

Any such disclosures not served shall be served no later than 

September 26, 2016. 

 The parties shall disclose experts and produce reports 

in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2) by no 

later than January 17, 2017. With regard to expert testimony 

intended solely for rebuttal, those experts shall be disclosed 

and reports produced in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 26(a)(2) on or before February 6, 2017. 

 According to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 33, a 

party may serve on any other party no more than twenty-five 

written interrogatories. However, the court may grant leave to 

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serve additional interrogatories to the extent it is consistent 

with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) and (2). Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 33. The Advisory Committee Notes to Rule 33 explain that 

the “aim is not to prevent needed discovery, but to provide 

judicial scrutiny before parties make potentially excessive use 

of this discovery device. In many cases it will be appropriate 

for the court to permit a larger number of interrogatories in the 

scheduling order.” Id. Here, plaintiff offers no explanation 

for why he requests leave to serve forty-five, rather than 

twenty-five, interrogatories. As a result, the court denies 

plaintiff’s request. 

 All discovery, including depositions for preservation 

of testimony, is left open, save and except that it shall be so 

conducted as to be completed by February 27, 2017. The word 

“completed” means that all discovery shall have been conducted so 

that all depositions have been taken and any disputes relevant to 

discovery shall have been resolved by appropriate order if 

necessary and, where discovery has been ordered, the order has 

been obeyed. All motions to compel discovery must be noticed on 

the magistrate judge’s calendar in accordance with the local 

rules of this court and so that such motions may be heard (and 

any resulting orders obeyed) not later than February 27, 2017. 

 V. MOTION HEARING SCHEDULE 

 All motions, except motions for continuances, temporary 

restraining orders, or other emergency applications, shall be 

filed on or before March 27, 2017. All motions shall be noticed 

for the next available hearing date. Counsel are cautioned to 

refer to the local rules regarding the requirements for noticing 

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and opposing such motions on the court’s regularly scheduled law 

and motion calendar. 

VI. FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE 

 The Final Pretrial Conference is set for June 5, 2017, 

at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom No. 5. The conference shall be 

attended by at least one of the attorneys who will conduct the 

trial for each of the parties and by any unrepresented parties. 

 Counsel for all parties are to be fully prepared for 

trial at the time of the Pretrial Conference, with no matters 

remaining to be accomplished except production of witnesses for 

oral testimony. Counsel shall file separate pretrial statements, 

and are referred to Local Rules 281 and 282 relating to the 

contents of and time for filing those statements. In addition to 

those subjects listed in Local Rule 281(b), the parties are to 

provide the court with: (1) a plain, concise statement which 

identifies every non-discovery motion which has been made to the 

court, and its resolution; (2) a list of the remaining claims as 

against each defendant; and (3) the estimated number of trial 

days. 

 In providing the plain, concise statements of 

undisputed facts and disputed factual issues contemplated by 

Local Rule 281(b)(3)-(4), the parties shall emphasize the claims 

that remain at issue, and any remaining affirmatively pled 

defenses thereto. If the case is to be tried to a jury, the 

parties shall also prepare a succinct statement of the case, 

which is appropriate for the court to read to the jury. 

VII. TRIAL SETTING 

 The jury trial is set for August 8, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. 

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The parties estimate that a jury trial will last two to three 

days. 

 VIII. SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE 

 The court referred this case to the Voluntary Dispute 

Resolution Program, but the parties were unable to reach a 

settlement. A Settlement Conference will be set at the time of 

the Pretrial Conference. All parties should be prepared to 

advise the court whether they will stipulate to the trial judge 

acting as settlement judge and waive disqualification by virtue 

thereof. 

 Counsel are instructed to have a principal with full 

settlement authority present at the Settlement Conference or to 

be fully authorized to settle the matter on any terms. At least 

seven calendar days before the Settlement Conference counsel for 

each party shall submit a confidential Settlement Conference 

Statement for review by the settlement judge. If the settlement 

judge is not the trial judge, the Settlement Conference 

Statements shall not be filed and will not otherwise be disclosed 

to the trial judge. 

 IX. MODIFICATIONS TO SCHEDULING ORDER 

 Any requests to modify the dates or terms of this 

Scheduling Order, except requests to change the date of the 

trial, may be heard and decided by the assigned Magistrate Judge. 

All requests to change the trial date shall be heard and decided 

only by the undersigned judge. 

Dated: September 9, 2016 

 

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