UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

Case No. 1:20-cv-23242-BB

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ex rel. SEDONA 

PARTNERS LLC, 

Plaintiff,

vs.

ABLE MOVING & STORAGE, INC.; ARPIN 

INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC.; CARTWRIGHT 

INTERNATIONAL VAN LINES, INC.; COLEMAN 

AMERICAN MOVING SERVICES, INC.; DEWITT 

COMPANIES LIMITED, LLC; HILLDRUP 

COMPANIES, INC.; J.K. MOVING & STORAGE 

INC.; NEW WORLD INTERNATIONAL, LTD.; 

PARAMOUNT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS; 

PAXTON VAN LINES, INC.; AND WESTERN 

EXPRESS FORWARDING, LLC,

Defendants.

RELATOR SEDONA PARTNERS LLC’S OPPOSITION TO 

DEFENDANTS ABLE MOVING & STORAGE, INC., ARPIN INTERNATIONAL 

GROUP. INC., COLEMAN AMERICAN MOVING SERVICES, INC., HILLDRUP 

COMPANIES, INC., NEW WORLD VAN LINES, INC., PARAMOUNT 

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, PAXTON VAN LINES, INC., AND WESTERN 

EXPRESS FORWARDING, LLC’S 

JOINT MOTION TO STAY DISCOVERY AND STAY INITIAL DISCLOSURES 

PENDING THE RESOLUTION OF MOTIONS TO DISMISS

Relator Sedona Partners, LLC opposes Defendants’ Joint Motion to Stay Discovery and 

Initial Disclosures.

Defendants’ request is at odds with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure’s mandate of a 

“just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action and proceeding.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 1. 

Motions to stay are generally disfavored. See Regions Bank v. Kaplan, No. 8:12-CV-1837-T17MAP, 2014 WL 12810531, at *1 (M.D. Fla. Jan. 31, 2014) (“Although the court may grant 

motions to stay discovery pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c), the moving party bears the burden of 

showing good cause and reasonableness.”) (citations omitted). In “deciding whether to stay 

discovery pending resolution of a motion to dismiss, the court must balance the harm produced by 

Case 1:20-cv-23242-BB Document 174 Entered on FLSD Docket 08/31/2021 Page 1 of 6
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a delay in discovery against the possibility that the motion will be granted and entirely eliminate 

the need for such discovery.” Id. “Had the Federal Rules contemplated that a motion to dismiss 

under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) would stay discovery, the Rules would contain a provision for that 

effect. In fact, such a notion is directly at odds with the need for expeditious resolution of

litigation.” Gray v. First Winthrop Corp., 133 F.R.D. 39, 40 (N.D. Cal. 1990); accord, United 

States ex rel. Modglin v. DJO Global, Inc., 2014 WL 12564275, at *1 (C.D. Cal 2014); Espineli 

v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., No. 17CV00698KJMCKD, 2019 WL 3080808, at *1 (E.D. 

Cal. July 15, 2019) (“courts generally disfavor delaying discovery until after a dispositive motion 

is resolved”).

Relator and some Parties have already provided initial disclosures.1 Even if some pacing 

of discovery were warranted, a blanket stay of discovery, as requested by Defendants, is highly 

disfavored. See In re Valence Techn’y Sec. Litig., 1994 WL 758688, at *2 (N.D. Cal. 1994) (citing 

Landis v. North American Co., 299 U.S. 248, 255 (1936)) (“[c]ourts have not looked favorably 

upon granting a blanket stay of discovery pending resolution of a challenge to the legal sufficiency 

of a plaintiff’s complaint.”) 

Defendants have not met their burden in showing hardship or inequity to justify a blanket 

stay of discovery pending resolution of a challenge on the pleadings. If some delay of discovery 

is warranted in this case (which it is not), only that discovery that is potentially burdensome should 

be stayed; given that Relator has yet to propound discovery, Defendants’ Motion is, at best, 

premature. 

///

///

///

1 Defendants state that the First Amended Complaint should have been filed under seal. (See 

Motion to Stay, ECF No. 156, n.1.) To the contrary, the seal period is for the benefit of the 

Government, which here was apprised of the proposed amendment and had no objection to the 

filing. 

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///

Accordingly, Relator respectfully requests the Court deny Defendants’ Motion to Stay 

Discovery and Initial Disclosures, or alternatively, consider proceeding with limited discovery. 

Dated: August 31, 2021 Respectfully submitted,

 s/ Ryon M. McCabe

Ryon McCabe (FL 009075)

rmccabe@mccaberabin.com

MCCABE RABIN, P.A.

1601 Forum Pl #201

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Telephone (561) 659-7878

COTCHETT, PITRE & MCCARTHY, LLP

Justin T. Berger (admitted pro hac vice)

Sarvenaz J. Fahimi (admitted pro hac vice)

San Francisco Airport Office Center

840 Malcolm Road

Burlingame, CA 94010

LAW OFFICES OF PAUL PELLETIER

Paul E. Pelletier (admitted pro hac vice)

3500 Morningside Drive

Fairfax, VA 22031

Attorneys for Relator Sedona Partners LLC 

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I HEREBY CERTIFY that on August 31, 2021 I electronically filed the foregoing 

document with the Clerk of the Court using CM/ECF. I also certify that the foregoing document 

is being served this day on all counsel of record or pro se parties identified on the attached Service 

List in the manner specified, either via transmission of a Notice of Electronic Filing generated by 

CM/ECF or in some other authorized manner for those counsel or parties who are not authorized 

to receive electronically Notices of Electronic Filing.

 s/ Ryon M. McCabe

Ryon McCabe (FL 009075)

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SERVICE LIST

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ex rel. SEDONA PARTNERS LLC,

v.

ABLE MOVING & STORAGE, INC., et al.

Case No. 20-CV-23242-BLOOM/Louis

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

James A. Weinkle

Assistant United States Attorney

Office of the United States Attorney

Southern District of Florida

99 N.E. 4th Street, Suite 300

Miami, Florida 33132

James.Weinkle@usdoj.gov

Counsel for United States of America

Robert Harris

rharris@stackfernandez.com

gmartich@stackfernandez.com

Sammy Epelbaum

sepelbaum@stackfernandez.com

Stack Fernandez & Harris, PA

1001 Brickell Bay Drive, Ste. 2650

Miami, FL 33131

Counsel for Paxton Van Lines, Inc.

Stuart A. Berman

saberman@lerchearly.com

Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chtd.

7600 Wisconsin Avenue, Ste. 700

Bethesda, MD 20814

301.657.0729

Pro Hac Vice Paxton Van Lines, Inc.

Christopher W. Wadsworth,

cw@wmd-law.org

pleadings@wmd-law.org

Wadsworth, Margrey & Dixon, LLP

261 NE 1st Street, 5th Fl.

Miami, FL 33132

305.777.1000

Counsel Able Moving & Storage, Inc.

Matthew J. Landley

mlangley@beneschlaw.com

Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aranoff, 

LLP

71 South Wacker Drive, Ste. 1600

Chicago, IL 60606-4637

312.212.4949

Counsel for DeWitt Companies Limited, LLC

Stephen Chahn Lee

slee@beneschlaw.com

Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, 

LLP

71 S. Wacker Drive, Ste. 1600

Chicago, IL 60606

312.624.6361

Pro Hac Vice DeWitt Companies Limited, 

LLC

Michael B. Silverstein

msilverstein@beneschlaw.com

Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, 

LLP

41 South High Street, Ste. 2600

Columbus, OH 43215

614.223.9362

Pro Hac Vice DeWitt Companies Limited, 

LLC

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Barry A. Postman

Barry.postman@csklegal.com

Sara.ghent@csklegal.com

Justin C. Sorel

Justin.sorel@csklegal.com

Loren.ryan@csklegal.com

Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A.

222 Lakeview Avenue, Ste. 120

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Counsel for Hilldrup Companies, Inc.

Maura K. Monaghan

mkmonaghan@debevoise.com

Melanie M. Burke

mburke@debevoise.com

Kristin D. Kiehn

kdkiehn@debevoise.com

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

919 Third Ave.

New York, NY 10022

Pro Hac Vice Hilldrup Companies, Inc.

R. Eric Bilik

ebilik@mcguirewoods.com

Sean P. Walsh

swalsh@mcguirewoods.com

McGuire Woods, LLP

50 North Laura Street, Ste. 3300

Jacksonville, FL 32202-3661

904.798.3200

Counsel for J.K. Moving & Storage, Inc.

Andrew M. Gordon

agordon@hinshawlaw.com

Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP

One East Broward Blvd., Ste. 1010

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

954.467.7900

Counsel for New World Van Lines, Inc.

Brian R. Zeeck

bzeeck@hinshawlaw.com

Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP

151 North Franklin Street, Ste. 2500

Chicago, IL 60606

312.704.3028

Pro Hac Vice New World Van Lines, Inc.

Craig B. Shapiro

cshapiro@belaw.cc

Buchbinder & Elegant, P.A.

46 S.W. 1st Street, 4th Fl.

Miami, FL 33130

305.358.1515

Counsel for Western Express Forwarding, 

LLC

Thomas F. Murphy tmurphy@dclawfirm.com

Friedlander Misler, PLLC

5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Ste. 660

Washington, DC 20015

202.872.080

Pro Hac Vice Western Express Forwarding, 

LLC

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