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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA 

PENSACOLA DIVISION 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ex 

rel. ROBERT V. SMITH, 

Qui Tam Plaintiff, 

v. CASE NO.: 3:20-cv-03678/MCR/EMT 

JAY A. ODOM; OKALOOSA 

COUNTY, BOARD OF COUNTY 

COMMISSIONERS, 

 Defendants. 

__________________________________________________________________ 

PLAINTIFF’S UNOPPOSED MOTION FOR EXTENSION 

OF TIME TO FILE AMENDED COMPLAINT 

__________________________________________________________________ 

NOW INTO COURT, comes Plaintiff, United States of America, ex rel. 

Robert V. Smith (“Smith”), by and through his undersigned counsel, pursuant to 

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15 and Local Rule 6.1, hereby moves for an 

extension of time to file an Amended Complaint in response to Defendants’ Motion 

to Dismiss. In support thereof, Plaintiff, Smith states as follows: 

1. On February 12, 2021, counsel for Defendant, Jay Odom, filed a 

Motion to Dismiss the Complaint and Memorandum in Support (Doc. 24 and 25). 

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2. On February 15, 2021, counsel for Defendant, Okaloosa County Board 

of County Commissioners filed a Notice of Adopting and Joining Motion to Dismiss 

and Memorandum in Support (Doc. 30). 

3. Pursuant to Local Rule 7.1(e), Plaintiff’s response to Defendants’ 

Motion to Dismiss is due February 26, 2021. 

4. In order to conserve judicial resources, Plaintiff intends to respond to 

the Motion to Dismiss by filing an Amended Complaint and seeks an extension of 

the February 26, 2021 deadline to respond to the Motion to Dismiss. 

5. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a), Local Rule 6.1 and 

in the interests of conserving judicial resources, Plaintiff seeks leave until March 12, 

2021 to file his Amended Complaint, which will be his first such amendment. 

6. This Motion is made in good faith and not for purposes of delay. 

7. Undersigned represents to this Court that Counsel for Defendants have 

no objection to Plaintiff filing an Amended Complaint by March 12, 2021 or the 

relief requested herein. 

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff, Smith respectfully requests that this Court enter an 

order granting the relief requested herein and allow Plaintiff until March 12, 2021 to 

file an Amended Complaint. 

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CERTIFICATE OF COUNSEL CONFERENCE

 I HEREBY CERTIFY, pursuant to N. D. Fla. Loc. R. 7.1(B), that counsel for 

Plaintiff, Smith conferred with counsel for Defendants, Odom and Okaloosa County 

Board of County Commissioners in a good faith effort to resolve by agreement the 

issues raised in this motion, and Defendants’ counsel do not object to the relief 

requested herein. 

 Respectfully submitted this 26th day of February, 2021. 

/s/ Amelia H. Beard 

AMELIA H. BEARD 

Florida Bar No. 84286 

MICHAEL J. SCHOFIELD 

Florida Bar No. 373656 

ELIZABETH C. BILLHIMER 

Florida Bar No. 0121986 

CLARK PARTINGTON 

1414 County Highway 283S, Ste. B. 

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459 

(850) 650-3304 telephone 

(850) 650-3305 facsimile 

abeard@clarkpartington.com 

mschofield@clarkpartington.com 

ebillhimer@clarkpartington.com 

Attorneys for Robert V. Smith 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing has been 

served by electronic mail via the Court’s transmission of the Notice of Electronic 

Filing to the following, this 26th day of February, 2021: 

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DAVID M. SOBOTKIN, ESQUIRE 

Trial Attorney 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Civil Division, Fraud Section 

Post Office Box 261 

Ben Franklin Station 

Washington, D.C. 20044 

(202) 353-1291 

David.m.sobotkin@usdoj.gov 

ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

A. BENJAMIN GORDON, III, ESQUIRE 

Anchors Gordon, P.A. 

2113 Lewis Turner Blvd., Suite 100 

Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 

(850) 863-1974 

(850) 863-1591 Facsimile 

bgordon@anchorsgordon.com 

cyndi@anchorsgordon.com 

SARAH WILBANKS, ESQUIRE 

NATHANIEL H. HUNT, ESQUIRE 

PETER J. KIRSCH, ESQUIRE 

Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP 

1675 Broadway, Suite 2300 

Denver, CO 80202 

(303) 825-7029 

(303) 825-7005 Facsimile 

swilbanks@kaplankirsch.com 

nhunt@kaplankirsch.com 

pkirsch@kaplankirsch.com 

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT 

JAY A. ODOM 

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GREGORY T. STEWART, ESQUIRE 

LYNN M. HOSHIHARA, ESQUIRE 

KERRY A. PARSONS, ESQUIRE 

Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, P.A. 

1500 Mahan Drive, Suite 200 

Tallahassee, Florida 32308 

(850) 224-4070 

(850) 224-4073 Facsimile 

gstewart@ngnlaw.com 

lhoshihara@ngnlaw.com 

kparsons@ngnlaw.com 

legal-admin@ngnlaw.com 

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT 

OKALOOSA COUNTY, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 

/s/ Amelia H. Beard 

AMELIA H. BEARD 

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