IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

STATE OF FLORIDA, by and )

 through BILL McCOLLUM, et al., )

)

Plaintiffs, )

)

 v. ) Civil Action No. 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT

)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT )

 OF HEALTH AND HUMAN )

 SERVICES, et al., )

)

Defendants. )

____________________________________)

MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME 

TO RESPOND TO AMENDED COMPLAINT

Defendants, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, et al., through

undersigned counsel, hereby move the Court for a 30-day extension of time to respond to

Plaintiffs’ amended complaint, which significantly broadens this litigation by adding two new

categories of plaintiffs — individuals and an association of small businesses — and three new

substantive claims. In support of this motion, Defendants state as follows:

1. During the scheduling conference held on April 14, 2010, the parties agreed upon,

and the Court later entered, the following briefing schedule:

May 14, 2010 Plaintiffs’ amended complaint due

June 16, 2010 Defendants’ motion to dismiss due

Aug. 6, 2010 Plaintiffs’ opposition to Defendants’ motion to dismiss due

Aug. 27, 2010 Defendants’ reply due

Sept. 14, 2010 Oral argument on Defendants’ motion to dismiss

Case 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT Document 43 Filed 05/25/10 Page 1 of 6
Final Sched. Order 2 (Apr. 14, 2010) [Doc. No. 26]. That schedule afforded Plaintiffs

approximately 30 days to amend their complaint, and Defendants about 30 days to respond.

2. Defendants assented to this schedule on the understanding, based on the

representations of Plaintiffs’ counsel, that the amendments to the complaint would not be

substantial, and would not significantly expand or revise the original complaint — namely, that

additional states would join as plaintiffs, and that any modifications to the existing claims would

primarily respond to any relevant changes effected by the Health Care and Education

Reconciliation Act of 2010 (“Reconciliation Act”), Pub L. No. 111-152, 124 Stat. 1029 (2010),

which was enacted after the original complaint was filed. See Sched. Hrg. Tr. 10:8-15 (Apr. 14,

2010) [annexed as Ex. A] (“[W]e indicated, by the way, to the Department of Justice attorneys

that we would be amending this complaint of ours. We have a need to do that not only because

we have several other parties coming in, several states that are going to be joining, but in

addition to that, of course, we had reconciliation legislation that was passed that has modified the

terms of the Act itself, and the Act, of course, as Your Honor knows, is quite lengthy.”).

3. The amended complaint, however, is not consistent with this understanding. For

example: 

# The amended complaint does not merely add states as plaintiffs. Instead, it adds

two individual plaintiffs, as well as a national business association. The addition

of these private plaintiffs raises distinct issues with respect to the Act’s alleged

effect on these groups, including whether, as a threshold jurisdictional matter,

they have standing to sue. It is also at odds with the Court’s recognition that the

joinder of “all those who have an opinion and an interest in the outcome of the

case” will make its speedy resolution “exponentially more difficult.” Order 4-5

2

Case 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT Document 43 Filed 05/25/10 Page 2 of 6
(Apr. 8, 2010) [Doc. No. 18].

# The original complaint raised three claims. The amended complaint raises six.

# Of the three new claims, two had no precursor whatsoever in the original

complaint. Count Two now alleges that the Act deprives Plaintiffs of an asserted

right to be free of “federal governmental compulsion.” Am. Compl. ¶ 78. Count

Six alleges that the Act interferes with the rights of states as employers. Id. ¶ 90. 

Neither of these claims hinges on any changes effected by the Reconciliation Act.

# The claims that emerged from those advanced in the original complaint reflect

substantial changes. For example, Plaintiffs no longer allege that the Act

mandates state participation in health benefit exchanges, but rather that the states

object to the regulatory consequences if they elect not to participate.

# The United States is responding to numerous lawsuits across the country

challenging the Act. While some of the legal issues raised by these cases overlap,

each raises distinct threshold issues that require independent assessment. 

Moreover, many of the issues framed in the amended complaint are unique to this

case. Thus, the burden of responding in these other cases does not alleviate the

burdens posed by this case.

4. In accordance with Local Rule 7.1(B), counsel for Defendants conferred with

counsel for Plaintiffs to request their consent to a 30-day extension. Plaintiffs offered only one

week — provided that Defendants’ time to reply would be reduced by 5 days, and that the date

of oral argument would remain unchanged — citing the “exigent circumstances” presented by

this case. The key provisions at issue in this suit, however, do not take effect until 2014. Under

the schedule proposed in this motion, briefing would be completed in late September, years

3

Case 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT Document 43 Filed 05/25/10 Page 3 of 6
before the effective date of these provisions. Moreover, at the April 14 scheduling hearing,

Plaintiffs proposed a schedule that included an additional round of summary judgment briefing

lasting well into November 2010, a schedule they then described as “fairly aggressive and

efficient.” See Sched. Hrg. Tr. 13:9 (Apr. 14, 2010). Thus, a 30-day extension will not

prejudice Plaintiffs or unduly delay proceedings.

5. In view of Plaintiffs’ substantial amendments to the original complaint, and to

afford sufficient time for Defendants to review the new allegations and prepare a considered

response on issues that have nationwide significance, there is good cause to extend Defendants’

deadline to respond to Plaintiffs’ amended complaint.

WHEREFORE, Defendants respectfully request that they be granted a 30-day extension

of time to respond to Plaintiffs’ amended complaint, and that the subsequent briefing deadlines

be adjusted accordingly. A proposed order is attached.

Dated: May 25, 2010 Respectfully submitted,

TONY WEST

Assistant Attorney General

IAN HEATH GERSHENGORN

Deputy Assistant Attorney General

THOMAS F. KIRWIN 

United States Attorney

SHEILA LIEBER

Deputy Director

 /s/ Eric Beckenhauer 

BRIAN KENNEDY

Senior Trial Counsel

ERIC B. BECKENHAUER, Cal. Bar No. 237526

Trial Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

4

Case 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT Document 43 Filed 05/25/10 Page 4 of 6
Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch

20 Massachusetts Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20530

Telephone: (202) 514-3338

Facsimile: (202) 616-8470

E-mail: eric.beckenhauer@usdoj.gov

Attorneys for Defendants

RULE 7.1(B) CERTIFICATION

In accordance with Local Rule 7.1(B), counsel for Defendants conferred with counsel for

Plaintiffs, Blaine Winship, in an effort to resolve this issue. Plaintiffs oppose the relief requested

herein. Plaintiffs would consent, however, to a 7-day extension of Defendants’ deadline to

respond to Plaintiffs’ amended complaint, provided that Defendants’ time to reply were reduced

by 5 days, and that the date of oral argument were unchanged.

 /s/ Eric Beckenhauer 

ERIC B. BECKENHAUER

Trial Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

5

Case 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT Document 43 Filed 05/25/10 Page 5 of 6
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 I hereby certify that on May 25, 2010, the foregoing document was filed with the Clerk

of Court via the CM/ECF system, causing it to be served on Plaintiffs’ counsel of record.

 /s/ Eric B. Beckenhauer 

ERIC B. BECKENHAUER

Trial Attorney

U.S. Department of Justice

Case 3:10-cv-00091-RV-EMT Document 43 Filed 05/25/10 Page 6 of 6