28 Aug .14 09,:50 (609} 275-4511-> 989-0451 SLB&B 1 P.C. Pg 2 

~;. 

I 

I 

SZAFERMANi 

LAKIND! 

Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, P.(. 1 

Attorneys at law I 

101 Gravers Mill Road, Suite 200 

Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 

p: 609,275.0400 

f: 609.275.4511 

www.szaferman.com 

Our File: 70896.1 

August 28, 2014 

Arnold C. Lakind 

Barry 0. Szaferman 

Jeffrey P. Blumstein 

Steven Blader 

Brian G. Paul+ 

Craig J. Hubert++ 

Michael R.- Paglione" 

lionel J. Frank*" 

Jeffrey K. Epstein+ 

Stuart A. Tucker 

Scott P. Borsack*"*' 

Daniel S. Sweetser'* 

Robert E. Lytle 

Janine G. Bauer*** 

Daniel J. Graziano Jr. 

Nathan M. Edelstein .. 

Bruce M. Sattin""'* 

Gregg E. Jaclin*" 

Robert P. Panzer 

Of Counsel 

Stephen Skillman 

Linda R. Feinberg 

Paul T. Koenig, Jr. 

Robert A. Gladstone 

Janlne Danks Fox• 

Richard A. Catalina Jr. •t 

Eric M, Stein'** 

Robert G. Stevens Jr.** 

Michael D. Brottman** 

Benjamin T. Branche* 

Lindsey Moskowitz Medvln** 

Mark A. Fisher 

Robert L. Lakind*** 

Thomas J. Mamo** 

Melissa A. Chimbangu 

Jamie Yi Wangft 

Bella Zaslavsky·u 

Kathleen O'Brien 

Steven A. Lipstein"* 

Varona Y. Liangft 

Brian A. lieyesey 

.. curtirlud Matrimonial Attorney 

++Certified Civil and Criminal Trial Attorney 

•NJ & PA Bars 

.. NJ & NY Bars 

"'*NJ, NY & PA Bars 

IINY Bar 

VIA FACSIMILE 

The Honorable Douglas E. Arpert, U.S.M.J. 

Clarkson S. Fisher Building & U.S. Courthouse 

402 East State Street, Courtroom 6W 

RECEIVED 

AUG 2 8 201~ 

AT 8:30 M 

WILLIAM T. WALSH CLERK 

RtCEJ\ifi5 

Trenton, NJ 08608 

AUG J ~e: 201~ 

Re: Sivolella v. AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, et al. 

DOUGLAS E. ARPERT 

U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE 

Civil Action No.: 11-cv-4194 

Dear Judge Arpert: 

The Cot.ut has scheduled a telephone conference with counsel for 11 :00 A.M. on August 

28, 2014 to address expert depositions and briefing on dispositive motions. Counsel have 

conferred and thought that it might be.helpful to submit. a proposed schedule for expert 

depositions to the Court in advance of the telephone conference. The current proposed schedule 

is set forth below: 

Richard Kopcke (Plaintiffs' Expert): 

Francis Vitagliano (Plaintiffs' Expert): 

Kent Barrett, CPA (Plaintiffs' Expert): 

Phillip Goldstein (Plaintiffs' Expert): 

Russell R. Wermers, Ph.D. (Defendants' Expert): 

Steve Pomerantz (Plaintiffs' Expert): 

William W. Holder, CPA (Defendants' Expett): 

September 30,2014 

October 1, 2014 

October 15, 2014 

October 27, 2014 

November 12, 2014 

November 14,2014 

November 20,2014 

Additionally, counsel for Defendants have proposed October 23, 2014 for the deposition 

of Marianne K. Smythe (Defendants' expert) and December 3, 4 or 5, 2014 for the deposition of 

Christopher M. James, Ph.D. (Defendants' expert). We expect to be able to reach agreement on 

the dates for those two depositions shortly. 

1300514.1 

Case 3:11-cv-04194-PGS-DEA Document 92 Filed 08/28/14 Page 1 of 3 PageID: 1796
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989-0451 SLB~B, P.C. 

SZAFERMANi 

LAKIND! 

The Honorable Douglas E. Arpert, U.S.M.J. 

August 281 2014 

Page2 

There is one area of potential dispute. Defendants prefer to depose Plaintiffs' experts 

before Plaintiffs depose Defendants' experts. While Plaintiffs would propose that the 

depositions proceed concurrently, they are prepal'ed to acquiesce to Defendants' request (with the 

exception of the deposition ofDefe11dants' expe11 Dr. Wetmers~ who will be deposed prior to the 

deposition of Plaintiffs, expert Dr. Pomerantz~ who is only available on November 14t 2014). 

However, Plaintiffs would like to depose Ms. Smythe last as her questioning may be influenced 

by the deposition responses of the other of Defendants' experts. It appem·s that Defendants 

prefer that Ms. Smythe be deposed in October rather than at the end of the schedule for expert 

depositions, which (as currently proposed) would run into December. 

We realize that we arc seeking approximately 75 days from September 19, 2014 (the date 

of submission of Plaintiffs' expert rebuttal reports) to complete expert depositions. Counsel have 

worked together in good faith to identify the earliest possible dates that the experts and counsel 

are available for the depositions. J:Iowever, as a result of the availability of the experts and 

counsel; the nutnber of depositions, which will be held in geographically dispersed locations 

(ranging fron1 Boston to Los Angeles); and the breadth of the issues to be covered in the 

depositions, it would be difficult to complete the depositions in a shorter period of time. 

hnportantly, we also note that counsel for Plaintiffs and counsel for Defendants in this action are 

also counsel for, respectively, the plaintiffs and defendants in Kasilag v. Hartford Inv. Fin. 

Servs., LLC, No. 1:11-cv-1083-RMB .. KMW (D.N.J.)-a Section 36(b) case pending in the 

District ofNew Jersey that was filed in February 2011, and which is currently in fact discovery 

with a number of previously scheduled depositions set to take place concurrently ovet· the next 

several months. 

If the schedule for expert depositions set forth above is acceptable to the Court, we would 

propose the following deadlines for the filing of any dispositive and Daubert motions: 

Motion(s) to be filed: 

Response Bricf(s) to be filed: 

Reply Brief(s) to be filed: 

Thank you. 

;- ~ &wd PuJ ~~- (L 

~~~(£_~ 

~f/,AJII/- d. !t~~ 

~!rff' ~ ~ uu-n-.u - ACUs 

January 16, 2015 

March 2, 2015 

April 9, 2015 

Respectfully submitted, 

SZAFERMAN, LAKIND, 

BLUMSTEIN & BLADER, P.C. 

Atnold C. Lakind 

1300514.1 

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SZAFERMANi 

lAKIND! 

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989-0451 SLB&B, P.C. 

The Honorable Douglas E. Arpert, U.S.M.l. 

August 28, 2014 

Page3 

cc: Robert Hora~ Esq. (via email and regular maiJ) 

1300Sl4.l 

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