Opinion ID: 744192
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether GTI, Baeza, Sr., Baeza, Jr. and Gonzalez Trading

Text: 33 consented to appear before the magistrate judge. 19 34 After carefully reviewing the record, we readily conclude that there is ample evidence that GTI, Baeza, Sr., Gonzalez Trading, and Baeza, Jr. explicitly and unambiguously consented to appear before the magistrate judge. First, the attorneys for all four of these parties attended a status conference on November 20, 1991, where they presented to the magistrate judge a signed consent and stipulation to proceed before the magistrate judge to complete the trial. 35 While the preamble to the consent and stipulation only named Yale, GTI, and Baeza, Sr., 20 and did not list Baeza, Jr. or Gonzalez Trading, their consent was clearly conveyed at the November 20, 1991, status conference. When Baeza, Jr.'s attorney was asked by the magistrate judge whether his client would consent to the completion of the trial before a magistrate judge, he answered, I don't think that we have any problem with that. I think that's fine. Because [t]here is no requirement [in § 636(c) ] ... that the consent to referral to a magistrate be in writing, [but] only that it be express and on the record, Baeza, Jr. clearly consented. Lovelace v. Dall, 820 F.2d 223, 226 (7th Cir.1987); King v. Ionization Intern., Inc., 825 F.2d 1180, 1185 (7th Cir.1987). With respect to Gonzalez Trading, even though it was omitted from the preamble of the written document, its attorney signed the consent. More important, the initial focus of the status conference was to ensure that there was proper consent to try the case before the magistrate judge. All parties were present; as to Gonzalez Trading, not only was its counsel present, but also present was Baeza, Sr., its president, principal shareholder and corporate agent. With all parties thus present and the consent issue expressly on the table, the magistrate judge stated on the record that: apparently there is an agreed consent to have this case now to be completed ... before me. Is that correct? Yale's attorney answered in the affirmative, clearly expressing the view of all present. We conclude that there was explicit and unambiguous consent by all present. 36 Moreover, we note that GTI, Baeza, Sr., Baeza, Jr., and Gonzalez Trading, all were directed by the district court in its order of referral to file any objections to the order of referral within seven days. A failure to object to the authority of a magistrate judge, especially when preceded by express consent to the magistrate judge (as we have found above), waives any constitutional right to an Article III judge. See Peretz v. United States, 501 U.S. 923, 935 n. 12, 111 S.Ct. 2661, 2669 n. 12, 115 L.Ed.2d 808 (1991) (where a party who had consented to a magistrate judge's authority to conduct voir dire of a jury in a felony case, and who did not object to the magistrate judge's authority, waived his constitutional right to an Article III judge; the Court further held that defendants may waive the right to judicial performance of other important functions, including the conduct of the trial itself in ... civil proceedings). 37 Subsequent to consenting to the magistrate judge's authority, these parties participated in all the pre-trial and post-trial proceedings without objecting the magistrate judge's authority or jurisdiction; only when an adverse judgment was issued by the magistrate judge did the parties contest his authority. We find appellants' arguments that they never consented incredulous, and any argument that they were deprived of their constitutional right to an Article III judge was waived. 21 38