Opinion ID: 403701
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: modification of the pretrial order

Text: 7 As a preliminary matter, SPS claims the court improperly departed from the pretrial order. A pretrial order governs the subsequent course of the action unless modified to prevent manifest injustice. Higgins v. Harden, 644 F.2d 1348, 1353 (9th Cir. 1981). Here, the trial court properly departed from the pretrial order because it found that (i)t was a mistake to go to trial on that pretrial conference order. It helped not at all to limit the issues, define the issues, and make clear what the true issues were that were to be tried before the Court. SPS has not shown that any issues were wrongfully included or excluded, or that its interests were prejudiced by the court's action. We find no error in the court's departure from the pretrial order.