Old St Paul Missionary Baptist Church v. First Nation Insurance Group et al

Filing 164

ORDER denying 163 MOTION to Continue filed by Daniel Esparza. ( Final Pretrial Conference set before Chief Judge J. Leon Holmes on 5/3/2010 at 4:00 PM in Jonesboro Courtroom (large) #324 ). Counsel are directed to be present & be prepared to present all motions & arguments that need to be heard & considered before the voir dire panel is assembled on 5/4/10. Signed by Chief Judge J. Leon Holmes on 4/30/2010. (jct)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS JONESBORO DIVISION OLD ST. PAUL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH v. No. 3:07CV00043 JLH PLAINTIFF

FIRST NATION INSURANCE GROUP; AA RISK MANAGEMENT, INC.; AA COMMUNICATIONS, INC.; GWEN MOYO; CRAIG GREENE; DANIEL ESPARZA; CONG LI; VIJAY KUMAR; PAUL BHANDARI; TERRANCE BHOJAL; and DOE COMPANIES 1-10 ORDE R

DEFENDANTS

Daniel Esparza has filed a motion for a continuance in which he asks that the Court continue the trial scheduled for Tuesday, May 4, 2010. Although the Court is not without sympathy for the situation in which Esparza finds himself, the Court does not believe that the interests of justice justify a continuance. The final scheduling order setting this case for trial was entered on July 31, 2009, so Esparza has known of the trial date for several months and has asked for a continuance less than a week before trial. The discovery cutoff and the deadline for filing dispositive motions have passed. Preparation for trial should be substantially complete. Although Esparza has requested that the Court continue the case for 30 to 60 days, it is not practical for the Court to reschedule this case within the next 30 to 60 days. In all likelihood, it would be several months before the Court could reschedule a trial in Jonesboro for this matter, and the Court does not believe that a delay of that magnitude would be fair to the plaintiff, which has pursued the case with diligence. The motion to continue is DENIED. Document #163. The Court will conduct a pretrial conference at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 3, 2010, in the large courtroom in Jonesboro. Counsel are directed to be present and to be prepared to present all

motions and arguments that need to be heard and considered before the voir dire panel is assembled on May 4, 2010. IT IS SO ORDERED this 30th day of April, 2010.

J. LEON HOLMES UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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