Irvin v. Yates, et al.
Filing
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ORDER Granting Defendants' Request To Extend The Dispositive Motion Deadline, Denying Plaintiff's Motion For Modification Of The Discovery Deadline Without Prejudice, And Granting Plaintiff Forty-Five Days To File A Rule 25 Motion (ECF Nos. 121 , 124 ), signed by Magistrate Judge Stanley A. Boone on 11/16/2015. (Fahrney, E)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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KAJAUNA KENYATTA IRVIN,
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Plaintiff,
v.
JAMES A YATES, et al.,
Defendants.
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Case No.: 1:10-cv-01940-AWI-SAB (PC)
ORDRE GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ REQUEST
TO EXTEND THE DISPOSITIVE MOTION
DEADLINE, DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION
FOR MODIFICATION OF THE DISCOVERY
DEADLINE WITHOUT PREJUDICE, AND
GRANTING PLAINTIFF FORTY-FIVE DAYS TO
FILE A RULE 25 MOTION
[ECF Nos. 121, 124]
Plaintiff Kajauna Kenyatta Irvin is appearing pro se in this civil rights action pursuant to 42
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U.S.C. § 1983 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”). The case
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was removed from state court on October 14, 2010.
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On October 29, 2015, Plaintiff filed a motion to re-open discovery to allow Plaintiff to oppose
Defendants’ anticipated motion for summary judgment. (ECF No. 121.)
On November 6, 2015, Defendants filed a motion for modification of the dispositive motion
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deadline. (ECF No. 124.) Defendants request the Court deny Plaintiff’s motion to re-open discovery
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without prejudice. (Id.)
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I.
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DISCUSSION
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This action is proceeding on Plaintiff’s First Amendment claim against Defendants Cate,
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Giurbino, Sobee, McGee, Allen, Bennett, Huckabay, Myers, McBride, Yates, Trimble, Fisher,
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Brazelton, Nash, Shimmin, Davis, Walker, and Does 1-25, a cognizable claim under RLUIPA against
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Defendants McGee, Allen, Bennett, Huckabay, Myers, McBride, Cate, Yates, Trimble, Fisher,
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Brazelton, Nash, Shimmin, Davis, Walker, Farkas, Guthery, and Does 1-25, and an equal protection
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claim against Defendant McGee.1
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On December 30, 2014, Defendants Allen, Brazelton, McBride, McGee, Myers, Nash, and
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James filed an answer to the complaint. (ECF No. 64.) On February 12, 2015, Defendant Bennett
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filed an answer to the complaint. (ECF No. 76.) On February 8, 2015, Defendants Farkas, Shimmin,
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Fisher, Walker, Sobee, Huckabay, and Trimble filed an answer to the complaint. (ECF No. 96.)
Defendants Cate, Giurbino and Davis filed a motion to dismiss which is presently pending
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before the Court. (ECF No. 89.)
Defendants’ Motion to Modify the Dispositive Motion Deadline
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A.
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Pursuant to the Court’s January 5, 2015, discovery and scheduling order, which was extended
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to all answering defendants, discovery closed on September 5, 2015, and the dispositive motion is
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November 16, 2015. (ECF No. 68.) Defendants request the Court modify the scheduling order to
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extend the dispositive motion deadline. Defense counsel submits that “[o]rdinarily it is Defendants’
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counsel practice in this type of pro se prisoner civil rights action to prepare and file a motion for
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summary judgment after discovery closes and before the dispositive motion filing deadline.” (ECF
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No. 124, Motion at 5:4-6.) However, since three of the Defendants presently have a motion to dismiss
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pending, defense counsel seeks to file a single motion for summary judgment if the motion to dismiss
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is denied.
Under Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a discovery and scheduling order
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controls the course of litigation unless the Court subsequently alters the original order. Fed R. Civ. P.
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16(d). Modification of a scheduling order requires a showing of good cause, Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(b),
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and good cause requires a showing of due diligence, Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations, Inc., 975 F.2d
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604, 609 (9th Cir. 1992). To establish good cause, the party seeking the modification of a scheduling
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order must generally show that even with the exercise of due diligence, they cannot meet the
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Defendant Lantz was dismissed from the action. (ECF No. 105.)
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requirement of that order. Id. The court may also consider the prejudice to the party opposing the
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modification. Id. If the party seeking to amend the scheduling order fails to show due diligence the
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inquiry should end and the court should not grant the motion to modify. Zivkovic v. Southern
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California Edison, Co., 302 F.3d 1080, 1087 (9th Cir. 2002). A party may obtain relief from the
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court’s deadline date for discovery by demonstrating good cause for allowing further discovery. Fed.
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R. Civ. P. 16(b)(4).
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Good cause having been presented to the Court, it is HEREBY ORDERED that the deadline to
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file a dispositive motion is extended to thirty (30) days from the date of the final ruling on the
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pending motion to dismiss.
Plaintiff’s Motion to Re-Open Discovery
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B.
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As previously stated, the discovery deadline in this action expired on September 5, 2015. By
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way of motion filed on October 29, 2015, Plaintiff seeks to re-open discovery to allow him to conduct
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discovery to oppose Defendants’ motion for summary judgment.
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Under Rule 56(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, if a nonmoving party shows that, for
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specified reasons, he cannot present facts essential to justify his opposition to a summary judgment
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motion, then the Court may, among other things, allow him time to conduct discovery. Pursuant to
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Local Rule 260(b), if the need for discovery is asserted as a basis for denial of the motion for summary
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judgment, the party opposing the motion shall provide a specification of the particular facts on which
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discovery is necessary.
Plaintiff’s seeks discovery to locate and serve the estate of Defendant Lantz, to serve
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Defendant Guthery, and to oppose a motion for summary judgment.
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On July 24, 2015, the Court dismissed Defendant Lantz, without prejudice, and Plaintiff was
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granted ninety days from the date of service to file a proper motion for substitution under Rule 25 of
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the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (ECF No. 105.) Plaintiff now appears to seek an extension of
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the deadline to submit a motion under Rule 25. On the basis of good cause, the Court will extend this
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deadline by forty-five (45) days.
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With regard to Defendant Guthery, the Court issued a second order directing re-service by the
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United States marshal on November 10, 2015. (ECF No. 125.) Accordingly, no extension of time is
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presently necessary to serve Defendant Guthery.
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With regard to Plaintiff’s request to oppose a future motion for summary judgment filed by
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Defendants, Plaintiff has not identified what particular facts for which he needs further discovery, nor
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has he filed the proposed discovery requests in support of his motion. Plaintiff cannot seek an
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extension of the discovery deadline to oppose a motion for summary judgment unless and until he
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demonstrates good cause for a particular need of information to oppose such motion. Accordingly,
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Plaintiff’s request to re-open discovery shall be denied without prejudice.
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II.
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ORDER
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Based on the foregoing, it is HEREBY ORDERED that:
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1.
Defendants’ motion to extend the dispositive motion is GRANTED to thirty (30) days
following a final ruling on the pending motion to dismiss;
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Plaintiff’s motion to re-open discovery is DENIED, without prejudice; and
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3.
Plaintiff is granted an extension of forty-five (45) days from the date of service of this
order to file a motion under Rule 25 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated:
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November 16, 2015
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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