Hopson v. Hilmar Properties Limited Liability Company

Filing 15

ORDER regarding settlement conference procedures signed by Magistrate Judge Erica P. Grosjean on 4/26/2017. (Rooney, M)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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CYNTHIA HOPSON,

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Plaintiff,

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No. 1:16-CV-01664-LJO-BAM

ORDER REGARDING SETTLEMENT
CONFERENCE PROCEDURES

v.
HILMAR PROPERTIES LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY,
Defendant.

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The Court sets a settlement conference for June 22, 2017, at 1:00 PM, before Magistrate

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Judge Erica P. Grosjean. Despite the provisions of Local Rule 270(b), the settlement conference
will be conducted by the undersigned Magistrate Judge.
Unless otherwise permitted in advance by the Court, the attorneys who will try the case

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shall appear at the Settlement Conference. It is recommended that pertinent evidence to be offered
at trial, documents or otherwise, be brought to the settlement conference for presentation to the
settlement judge. Neither the settlement conference statements nor communications during the
settlement conference with the settlement judge can be used by either party in the trial of this
case.
Absent permission from the Court, in addition to counsel who will try the case being

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present, the individual parties shall also be present1. In the case of corporate parties, associations
or other entities, and insurance carriers, a representative executive with authority to discuss,

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In prisoner civil rights cases, a representative from the Attorney General’s Office is sufficient as a party
representative.
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consider, propose and agree, or disagree, to any settlement proposal or offer shall also be present.

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A representative with unlimited authority shall either attend in person or be available by phone

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throughout the conference. In other words, having settlement authority “up to a certain amount”

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is not acceptable.

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IF ANY PARTY BELIEVES THAT A SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE WOULD

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BE FUTILE, THEN THAT PARTY SHALL CONTACT THE COURT NOT LATER

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THAN SEVENTY-TWO HOURS PRECEDING THE SCHEDULED SETTLEMENT

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CONFERENCE.

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Confidential Settlement Statements
At least five (5) court days prior to the settlement conference, each party shall submit a

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Confidential Settlement Conference Statement in Word format directly to Judge Grosjean’s

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Chambers at [e-mail]. The statement shall not be filed on the docket or

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served on any other party. Each statement shall be clearly marked "confidential" with the date

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and time of the settlement conference clearly noted on the first page. The Confidential Settlement

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Conference Statement shall include the following:

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A. A brief statement of the facts of the case.

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B. A brief statement of the claims and defenses, i.e., statutory or other grounds

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upon which the claims are founded; a forthright evaluation of the parties'

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likelihood of prevailing on the claims and defenses; and a description of the major

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issues in dispute.

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C. A summary of the proceedings to date.

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D. An estimate of the cost and time to be expended for further discovery, pretrial

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and trial.

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E. The relief sought.

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F. The party's position on settlement, including present demands and offers and a

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history of past settlement discussions, offers and demands.

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The parties shall contact that the designated settlement conference judge’s chambers to
ascertain whether additional settlement conference procedures are required.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.

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Dated:

April 26, 2017

/s/
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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