Geosphere Consultants Inc v. Travelers Casualty & Surety Co. of America et al

Filing 15

STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) ORDER signed by Senior Judge William B. Shubb on 12/17/14 ORDERING that the 12/22/14 Status (Pretrial Scheduling) Conference is VACATED. The parties shall serve initial disclosures by no later than 1/9/2015. Designati on of Expert Witnesses due by 3/6/2015 and rebuttal disclosures due by 4/3/2015. All discovery shall be completed by 4/17/2015. All motions to compel discovery shall be heard not later than 4/17/2015. All motions, except motions for continuances, temporary restraining orders, or other emergency applications, shall be filed on or before 6/12/2015. The Final Pretrial Conference is SET for 8/31/2015 at 02:00 PM in Courtroom 5 (WBS) before Senior Judge William B. Shubb. The Jury Trial is SET for 10/27/2015 at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 5 (WBS) before Senior Judge William B. Shubb. A Settlement Conference will be set at the time of the Pretrial Conference. (Kastilahn, A)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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----oo0oo----

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA for
the benefit of GEOSPHERE
CONSULTANTS, INC., a
California corporation,

NO. CIV. 2:14-2026 WBS DAD

Plaintiffs,

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v.
TRAVELERS CASUALTY & SURETY
CO. OF AMERICA, a Connecticut
corporation; BARNHART-BALFOUR
BEATTY, INC., a California
corporation, and DOES 1
through 50,

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Defendants.

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----oo0oo----

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STATUS (PRETRIAL SCHEDULING) ORDER

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After reviewing the parties’ Joint Status Report, the

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court hereby vacates the Status (Pretrial Scheduling) Conference

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scheduled for December 22, 2014, and makes the following findings

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and orders without needing to consult with the parties any

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further.
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I.

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All named defendants have been served, and no further

SERVICE OF PROCESS

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service is permitted without leave of court, good cause having

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been shown under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b).

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II.

JOINDER OF PARTIES/AMENDMENTS

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No further joinder of parties or amendments to

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pleadings will be permitted except with leave of court, good

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cause having been shown under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure

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16(b).

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See Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations, Inc., 975 F.2d 604

(9th Cir. 1992).

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III. JURISDICTION/VENUE

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Jurisdiction is predicated upon federal question

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jurisdiction, 28 U.S.C. § 1331, because plaintiff’s claims arise

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under the Miller Act, 40 U.S.C. § 3131 et seq.

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supplemental jurisdiction over plaintiff’s state law claims

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pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367.

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found to be proper.

The court has

Venue is undisputed and is hereby

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IV.

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The parties shall serve initial disclosures required by

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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(1) by no later than January

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9, 2015.

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DISCOVERY

The parties shall disclose experts and produce reports

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in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2) by no

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later than March 6, 2015.

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intended solely for rebuttal, those experts shall be disclosed

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and reports produced in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil

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Procedure 26(a)(2) on or before April 3, 2015.

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With regard to expert testimony

All discovery, including depositions for preservation
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of testimony, is left open, save and except that it shall be so

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conducted as to be completed by April 17, 2015.

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“completed” means that all discovery shall have been conducted so

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that all depositions have been taken and any disputes relevant to

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discovery shall have been resolved by appropriate order if

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necessary and, where discovery has been ordered, the order has

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been obeyed.

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the magistrate judge’s calendar in accordance with the local

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rules of this court and so that such motions may be heard (and

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The word

All motions to compel discovery must be noticed on

any resulting orders obeyed) not later than April 17, 2015.

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V.

MOTION HEARING SCHEDULE

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All motions, except motions for continuances, temporary

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restraining orders, or other emergency applications, shall be

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filed on or before June 12, 2015.

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for the next available hearing date.

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refer to the local rules regarding the requirements for noticing

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and opposing such motions on the court’s regularly scheduled law

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and motion calendar.

All motions shall be noticed
Counsel are cautioned to

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VI. FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE

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The Final Pretrial Conference is set for August 31,

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2015, at 2:00 p.m. in Courtroom No. 5.

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attended by at least one of the attorneys who will conduct the

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trial for each of the parties and by any unrepresented parties.

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The conference shall be

Counsel for all parties are to be fully prepared for

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trial at the time of the Pretrial Conference, with no matters

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remaining to be accomplished except production of witnesses for

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oral testimony.

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and are referred to Local Rules 281 and 282 relating to the

Counsel shall file separate pretrial statements,

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contents of and time for filing those statements.

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those subjects listed in Local Rule 281(b), the parties are to

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provide the court with: (1) a plain, concise statement which

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identifies every non-discovery motion which has been made to the

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court, and its resolution; (2) a list of the remaining claims as

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against each defendant; and (3) the estimated number of trial

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days.

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In addition to

In providing the plain, concise statements of
undisputed facts and disputed factual issues contemplated by

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Local Rule 281(b)(3)-(4), the parties shall emphasize the claims

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that remain at issue, and any remaining affirmatively pled

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defenses thereto.

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parties shall also prepare a succinct statement of the case,

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which is appropriate for the court to read to the jury.

If the case is to be tried to a jury, the

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VII.

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The jury trial is set for October 27, 2015 at 9:00 a.m.

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TRIAL SETTING

The parties estimate that a jury trial will last three days.

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VIII.

SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE

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A Settlement Conference will be set at the time of the

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Pretrial Conference.

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the court whether they will stipulate to the trial judge acting

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as settlement judge and waive disqualification by virtue thereof.

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All parties should be prepared to advise

Counsel are instructed to have a principal with full

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settlement authority present at the Settlement Conference or to

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be fully authorized to settle the matter on any terms.

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seven calendar days before the Settlement Conference counsel for

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each party shall submit a confidential Settlement Conference

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Statement for review by the settlement judge.
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At least

If the settlement

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judge is not the trial judge, the Settlement Conference

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Statements shall not be filed and will not otherwise be disclosed

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to the trial judge.

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IX.

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Any requests to modify the dates or terms of this

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Scheduling Order, except requests to change the date of the

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trial, may be heard and decided by the assigned Magistrate Judge.

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All requests to change the trial date shall be heard and decided

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only by the undersigned judge.

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Dated:

MODIFICATIONS TO SCHEDULING ORDER

December 17, 2014

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