Williams v. Romero et al

Filing 38

ORDER signed by Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes on 2/06/19 and DENYING 35 Motion to Stay. Also, REFERRING CASE TO POST-SCREENING ADR PROJECT AND STAYING CASE FOR 120 DAYS. The parties shall file the attached notice re settlement conference withi n 30 days of this order. The assigned DAG shall contact Courtroom Deputy within 30 days to schedule a settlement conference. Each party shall submit a confidential settlement conference statement at least 7 days prior to the conference. If settlemen t is reached, the parties shall file a Notice of Settlement. The Clerk shall serve copies of (a) plaintiff's complaint, (b) the screening order, and (c) the instant order, on the assigned Deputy Attorney General. (cc: assigned Deputy Attorney General) (Plummer, M)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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LANCE WILLIAMS,

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No. 2:17-cv-1884 TLN DB P

Plaintiff,

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v.

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ROMERO, et al.,

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ORDER REFERRING CASE TO POSTSCREENING ADR PROJECT AND
STAYING CASE FOR 120 DAYS
Defendants.

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Plaintiff is a state prisoner, proceeding without counsel. Defendants have answered the

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complaint.

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The undersigned is referring all post-screening civil rights cases filed by pro se state

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inmates to the Post-Screening ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Project in an effort to

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resolve such cases more expeditiously and less expensively. Defense counsel from the Office of

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the California Attorney General has agreed to participate in this pilot project. No defenses or

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objections shall be waived by their participation.

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As set forth in the screening order, plaintiff has stated a potentially cognizable civil rights

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claim. Thus, the court stays this action for a period of 120 days to allow the parties to investigate

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plaintiff’s claims, meet and confer, and then participate in a settlement conference.

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There is a presumption that all post-screening prisoner civil rights cases assigned to the

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undersigned will proceed to settlement conference.1 However, if after investigating plaintiff’s

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claims and speaking with plaintiff, and after conferring with defense counsel’s supervisor,

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defense counsel in good faith finds that a settlement conference would be a waste of resources,

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defense counsel may move to opt out of this pilot project.

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By filing the attached notice within thirty days, plaintiff shall indicate his preference to

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appear in person or by videoconference, if available. Failure to timely file such notice will result

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in the issuance of a writ for plaintiff’s appearance in person. Once plaintiff has returned the

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notice or the time for doing so has passed, the court will proceed to schedule the settlement

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conference.

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Once the settlement conference is scheduled, at least seven days prior to the conference,

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the parties shall submit to the settlement judge a confidential settlement conference statement.

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The parties’ confidential settlement conference statements shall include the following: (a) names

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and locations of the parties; (b) a short statement of the facts and alleged damages; (c) a short

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procedural history; (d) an analysis of the risk of liability, including a discussion of the efforts

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made to investigate the allegations; and (e) a discussion of the efforts that have been made to

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settle the case. Defendant shall e-mail the settlement conference statement to the settlement

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judge’s e-mail box for proposed orders, available on the court’s website. Plaintiff shall place his

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settlement conference statement in the U.S. mail addressed to the settlement conference judge,

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United States District Court, 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Plaintiff shall mail his

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settlement conference statement so that it is received by the court at least seven days before the

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settlement conference.

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In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

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1. This action is stayed for 120 days to allow the parties an opportunity to settle their

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dispute before the discovery process begins. Except as provided herein or by subsequent court

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order, no other pleadings or other documents may be filed in this case during the stay of this

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If the case does not settle, the court will issue a discovery and scheduling order.
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action. The parties shall not engage in formal discovery, but the parties may elect to engage in

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informal discovery.

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2. Within thirty days from the date of this order, plaintiff shall file the attached notice

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informing the court how he wishes to appear at the settlement conference. If plaintiff does not

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file the notice, the court will issue a writ for plaintiff to appear in person.

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3. At least seven days prior to the settlement conference, each party shall submit a

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confidential settlement conference statement, as described above, to the settlement judge.

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Defendant shall e-mail the settlement conference statement to the settlement judge’s proposed

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orders e-mail address. Plaintiff shall place his settlement conference statement in the U.S. mail

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addressed to the settlement judge, United States District Court, 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA

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95814. Plaintiff shall mail his settlement conference statement so that it is received by the court

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at least seven days before the settlement conference.

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4. If a settlement is reached at any point during the stay of this action, the parties shall file
a Notice of Settlement in accordance with Local Rule 160.
5. The parties remain obligated to keep the court informed of their current addresses at all

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times during the stay and while the action is pending. Any change of address must be reported

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promptly to the court in a separate document captioned for this case and entitled “Notice of

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Change of Address.” See E.D. Cal. R. 182(f).

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6. In a motion filed December 12, 2018, plaintiff requests a stay of this case for purposes

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of participation in the Post-Screening ADR Project. Because the court is referring this case to the

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ADR project by this order, plaintiff’s motion (ECF No. 35) is denied as moot.

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Dated: February 6, 2019

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DLB:9
DB/prisoner-civil rights/will1884.adr.post.answer.db

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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LANCE WILLIAMS,

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No. 2:17-cv-1884 TLN DB P

Plaintiff,

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NOTICE RE: PLAINTIFF’S APPEARANCE
AT SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE (POSTSCREENING ADR PROJECT)

v.
ROMERO, et al.,

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Defendants.

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As required by court order, the plaintiff notifies the court of the following election:

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_____ Plaintiff would like to participate in the settlement conference in person.
OR
_____ Plaintiff would like to participate in the settlement conference by video conference.

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DATED:
________________________________
Plaintiff

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