Nextdoor.com, Inc. v. Abhyanker
Filing
368
NOTICE of Settlement Conference and Settlement Conference Order. Settlement Conference set for 10/27/2014 at 01:30 PM in Courtroom E, 15th Floor, San Francisco.(shyS, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 10/21/2014)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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NEXTDOOR.COM, INC.,
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Plaintiff,
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v.
NOTICE OF SETTLEMENT
CONFERENCE AND SETTLEMENT
CONFERENCE ORDER
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RAJ ABHYANKER,
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
No. 3:12-cv-05667-EMC (EDL)
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Defendant.
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TO ALL PARTIES AND COUNSEL OF RECORD:
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The above matter was referred to Magistrate Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte for settlement purposes.
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You are hereby notified that a settlement conference is scheduled for October 27, 2014, at 1:30 p.m.,
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at the U.S. District Court, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 15th Floor, Courtroom E, San Francisco, CA
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94102.
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to evaluate the case for settlement purposes is completed by the date of the settlement conference.
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Counsel shall cooperate in providing discovery informally and expeditiously.
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A.
It is the responsibility of counsel to ensure that whatever discovery is needed for all sides
Meet and Confer Requirement and Option to Request Pre-Settlement Conference Call
with Judge Laporte
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Prior to the preparation of their Exchanged Settlement Conference Statements and Confidential
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Settlement Letters, counsel for the parties must meet and confer (in person or by phone) to discuss
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matters pertinent to improving the prospects that the settlement negotiations will be productive. During
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the meet and confer, counsel may address any subjects they feel are appropriate, but they must discuss
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the following:
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1.
Who will attend the conference on behalf of each party, including counsel and identification of
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the person(s) with full authority to make the final decision as to whether any settlement offer is
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made, accepted, or rejected (e.g., the party, and another person(s) if full authority does not rest
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with the party).
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2.
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Which persons or entities must approve a proposed settlement agreement before it can be
executed, as well as the nature and duration of any such approval process.
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Whether insurance is available to cover all or part of the claimed losses or to fund all or part of
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any party's defense; whether tenders have been made to any insurance companies; and if
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insurance is available, the name of and position held by each claims representative who will be
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attending the settlement conference.
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4.
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
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Whether there are particular documents or other tangible things that should be brought to the
conference (e.g., to educate the settlement judge or to support or explain significant contentions).
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Any unusual issues or factors that could come into play in the settlement negotiations or any
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especially sensitive matters that other counsel or the Court should be alerted to before the
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conference.
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6.
Whether a pre-settlement conference call with the attorneys and the settlement judge would help
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make the process more productive (e.g., by ensuring that the appropriate client representatives
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attend). Counsel may arrange a pre-settlement conference call with Judge Laporte by
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calling Stephen Ybarra at 415-522-3694.
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B.
Exchange of Current Settlement Demand and Response
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If there is no current settlement demand, Plaintiff must serve a demand on Defendant in writing
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no later than October 22, 2014, outlining its theories for recovery, the supporting facts, and damages.
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Plaintiff must include its demand in its exchanged settlement conference statement. Defendant must
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include its response to the demand in its exchanged settlement conference statement.
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C.
Lodged Settlement Conference Documents
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No later than October 22, 2014 at 12:00 p.m., each party shall submit the following:
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(1) an Exchanged Settlement Conference Statement; and
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(2) a Confidential Settlement Letter.
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The parties shall deliver the Settlement Conference Documents directly to Chief Magistrate Judge
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Laporte's chambers on the 15th floor.
1.
Exchanged Settlement Conference Statements
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Counsel shall serve a copy of the Settlement Conference Statement on all parties.
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Furthermore, counsel are strongly encouraged prior to the settlement conference to share with their
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clients the contents of the Settlement Conference Statement(s) received from opposing counsel.
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The Settlement Conference Statement shall not exceed ten (10) pages of text. Parties are
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encouraged to include as exhibits any key documents and deposition excerpts, with highlighting as
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appropriate. The Settlement 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 principal claims and defenses.
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c.
A description of the key factual and legal issues that are in dispute and a plain
and concise statement of the specific evidence relevant to their determination.
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
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Portions of any exhibits and transcripts relied upon by the parties shall be
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referenced and highlighted.
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d.
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A summary of the proceedings to date and a description of any pending
motions.
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e.
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The bases for any damages calculations and a description of any nonmonetary
relief sought or non-monetary components of settlement offers or demands.
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f.
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The history and current status of settlement discussions, and the party's current
demand/offer of settlement to the opposing party(ies).
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g.
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For each party, a list of the names, titles, and positions of all persons who will
be attending the conference.
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h.
Where the party is a governmental entity, a description of which persons or
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entities must approve a proposed settlement agreement before it can be executed,
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as well as the nature and duration of that approval process.
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2.
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The Confidential Settlement Letter shall not be served upon other parties.
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The Confidential Settlement Letter shall not exceed five (5) pages of text and shall include the
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Confidential Settlement Letters
following:
a.
Separately for each principal claim and defense, a candid and forthright
evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses and likelihood that the party
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submitting the Confidential Letter will prevail. Citations to any key legal
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authorities relied upon by the parties as part of this evaluation shall be provided.
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b.
An estimate of the out-of-pocket expenses, attorneys' fees, and time: (a) spent
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to date and (b) to be expended for further discovery, pretrial, and trial. If
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plaintiff seeks attorneys' fees and costs, plaintiff's counsel shall be prepared at
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the conference to provide sufficient information to enable the fee claim to be
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evaluated for purposes of settlement.
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c.
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settlement agreement, and the reason the parties' assessments of the settlement
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value of the case differ.
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
A description of the principal obstacles (factual, legal, or other) to reaching a
d.
A realistic settlement figure and/or terms (including any non-monetary terms)
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that,
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given all the circumstances, the party submitting the Confidential Letter
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would consider seriously.
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e.
Where the party is insured or is a governmental entity, any foreseeable
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barriers to insurance coverage or approval of a proposed settlement, or special
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concerns that the insurer or governmental entity might want addressed.
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f.
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A brief discussion of any of the subjects identified in Section A of this Order
that might be significant in the settlement dynamic.
D.
Mandatory Personal Attendance
Lead trial counsel shall appear at the settlement conference with the parties and with the
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person(s) having full authority to make the final decision as to whether any settlement offer is made,
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accepted, or rejected (if full authority does not rest with the party). A person who needs to
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call another person not present before making, accepting, or rejecting any settlement offer does not
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have such full authority. If a party is a governmental entity, its governing body shall designate one
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of its members or a senior executive to appear at the settlement conference with authority to
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participate in the settlement conference and, if a tentative settlement agreement is reached, to
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recommend the agreement to the governmental entity for its approval. An insured party shall
appear with a representative of the carrier with full authority to negotiate up to the limits of
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coverage.
authorization from the Court. To seek to excuse a party from personally attending a settlement
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conference, counsel for that party shall meet and confer with counsel for all other parties to determine
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if there are any objections to the moving party's absence. Counsel must then lodge a letter with the
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Court, with copies to all parties, seeking to excuse the party's participation. The letter shall recite the
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compelling reasons for seeking the party's absence, as well as whether the other parties agree or object
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to the request and the reasons for any objection. The application to excuse a party must be lodged no
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later than the lodging of the Settlement Conference Documents. If the Court permits attendance by
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telephone, the person who is excused from personally appearing must be available to participate by
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For the Northern District of California
Personal attendance is mandatory and will rarely be excused by the Court, and only upon written
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United States District Court
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telephone throughout the entire conference.
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E.
Duration and Content of Settlement Conference
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It is not unusual for settlement conferences to last three (3) or more hours, or at times all day.
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Parties and their representatives should be prepared to devote the entire day to the conference if
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necessary. Parties are encouraged to participate in the settlement conference and frankly discuss their
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case. Statements they make during the conference will not be admissible in the event the case does not
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settle. See ADR L.R. 7-5. The parties and their representatives should be prepared to discuss such
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issues as their settlement objectives; any impediments to settlement that they perceive; whether they
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have enough information to discuss settlement and if not, what additional information is needed; and
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the possibility of a creative resolution of the dispute.
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F.
Continuances
Any request to continue the settlement conference shall be submitted in writing as soon as
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possible after consultation with the opposing party. The request must demonstrate a compelling
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reason for a continuance, and state whether the opposing party(ies) agree or oppose the request. Any
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party who objects to the continuance should submit a written response within 2 business days.
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Courtesy copies of any electronically filed documents must be delivered to chambers as provided in
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Civil Local Rule 5-1(e)(7).
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The parties shall notify Chief Magistrate Judge Laporte's Courtroom Deputy, Stephen Ybarra,
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immediately at (415) 522-3694 if this case settles prior to the date set for settlement conference.
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Any failure to comply with the requirements of this Order may subject the parties and/or
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counsel to sanctions.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated: October 21, 2014
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ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE
United States Chief Magistrate Judge
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
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