Doublevision Entertainment, LLC v. Navigators Specialty Insurance Company et al

Filing 61

REFERRAL TO MAGISTRATE JUDGE FOR DISCOVERY DISPUTES. Signed by Judge Alsup on 3/16/2015. (whalc2, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 3/16/2015)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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For the Northern District of California

United States District Court

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DOUBLEVISION ENTERTAINMENT,
LLC, a Tennessee limited liability
company, as assignee of Commercial
Escrow Services, Inc., a California
corporation, and Antoinette Hardstone, an
individual,

REFERRAL TO MAGISTRATE
JUDGE FOR DISCOVERY
DISPUTES

Plaintiff,

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No. C 14-02848 WHA

v.

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NAVIGATORS SPECIALTY
INSURANCE COMPANY, a New York
Corporation,

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Defendant.

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/

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This is a REFERRAL TO A MAGISTRATE JUDGE to be selected for two distinct discovery
purposes:
(1)

All pending and future discovery disputes are hereby referred to a magistrate

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judge. The district judge has tried to resolve the parties’ prior disputes, but the

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parties have now had too many. All further hearings and briefing on these

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discovery disputes shall be conducted according to the magistrate judge’s

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preferences.

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(2)

The same magistrate judge shall hold an evidentiary hearing to find out who is
telling the truth regarding what happened at eight A.M. on March 16, 2015, when

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counsel were to meet and confer in the Court’s jury room. Plaintiff’s counsel,

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Attorney Ryan Lapine, told the undersigned judge’s law clerk that defense

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counsel, Attorney David Gabianelli, was “threatening him and yelling at him” in

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the jury room and that the two could not be in the same room. This led to a

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hearing on the record before the undersigned judge at eight-thirty A.M., in which

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both sides accused the other of lying and being unprofessional. One of the parties

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is not telling the truth. The magistrate judge will get to the bottom of this dispute

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and make findings of fact as to what occurred in the jury room. (A transcript is

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available for the brief hearing that took place before the undersigned judge.) The
magistrate judge should also recommend whether one or both of the counsel, as

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For the Northern District of California

United States District Court

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appropriate, should be referred to the Northern District of California’s Standing

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Committee on Professional Conduct for disciplinary or remedial action.

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IT IS SO ORDERED.

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Dated: March 16, 2015.

WILLIAM ALSUP
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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