Thorne Research et al v. Atlantic Pro-Nutrients
Filing
115
MEMORANDUM DECISION and ORDER granting 90 Motion for Clarification; denying 101 Motion for Reconsideration. Signed by Judge Ted Stewart on 11/9/2015. (blh)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH
THORNE RESEARCH, INC. and
SOFTGEL FORMULATORS, INC.,
MEMORANDUM DECISION AND
ORDER ON PLAINTIFFS’
MOTIONS FOR CLARIFICATION
AND RECONSIDERATION
Plaintiffs,
v.
ATLANTIC PRO-NUTRIENTS, INC.
d/b/a/ XYMOGEN,
Case No. 2:13-CV-784 TS
Defendant
District Judge Ted Stewart
This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motions for Clarification and
Reconsideration of the Court’s oral ruling and minute entry on September 21, 2015. These
rulings effectively modified the Court’s Scheduling Order and were made after hearing argument
on the parties Motions to Determine Markman Issues.
I. BACKGROUND
The Court’s Scheduling Order in this case gave Defendant until December 19, 2014, to
file a dispositive motion on patent validity. On March 13, 2015, Defendant filed a Motion to
Amend the Scheduling Order which sought, among other things, to extend the deadline to file a
motion for summary judgment on patent invalidity to June 12, 2015. On March 16, 2015, the
Motion was referred to a Magistrate Judge who, as of the September 21st Markman Hearing, had
not taken action on it.
After the Markman hearing, Defendant asked the Court to address a scheduling issue and
requested that expert discovery be stayed while Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment
1
on patent invalidity. Plaintiffs’ counsel informed the Court that Plaintiffs opposed Defendant’s
effort to file a motion for summary judgment on patent invalidity due to Defendant’s failure to
comply with the Scheduling Order. Neither party informed the Court of the Motion pending
before the Magistrate Judge. The Court, now having considered the briefing and arguments
presented by both parties, including the briefing originally submitted to the Magistrate Judge,
takes this opportunity to clarify its reasoning for its prior ruling, but denies Plaintiffs’ request to
reconsider that ruling.
II. DISCUSSION
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b)(4), a scheduling order “may be modified
only for good cause and with the judge’s consent.” “[D]istrict courts are given wide latitude in
this area, [and are reversed] only for an abuse of discretion.” 1 Plaintiffs argue that Defendant has
not shown good cause for its three month delay. Defendant argues that it only recently
discovered evidence sufficient to support a motion for summary judgment on patent invalidity.
“Rule 16 was not intended to function as an inflexible straightjacket on the conduct of
litigation.” 2 Courts need to “to control the disposition of the causes on its docket with economy
of time and effort for itself, for counsel and for litigants.” 3 This is why “[t]he district court is
given broad discretion in supervising the pretrial phase of litigation[.]”4 For the sake of judicial
economy, as well efficient resolution of this case for both litigants, the Court finds that good
1
Summers v. Mo. Pac. R.R. Sys., 132 F.3d 599, 604 (10th Cir. 1997).
2
Bylin v. Billings, 568 F.3d 1224, 1232 (10th Cir. 2009) (quoting Morton Int’l, Inc. v.
A.E. Staley Mfg. Co., 343 F.3d 669, 684 (3d Cir. 2003)) (internal quotation marks
omitted).
3
Landis v. N. Am. Co., 299 U.S. 248, 254 (1936).
4
Bylin, 568 F.3d at 1231 (quoting United States v. Dang, 488 F.3d 1135, 1143 (9th Cir.
2007)) (internal quotation marks omitted).
2
cause exists to first address this claim on summary judgment. Therefore, the Court will permit
the Defendant to file a motion of summary judgment on patent invalidity.
III. CONCLUSION
It is therefore
ORDERED that Plaintiff’s Motion for Clarification (Docket No. 90) is GRANTED. It is
further
ORDERED that Plaintiff’s Motion for Reconsideration (Docket No. 101) is DENIED.
DATED this 9th day of November, 2015.
BY THE COURT:
____________________________________
Ted Stewart
United States District Judge
3
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