Austin v. County of Alameda

          NOTICE OF SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE AND SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE ORDER

          ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE.

         TO ALL PARTIES AND COUNSEL OF RECORD:

         The above matter was referred to Magistrate Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte for settlement purposes. You are hereby notified that a settlement conference is scheduled for September 28, 2016, at 9:30 a.m., at the U.S. District Court, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 15th floor, Courtroom E, San Francisco, CA 94102.

         If the parties and counsel are not available on that date, or if they believe that a settlement conference would be more productive at a different time, counsel must confer on new potential date(s) and then contact courtroom deputy Stephen Ybarra within one week of the date of this order at 415-522-3694. The parties should be mindful of any time limits set by the district court.

         It is the responsibility of counsel to ensure that whatever discovery is needed for all sides to evaluate the case for settlement purposes is completed by the date of the settlement conference. Counsel shall cooperate in providing discovery informally and expeditiously.

         A. Meet and Confer Requirement and Option to Request Pre-Settlement Conference Call with Judge Laporte

         No later than fourteen (14) calendar days before the settlement conference and prior to the preparation of their Exchanged Settlement Conference Statements and Confidential Settlement Letters, counsel for the parties must meet and confer (in person or by phone) to discuss matters pertinent to improving the prospects that the settlement negotiations will be productive. During the meet and confer, counsel may address any subjects they feel are appropriate, but they must discuss the following:

         1. Who will attend the conference on behalf of each party, including counsel and identification of the person(s) with full authority to make the final decision as to whether any settlement offer is made, accepted, or rejected (e.g., the party, and another person(s) if full authority does not rest with the party).

         2. 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.

         3. Whether insurance is available to cover all or part of the claimed losses or to fund all or part of any party's defense; whether tenders have been made to any insurance companies; and if insurance is available, the name of and position held by each claims representative who will be attending the settlement conference.

         4. 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).

         5. Any unusual issues or factors that could come into play in the settlement negotiations or any especially sensitive matters that other counsel or the Court should be alerted to before the conference.

         6. Whether a pre-settlement conference call with the attorneys and the settlement judge would help make the process more productive (e.g., by ensuring that the appropriate client representatives attend.) Counsel may arrange a pre-settlement conference call with Judge Laporte by calling Stephen Ybarra at 415-522-3694.

         B. Exchange of Current Settlement Demand and Response

         If there is no current settlement demand, Plaintiff must serve a demand on Defendant in writing no later than fourteen days before the conference, outlining its theories for recovery, the supporting facts, and damages. Plaintiff must include its demand in its exchanged settlement conference statement. Defendant must include its response to the demand in its exchanged settlement conference statement.

         C. Lodged Settlement Conference Documents

         No later than ten (10) calendar days prior to the settlement conference by 12:00 p.m., each party shall submit the following:

         (1) an Exchanged Settlement Conference Statement; and

         (2) a Confidential Settlement Letter.

         The parties shall deliver the Settlement Conference Documents directly to Magistrate Judge ...