Barbara Waldrup v. Countrywide Financial Corporation

I. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Barbara Waldrup et al. initiated this class action case against defendants Countrywide Financial Corp., Countrywide Home Loans, Bank of America, N.A., Bank of America Corp., Landsafe, Inc., and Land Safe Appraisal Services, Inc. on November 27, 2013. See Compl., ECF No. 1. Plaintiffs’ operative Third Amended Complaint (“TAC”) alleges (1) violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200), (2) violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. § 1962), (3) fraud, and (4) unjust enrichment, all arising out of defendants’ roles performing and soliciting real estate appraisals. On July 12, 2019, the Honorable Alicia Rosenberg, U.S. Magistrate Judge (“the Magistrate Judge”), ordered plaintiffs to make five absent class members available for deposition, and denied plaintiffs’ request for a stay of that order. See ECF No. 390 (“July 12 Order”). Plaintiffs did not appeal the July 12 Order to this Court. Instead, plaintiffs requested a further teleconference with the Magistrate Judge to seek reconsideration of her decision. That teleconference took place on July 26, 2019. See…