2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 KEVIN TYLER, Case No.: 20cv888-MMA (MSB)

12 Plaintiff,

ORDER:

13 v. (1) CONVERTING MANDATORY

SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE TO VIDEO

14 OFFICER F. SALAS, et al.,

CONFERENCE, AND

15 Defendants. (2) ISSUING UPDATED PROCEDURES 16 17 On September 15, 2020, the Court issued the Scheduling Order in this case, 18 setting the Mandatory Settlement Conference (“MSC”) in this matter for July 9, 2021, at 19 9:30 a.m. (ECF No. 9 at 4.) The order required all parties and their counsel to appear in- 20 person. (Id.) 21 Considering the ongoing public health crisis, the Court CONVERTS the in-person 22 MSC to video conference. To facilitate this modification, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED: 23 1. The Court will use its official Zoom video conferencing account to hold the 24 MSC. IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH ZOOM: Zoom is available on computers through 25 a download on the Zoom website (https://zoom.us/meetings) or on mobile devices 26 27 2 creating a Zoom account, but it does require downloading the .exe file (if using a 3 computer) or the app (if using a mobile device). Participants are encouraged to create 4 an account, install Zoom, and familiarize themselves with Zoom in advance of the MSC.2 5 There is a cost-free option for creating a Zoom account. 6 2. All discussions at the Mandatory Settlement Conference will be informal, 7 off the record, privileged, and confidential. Counsel for any non-English speaking party 8 is responsible for arranging for the appearance of an interpreter at the conference. All 9 named parties, party representatives, including claims adjusters for insured defendants, 10 as well as the principal attorney(s) responsible for the litigation, must participate in the 11 Zoom MSC and be legally and factually prepared to discuss and resolve the case. 12 Counsel appearing without their clients (whether or not counsel has been given 13 settlement authority) will be cause for immediate imposition of sanctions and may also 14 result in the immediate termination of the conference. 15 a. Full Settlement Authority Required: A party or party representative 16 with full settlement authority3 must be present at the conference. A government entity 17 may be excused from this requirement so long as the government attorney who attends 18 19 20 1 If possible, participants are encouraged to use laptops or desktop computers for the video 21 conference, as mobile devices often offer inferior performance.

22 2 For help getting started with Zoom, visit: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697- Getting-Started. 23 3 “Full settlement authority” means that the individuals at the settlement conference must be 24 authorized to fully explore settlement options and to agree at that time to any settlement terms 25 acceptable to the parties. Heileman Brewing Co. v. Joseph Oat Corp., 871 F.2d 648, 653 (7th Cir. 1989). The person needs to have “unfettered discretion and authority” to change the settlement position of a 26 party. Pitman v. Brinker Int’l, Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485–86 (D. Ariz. 2003). The purpose of requiring a person with unlimited settlement authority to attend the conference contemplates that the person’s 27 view of the case may be altered during the face to face conference. Id. at 486. A limited or a sum 2 case, and (2) authority to negotiate and recommend settlement offers to the 3 government official(s) having ultimate settlement authority. 4 3. Prior to the start of the MSC, the Court will e-mail each MSC participant an 5 invitation to join a Zoom video conference. Again, if possible, participants are 6 encouraged to use laptops or desktop computers for the video conference, as mobile 7 devices often offer inferior performance. Participants shall join the video conference by 8 following the ZoomGov Meeting hyperlink in the invitation. Participants who do not 9 have Zoom already installed on their device when they click on the ZoomGov Meeting 10 hyperlink will be prompted to download and install Zoom before proceeding. Zoom 11 may then prompt participants to enter the password included in the invitation. All 12 participants will be placed in a waiting room until the MSC begins. 13 4. Each participant should plan to join the Zoom video conference at least five 14 minutes before the start of the MSC to ensure that the MSC begins promptly at 15 9:30 a.m. The Zoom e-mail invitation may indicate an earlier start time, but the MSC 16 will begin at the Court-scheduled time. 17 5. Zoom’s functionalities will allow the Court to conduct the MSC as it 18 ordinarily would conduct an in-person MSC. That is, the Court will begin the MSC with 19 all participants joined together in a main session. After an initial discussion in the main 20 session, the Court will divide participants into separate, confidential sessions, which 21 Zoom calls Breakout Rooms.4 In a Breakout Room, the Court will be able to 22 communicate with participants from a single party in confidence. Breakout Rooms will 23 also allow parties and counsel to communicate confidentially without the Court. 24 6. No later than July 2, 2021, counsel for each party shall send an e-mail to the 25 Court at efile_berg@casd.uscourts.gov containing the following: 26

27 2 party representatives with full settlement authority, claims adjusters for insured 3 defendants, and the primary attorney(s) responsible for the litigation; 4 b. An e-mail address for each participant to receive the Zoom video 5 conference invitation5; and 6 c. A telephone number where each participant may be reached so that 7 if technical difficulties arise, the Court will be in a position to proceed telephonically 8 instead of by video conference. (If counsel prefers to have all participants of their party 9 on a single conference call, counsel may provide a conference number and appropriate 10 call-in information, including an access code, where all counsel and parties or party 11 representatives for that side may be reached as an alternative to providing individual 12 telephone numbers for each participant.) 13 d. Confidential Settlement Statement. The statements are limited to 14 ten (10) pages, plus an additional ten (10) pages of exhibits. Each party’s settlement 15 statement must outline (1) the nature of the case and the claims, (2) position on liability 16 or defenses; (3) position regarding settlement of the case with a specific demand/offer 17 for settlement, and (4) any previous settlement negotiations or mediation efforts. The 18 Mandatory Settlement Conference statement must not merely repeat what was 19 contained in the Early Neutral Evaluation conference brief or any earlier settlement 20 brief. The settlement statement must specifically identify what the discovery process 21 revealed and the effect that the evidence has on the issues in the case. To the extent 22 specific discovery responses, portions of deposition testimony, or expert reports are 23 pertinent to the Court’s evaluation of the matter, these documents must be attached as 24 / / / 25

26 27 5 Based on the Court’s previous experience with prisoner plaintiffs, the email address for the plaintiff 1 || exhibits. Evidence supporting or refuting either party’s claim for damages must also be 2 identified and included as an exhibit. 3 If a specific demand or offer cannot be made at the time the settlement 4 ||statement is submitted, then the reasons as to why a demand or offer cannot be made 5 ||must be stated. Further, the party must explain when they will be prepared to state a 6 ||demand or offer. General statements such as a party will “negotiate in good faith” is 7 ||not a specific demand or offer. The settlement statement should be submitted 8 || confidentially and need not be shared with other parties. 9 7. All participants shall display the same level of professionalism during the 10 || MSC and be prepared to devote their full attention to the MSC as if they were attending 11 |/in person. Because Zoom may quickly deplete the battery of a participant’s device, each 12 || participant should ensure that their device is plugged in or that a charging cable is 13 || readily available during the video conference. 14 8. If Plaintiff is not able to participate via Zoom, Plaintiff’s counsel should 15 || propose an alternative means of Plaintiff's participation at the MSC to Defendants’ 16 |} counsel and the Court, and file an appropriate motion requesting the same. 17 IT IS SO ORDERED. 18 Dated: June 11, 2021 _ TZ. 19 4 L <—{— Honorable Michael S. Berg United States Magistrate Judge 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28