Wadeea v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 |} MASHID WADEEBA, Individually andon}| Case No.: 24-cv-1587-H-DDL Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, ae ORDER RE DISCOVERY MEET 13 Plant) AND CONFERS 15 MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC, a Delaware Corporation, 16 Defendant. 17 18 19 Civil Local Rule 83.3(a)(1 )(c) requires counsel’s adherence to the District’s Code of 20 || Conduct, as set forth in Civil Local Rule 2.1. The Code of Conduct requires, in turn, that 21 |/counsel treat each other with respect and courtesy, resolve disputes reasonably and 22 ||promptly, refrain from questioning each other’s integrity, and generally comport 23 themselves ina manner that allows for the amicable resolution of matters notwithstanding 24 counsel’s zealous representation of their clients. 25 In matters of discovery, “counsel should strive to be cooperative, practical and 26 ||sensible, and should seek judicial intervention ‘only in extraordinary situations that 27 ||implicate truly significant interests.” V5 Techs. v. Switch, Ltd., 334 F.R.D. 297,301 (D. 28 || Nev. 2019) (quoting Jn re Convergent Techs. Securities Litig., 108 F.R.D. 328, 331 (N.D. Cal. 1985)). Before bringing a discovery dispute to the Court, counsel are obligated to 1 || meet and confer in good faith regarding discovery disputes. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(1); 2 ||CivLR 26.1; Chambers Rules for the Honorable David D. Leshner, § III-A. When 3 ||reasonable and good faith efforts are made by all parties, the meet and confer requirement 4 ||serves to “lessen the burden on the court and reduce the unnecessary expenditure of 5 resources by litigants.” Hendon v. California State Senate, No. 21CV0505-RSH-MDD. 6 2023 WL 2620147, at *7 (S.D. Cal. Mar. 23, 2023). 7 At recent hearings on September 18 and 25, 2025, the Court discussed with the 8 || parties the efficacy of their meet and confer efforts in light of the number and nature of 9 || discovery disputes raised in this case. The Court appreciates counsel’s input regarding a 10 || structured process for counsel to meet and confer on a regular basis regarding discovery 11 other case issues. 12 To facilitate the parties’ efforts, the Court further ORDERS as follows: 13 1. | Counsel for the parties must meet and confer every week regarding discovery 14 other pending case issues. The weekly conference shall take place in person or by 15 || videoconference and must be recorded. The recording must be made available to all 16 || counsel as soon as it is ready. The parties shall not file the transcript of any conference 17 |/unless requested to do so by the Court. 18 2. Plaintiff and Defendant shall each designate two counsel who must attend 19 ||each weekly discovery conference. Additional counsel may participate in the conference, 20 || but only the two designated counsel are required to attend. 21 3. Not less than 48 hours in advance of each weekly conference, Plaintiff shall 22 ||send Defendant an agenda with a numbered list of discussion topics. If any item is in 23 || dispute, Plaintiffshall succinctly state her positionon the dispute. Not less than 24 hours 24 || before each weekly conference, Defendant shall respond with any additional agenda items 25 discuss and a succinct statement of its position on any disputed issues. 26 4. each weekly conference, counsel shall select one participant who will be 27 ||responsible for taking notes. Within 24 hours of the conference, the notetaker must 28 circulate a summary of the conference, which shall include a list of topics covered, any topics tabled for the following week, any agreements reached, and any action items to be 1 completed before the next conference. The Court expects the conference summaries will 2 || describe the parties’ discovery agreements and their respective positions on disputed issues 3 ||and thereby reduce the need for lengthy discovery -related correspondence between the 4 || parties. 5 5. The foregoing procedures do not preclude the parties from raising discovery 6 || issues pursuant to the Court’s Chambers Rules, although it is the Court’s expectation that 7 || the weekly conferences between the parties will reduce the need for discovery conferences 8 ||to address disputed issues. 9 6. Court will hold a further status conference with the parties, on October 10 || 30,2025, at 11:00 a.m., to ascertain whether the weekly conferences have assisted the 11 parties in working cooperatively in resolving issues. Counsel designated to attend the 12 || weekly conferences shall attend the status conference. 13 IT IS SO ORDERED. 14 || Dated: September 29, 2025 15 TC buil Lh a United States Magistrate Judge 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28