Settlement |
The Court routinely holds a settlement conference after the discovery cut-off. The requirements for the settlement conference are set forth in the Court's Settlement Conference Notice. If the parties believe an earlier settlement conference will be productive, they should notify the Court in the Rule 26(f) plan or contact the Court’s Case Manager.
The Court welcomes and endorses agreements between parties to engage in case facilitation or evaluation. The Court sets a deadline to request facilitation or evaluation in its Scheduling Order. A proposed stipulated order referring the case to facilitation shall be submitted to the Court via the CM/ECF utilities function, identifying the facilitator and the date set for facilitation. To request case evaluation, the parties should file a Stipulated Request for Case Evaluation.
At the parties' request, the Court will schedule additional settlement conferences. The Court routinely becomes involved in settlement negotiations in jury cases and refers non-jury matters to a magistrate judge or another judge for settlement discussions.