Ennis et al v. 14th & Commercial CIC-FHHP,LP et al

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CHRISTINA ENNIS; MICHAEL
MENDEZ; and MAURICE TRULL,
Plaintiffs,
v.
14TH & COMMERCIAL CIC-FHHP, LP,
d/b/a ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA
APARTMENTS; ROYAL PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT GROUP; and HYDER
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONALS LLC,
Defendants.
14TH & COMMERCIAL CIC-FHHP, LP,
Cross Claimant,
v.
ROYAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
GROUP and HYDER PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS LLC,
Cross Defendants.
___________________________________
Case No.: 3:23-cv-01316-AHG
ORDER SETTING IN-PERSON
SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE
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ROYAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
GROUP,
Cross Claimant,
v.
14TH & COMMERCIAL CIC-FHHP, LP
and HYDER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONALS LLC,
Cross Defendants.
____________________________________
14TH & COMMERCIAL CIC-FHHP, LP
Third-Party Plaintiff,
v.
LEVEL 10 CONSTRUCTION, LP;
SCHINDLER ELEVATOR
CORPORATION; and ROES 1 through 25,
Third-Party Defendants.
A settlement conference was held on February 23, 2026. ECF No. 85. Though the
case did not settle, the Court finds additional settlement discussions would be beneficial.
Accordingly, an in-person Settlement Conference is SET for May 15, 2026 at 9:30 a.m.
before Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard and with the following parties: 14th &
Commercial, Level 10 Construction, and Schindler Elevator Corporation.
In accordance with the Local Rules, the Court requires attendance of all parties, party
representatives, including claims adjusters for insured defendants, and the primary
attorney(s) responsible for the litigation. CivLR 16.1(c)(1).
The Court issues the following Mandatory Procedures to be followed in
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preparation for the Settlement Conference:
1. Purpose of the Conference: The purpose of the conference is to permit an
informal discussion between the attorneys and the settlement judge to achieve an early
resolution of the issues at hand. All discussions will be informal, off the record, and
confidential.
2. Full Settlement Authority Required: A party or party representative with
full and complete authority to enter into a binding settlement must be present. Full
authority to settle means that a person must be authorized to fully explore settlement
options and to agree at that time to any settlement terms acceptable to the parties. Heileman
Brewing Co., Inc. 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
party. Pitman v. Brinker Int’l, Inc., 216 F.R.D. 481, 485–86 (D. Ariz. 2003). Limited or
sum certain authority is not adequate. Nick v. Morgan’s Foods, Inc., 270 F.3d 590, 595–97
(8th Cir. 2001). A person who needs to call another person who is not present before
agreeing to any settlement does not have full authority.
3. Confidential Conference Statements Required: No later than May 7, 2026,
the parties shall submit confidential statements directly to the chambers of Magistrate
Judge Goddard. These statements shall not be filed or served on opposing counsel. They
shall be lodged via email at efile_goddard@casd.uscourts.gov. The statement is limited to
three (3) pages or less. There is not a page limit on exhibits. Each party’s statement must
outline:
A. the nature of the claim,
B. position on liability or defense,
C. position regarding settlement of the case with a specific
demand/offer for settlement,1 and
1 If a specific demand or offer cannot be made at the time the conference statement is
submitted, then the reasons as to why a demand or offer cannot be made must be stated.
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D. any previous settlement negotiations or mediation efforts.
The Court may use GenAI tools to review the information that the parties submit. Either
party may object to the Court’s use of such tools by advising the Court’s law clerk of that
objection when they submit the information. The Court will respect that objection without
any further explanation, and the Court’s law clerk will only communicate to Judge Goddard
that there was an objection, not which party made the objection.
4. Meeting Participant Information Required: No later than
May 7, 2026, counsel for each party shall send an e-mail to the Court at
efile_goddard@casd.uscourts.gov containing the following:
A. the name and title of each participant, including all parties and party
representatives with full settlement authority, claims adjusters for
insured defendants, and the primary attorney(s) responsible for the
litigation;
B. an e-mail address for each participant to receive the conference
invitation;
C. a telephone number where each participant may be reached; and
D. a cell phone number for that party’s preferred point of contact (and
the name of the individual whose cell phone it is) for the Court to use
during the conference.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: February 25, 2026
Further, the party must explain when they will be in a position to state a demand or offer.
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