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Case TitleJUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2014cv00429
Date Filed2014-03-18
Date Closed2015-09-30
JudgeJudge Tanya S. Chutkan
PlaintiffJUDICIAL WATCH, INC.
Case DescriptionJudicial Watch submitted a FOIA request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for records concerning any government communications pertaining to December 2013 guidance on hardship exemptions for consumers whose insurance policies have been cancelled. Although the agency acknowledged receipt of Judicial Watch's request, it did not respond within the statutory time limit and Judicial Watch filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Adequacy - Search, Litigation - Vaughn index, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2014-03-181COMPLAINT against DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number 0090-3654683) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons D.C. Attorney, # 3 Summons U.S. Attorney General, # 4 Summons Dept. of Health and Human Services)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 03/18/2014)
2014-03-182LCvR 7.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 03/18/2014)
2014-03-18Case Assigned to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. (md, ) (Entered: 03/18/2014)
2014-03-193ELECTRONIC SUMMONS (3) ISSUED as to DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Summons 2nd, # 2 Summons 3rd, # 3 Notice of Consent, # 4 Consent Form)(md, ) (Entered: 03/19/2014)
2014-03-194ORDER Establishing Procedures for Filing for Cases Assigned to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, signed on March 19, 2014. (SM) (Entered: 03/19/2014)
2014-04-035RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 3/26/2014. ( Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 4/25/2014.), RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 3/26/14., RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES served on 3/25/2014 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of C. Rotaru)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 04/03/2014)
2014-04-246ANSWER to Complaint by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.(Fields, Rhonda) (Entered: 04/24/2014)
2014-04-257ORDER. ORDERED that the parties shall confer and propose a schedule for proceeding in this matter. The schedule should address the status of Plaintiff's FOIA request, the anticipated number of documents responsive to Plaintiff's FOIA request, the anticipated date(s) for release of the documents requested by Plaintiff, whether a motion for an Open America stay is likely inthis case, whether a Vaughn index will be required in this case, etc. The parties shall file the schedule not later than May 25, 2014. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on 4/25/2014. (lcckk3) (Entered: 04/25/2014)
2014-04-25Set/Reset Deadlines: Parties schedule due by 5/25/2014. (dot ) (Entered: 04/29/2014)
2014-05-238STATUS REPORT , joint by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Fields, Rhonda) (Entered: 05/23/2014)
2014-05-27MINUTE ORDER (paperless). The Court is in receipt of the parties' 8 Joint Status Report. The Court hereby ORDERS that the parties file an additional Joint Status Report by no later than June 26, 2014 addressing the status of Plaintiff's FOIA request and proposing a schedule for proceeding in this matter. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on 5/27/2014. (lcckk3) (Entered: 05/27/2014)
2014-05-27Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 6/26/2014. (dot ) (Entered: 05/28/2014)
2014-06-10Case reassigned to Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly no longer assigned to the case. (ztnr, ) (Entered: 06/10/2014)
2014-06-269STATUS REPORT , joint by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Fields, Rhonda) (Entered: 06/26/2014)
2014-06-27MINUTE ORDER: The Court is in receipt of the parties' 9 Joint Status Report. The Court hereby ORDERS the parties to file an additional Joint Status Report by no later than July 28, 2014, and every 30 days thereafter, addressing the status of Plaintiff's FOIA request and proposing a schedule for proceeding in this matter. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on 6/27/14. (lctsc1) (Entered: 06/27/2014)
2014-07-2510RESPONSE TO ORDER OF THE COURT re Set Deadlines, Order,, Joint status report filed by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Fields, Rhonda) (Entered: 07/25/2014)
2014-08-27MINUTE ORDER: Having considered the parties' joint status report 10 , it is hereby ordered that not later than November 7, 2014, the parties shall file a joint status report and proposed schedule for moving forward with this action. Status Report due by 11/7/2014. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 8/27/14. (DJS) (Entered: 08/27/2014)
2014-11-0711RESPONSE TO ORDER OF THE COURT re Order, Set Deadlines,, filed by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Fields, Rhonda) (Entered: 11/07/2014)
2014-11-08MINUTE ORDER: Having considered the parties' Joint Status Report 11 , it is hereby ordered that not later than January 7, 2015, the parties shall file a joint status report and proposed schedule for moving forward with this action Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 11/8/14. (DJS) (Entered: 11/08/2014)
2014-11-10Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 1/7/2015. (zsm) (Entered: 11/10/2014)
2015-01-0712STATUS REPORT , Joint by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Fields, Rhonda) (Entered: 01/07/2015)
2015-01-14MINUTE ORDER: Having considered the Joint Status Report filed by the parties 12 it is hereby ordered that the parties shall file a joint status report not later than March 9, 2015. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 1/14/15. (DJS) (Entered: 01/14/2015)
2015-01-14Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 3/9/2015. (sm) (Entered: 01/14/2015)
2015-03-0913STATUS REPORT Plaintiff's Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 03/09/2015)
2015-03-2614NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Heather D. Graham-Oliver on behalf of DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substituting for attorney Rhonda C. Fields (Graham-Oliver, Heather) (Entered: 03/26/2015)
2015-03-31MINUTE ORDER: Not later than April 14, 2015, the parties shall file a joint status report, along with a proposed schedule and proposed order for moving forward with this action. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 3/31/15. (DJS) (Entered: 03/31/2015)
2015-03-31Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 4/14/2015. (sm) (Entered: 03/31/2015)
2015-04-1315STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 04/13/2015)
2015-04-15MINUTE ORDER: Having considered the Status Report 15 filed by the parties, it is hereby ordered that the parties shall file a joint status report by April 27, 2015. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 4/15/15. (DJS) (Entered: 04/15/2015)
2015-04-15Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 4/27/2015 (sm) (Entered: 04/15/2015)
2015-04-2716STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 04/27/2015)
2015-04-28MINUTE ORDER: Having considered the Status Report filed the parties 16 , it is hereby ordered that the parties shall file a Joint Status Report not later than 5/8/15 that includes a proposal for moving forward with this case, along with a proposed order. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 4/28/15. (DJS) (Entered: 04/28/2015)
2015-04-28Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 5/8/2015. (zsm) (Entered: 04/28/2015)
2015-05-0817STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 05/08/2015)
2015-05-14MINUTE ORDER: A status conference is set for Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 10am. The parties must file a joint status report by Tuesday, July 28, 2015. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 5/14/2015. (lctsc2) (Entered: 05/14/2015)
2015-05-14Set/Reset Deadlines/Hearings: Status Report due by 7/28/2015. Status Conference set for 7/30/2015 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 2 before Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. (zsm) (Entered: 05/14/2015)
2015-07-2818STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 07/28/2015)
2015-07-29MINUTE ORDER: The status conference scheduled for July 30, 2015 is canceled. Defendant must produce all documents to Plaintiff by August 31, 2015, and notify the Court that it has done so by September 1, 2015. By September 30, 2015, the parties must file either a notice of dismissal or a joint proposed scheduling order. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 7/29/2015. (lctsc2) (Entered: 07/29/2015)
2015-07-29Set/Reset Deadlines: Notice due by 9/1/2015. Notice of Dismissal or Proposed Scheduling Order due by 9/30/2015. (zsm) (Entered: 07/29/2015)
2015-09-0119NOTICE OF PRODUCTION by DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (Graham-Oliver, Heather) (Entered: 09/01/2015)
2015-09-3020STIPULATION of Dismissal Stipulation of Dismissal by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 09/30/2015)
2015-09-3021ORDER OF DISMISSAL. In light of the Joint Stipulation of Dismissal filed by the parties 20 , this action is hereby dismissed with prejudice pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(a)(1)(A)(ii). Each party to bear its own costs. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 9/30/15. (DJS) (Entered: 09/30/2015)
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