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Case TitleU.S. RIGHT TO KNOW v. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2020cv03196
Date Filed2020-11-05
Date ClosedOpen
JudgeJudge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
PlaintiffU.S. RIGHT TO KNOW
Case DescriptionUS Right to Know submitted a FOIA request to the National Institutes of Health for records concerning communications between federal employees mentioning keywords, such as Wuhan Institute of Virology. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request. The agency denied the request under Exemption 7(A) (interference with ongoing investigation or proceeding). US Right to Know filed an administrative appeal. After hearing nothing further from the agency, US Right to Know filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Adequacy - Search, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantNATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
Complaint attachment 5
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2020-11-051COMPLAINT against NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number ADCDC-7799645) filed by U.S. RIGHT TO KNOW. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Exhibit A, # 2 Civil Cover Sheet, # 3 Summons NIH Summons, # 4 Summons USAG Summons, # 5 Summons USAO Summons)(Sorenson, C.) (Entered: 11/05/2020)
2020-11-06Case Assigned to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. (adh, ) (Entered: 11/06/2020)
2020-11-062SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(adh, ) (Entered: 11/06/2020)
2020-12-013ORDER ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR CASES ASSIGNED TO JUDGE COLLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on 12/1/2020. (DM) (Entered: 12/01/2020)
2020-12-164ANSWER to Complaint by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.(Brudy-Everett, Kristin) (Entered: 12/16/2020)
2020-12-175ORDER. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on December 17, 2020. (lcckk1) (Entered: 12/17/2020)
2020-12-17Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Meet & Confer Statement due by 2/1/2021. (dot) (Entered: 12/18/2020)
2021-02-016Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Brudy-Everett, Kristin) (Entered: 02/01/2021)
2021-02-01MINUTE ORDER: The Court has received the parties' 6 Joint Status Report. As proposed therein, the parties shall file another Joint Status Report onMarch 1, 2021 to further apprise the Court of their progress in this matter. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on February 1, 2021. (lcckk1) (Entered: 02/01/2021)
2021-02-01Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 3/1/2021, to further apprise the Court of their progress in this matter. (dot) (Entered: 02/02/2021)
2021-03-017Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Brudy-Everett, Kristin) (Entered: 03/01/2021)
2021-03-02MINUTE ORDER: The Court has received the parties' 7 Joint Status Report. As proposed therein, the parties shall file another Joint Status Report on April 16, 2021 to further apprise the Court of their progress in this matter. The parties shall then continue to file periodic joint status reports every sixty days thereafter until further order from the Court. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on March 2, 2021. (lcckk1) (Entered: 03/02/2021)
2021-03-02Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 4/16/2021, to further apprise the Court of their progress in this matter. (dot) (Entered: 03/02/2021)
2021-04-168NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Dedra Seibel Curteman on behalf of All Defendants Substituting for attorney Kristin Brudy (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 04/16/2021)
2021-04-169Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 04/16/2021)
2021-06-1510Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 06/15/2021)
2021-06-2211RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General on 11/16/2020. (Sorenson, C.) (Main Document 11 replaced on 6/23/2021) (znmw). Modified party served and date on 6/23/2021 (znmw). (Entered: 06/22/2021)
2021-06-2212RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 11/16/2020. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 12/16/2020. (See Docket Entry 11 to view document). (znmw) (Entered: 06/23/2021)
2021-08-1613Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. RIGHT TO KNOW. (Sorenson, C.) (Entered: 08/16/2021)
2021-08-19MINUTE ORDER: The Court has received and reviewed the parties' 13 Joint Status Report. Therein, the parties describe an impasse they have reached, apparently regarding the pace of document production in this FOIA action. Plaintiff requests that the parties move to summary judgment briefing and allow the Court to resolve this dispute. In the interest of judicial economy, the Court will not set a summary judgment briefing schedule at this time. Instead, the Court directs the parties to confer and attempt to resolve their dispute over the pace of document production, in good faith, absent Court involvement. The parties shall file another joint status report on September 30, 2021, informing the Court of the status of their negotiations. If, at that time, the parties have still not resolved their dispute, they may propose a briefing schedule on the issue. In so doing, the parties should make clear what specific relief would be requested in their respective motions. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on August 19, 2021. (lcckk1) (Entered: 08/19/2021)
2021-08-19Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 9/30/2021, informing the Court of the status of their negotiations. (dot) (Entered: 08/19/2021)
2021-09-3014Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 09/30/2021)
2021-10-01MINUTE ORDER: The Court has received and reviewed the parties' 14 Joint Status Report. As proposed therein, the parties shall file another joint status report by or before November 1, 2021. Thereafter, the parties shall continue to file periodic joint status reports every 30 days, until further order from this Court. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on October 1, 2021. (lcckk1) (Entered: 10/01/2021)
2021-10-01Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 11/1/2021. (dot) (Entered: 10/04/2021)
2021-11-0115Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. RIGHT TO KNOW. (Sorenson, C.) (Entered: 11/01/2021)
2021-12-0116Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 12/01/2021)
2022-01-0317Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 01/03/2022)
2022-02-0318Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 02/03/2022)
2022-03-0719Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 03/07/2022)
2022-04-0620Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 04/06/2022)
2022-05-0621Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. RIGHT TO KNOW. (Sorenson, C.) (Entered: 05/06/2022)
2022-05-09MINUTE ORDER: The Court is in receipt of the parties' 21 Joint Status Report. In light of the representations therein, the Court shall depart from its October 1, 2021 Minute Order requiring a joint status report every thirty days and instead ORDER the parties to file a joint status report on or before August 4, 2022, and every ninety days thereafter until further order of the Court. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on May 9, 2022. (lcckk1) (Entered: 05/09/2022)
2022-05-09Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 8/4/2022, and every ninety days thereafter until further order of the Court. (dot) (Entered: 05/20/2022)
2022-08-0222Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 08/02/2022)
2022-10-2523Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 10/25/2022)
2023-01-3124Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 01/31/2023)
2023-05-0125Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 05/01/2023)
2023-07-2826Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 07/28/2023)
2023-07-2827ERRATA by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH re 26 Status Report. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 07/28/2023)
2023-10-2628Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 10/26/2023)
2024-01-2429Joint STATUS REPORT by NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. (Curteman, Dedra) (Entered: 01/24/2024)
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by FOIA Project Staff
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