FOIA Activity: 10 New Procedural or Substantive Decisions

We have added 10 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between April 12, 2020 and April 18, 2020. These are associated with 9 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.

Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.

1. CAN 3:2019cv05935 — LegalForce RAPC Worldwide P.C. v. United States Patent & Trademark Office

   • April 16, 2020: ORDER GRANTING [23] SUMMARY JUDGMENT. SIGNED BY JUDGE ALSUP. (whalc2, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 4/16/2020)
2. CAN 4:2018cv05772 — National Public Radio, Inc. et al v. United States Department of Veterans Affairs

   • April 13, 2020: ORDER by Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu granting [44] Plaintiffs' Motion for Clarification; denying [50] Plaintiffs' Motion for Order to Show Cause. Further Case Management Conference CONTINUED to 7/15/2020 at 1:30 PM. Updated Case Management Statement due by 7/8/2020. Signed on 4/13/2020.(dmrlc1, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 4/13/2020)
3. DC 1:2017cv00189 — STEIN v. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY et al

   • April 14, 2020: MEMORANDUM AND OPINION regarding Defendants' [22] Motion for Summary Judgment and Plaintiff's [29] Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 4/14/2020. (lcdl)
4. DC 1:2017cv01433 — HARDWAY et al v. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

   • April 18, 2020: MEMORANDUM OPINION in support of [31] Order granting Defendant's [25] Motion for Summary Judgment and denying Plaintiffs' [27] Motion for Summary Judgment. Signed by Judge Timothy J. Kelly on 4/18/2020. (lctjk3)
5. NYS 1:2018cv08449 — Reclaim the Records et al v. United States Department of Veterans Affairs

   • April 14, 2020: MEMO ENDORSEMENT on [40] LETTER. ENDORSEMENT: The Court thanks the Government for this update and is pleased to learn that the VA has agreed to release the data in the "cause of death" field for those records already released to plaintiffs. The Government is directed to disclose the "cause of death" data for the remaining records on the same timeline as the other information that the Court ordered disclosed in its March 24, 2020 order, i.e., by April 1, 2022. The Government is further directed to update the Court as records are released to Reclaim. In the interim, this matter is hereby stayed. (Signed by Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on 4/14/2020) (jwh)
6. NYS 1:2019cv10151 — Kobre & Kim LLP v. Commodity Futures Trading Commission

   • April 14, 2020: ORDER denying [19] Letter Motion for Discovery. Plaintiff's request for a pre-motion conference is DENIED. The following briefing schedule will apply to Plaintiff's motion to compel: Plaintiff's motion due by May 1, 2020. Defenda nt's opposition due by May 15, 2020. Plaintiff's reply due by May 22, 2020. The parties' briefing should discuss both (1) whether this is the appropriate stage of the case to address the scope of the review period, and (2) the merits of whether the review period should extend to August 21, 2019. (Signed by Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang on 4/14/2020) (rro)
7. NYS 1:2020cv01686 — Austin Sanctuary Network et al v. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement et al

   • April 14, 2020: ORDER: It is hereby ORDERED that a status conference is scheduled for April 14, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the parties' submissions and the Court's April 13 Order. The parties are directed to dial into the Court's teleconference number at 888-251-2909, Access Code 2123101, and follow the necessary prompts. ( Telephone Conference set for 4/14/2020 at 05:30 PM before Judge Lewis J. Liman.) (Signed by Judge Lewis J. Liman on 4/14/2020) (tro)
   • April 14, 2020: ORDER. Defendants have asked the Court to reconsider its order of April 13, 2020 ("April 13 Order"), which was entered prior to Defendants' submission of the same date. Plaintiffs ask the Court to adhere to that April 13 Order. The Cou rt has carefully considered the arguments set forth in the letters submitted by the parties and presented in oral argument today. See Dkt. Nos. 18-22. For the reasons that follow, the Court modifies the April 13 Order as follows: 1. Defendant Departm ent of Treasury ("DOT") may make its initial production in response to the FOIA request by the original date of April 27, 2020 and need not make a production by April 22, 2020. Defendants seek that relief and Plaintiffs do not object, and a s further specified and set forth in this order. At oral argument today, counsel representing Defendant ICE was unable to offer specifics as to why ERO would be unable to assemble the requisite documents in sufficient time to meet the April 22 deadli ne as opposed to the April 27 deadline originally ordered. To be clear, this Order shall not require Defendants to include in their initial production documents beyond those yielded by the search terms. So ordered. (Signed by Judge Lewis J. Liman on 4/14/2020) (rjm)
8. WAW 2:2018cv01387 — Sea Shepherd Legal v. Department of the Interior

   • April 17, 2020: JOINT STATUS REPORT AND ORDER re parties' [35] Joint Status Report. Parties to submit a Joint Status Report within the next 60 days. Signed by Judge James L. Robart. (PM)
9. WAW 2:2020cv00455 — de Chavez v. Executive Office for Immigration Review

   • April 13, 2020: ORDER: To facilitate entry of an appropriate scheduling order in this matter, and pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 16 and Local Civil Rule 16, counsel are directed to confer and to file a JOINT STATUS REPORT by 7/31/2020. Signed by Judge Thomas S. Zilly. (MW)