JUDGE BLOOM’S STANDING ORDER ON JOINT SCHEDULING REPORTS
The parties shall consider the following when preparing their Joint Scheduling Report:
Detailed Discovery Schedule: Local Rule 16.1(a) provides for a differentiated case
management system based on the complexity of each case and the requirement for judicial
involvement. That system categorizes cases along three case management tracks: expedited,
standard, or complex.
• Expedited track cases are relatively non-complex, require 1 to 3 days of trial, and
between 90 and 179 days for discovery from the date of the scheduling order.
• Standard track cases require 3 to 10 days of trial, and between 180 and 269 days
for discovery from the date of the scheduling order.
• Complex track cases are unusually complex, require over 10 days of trial, and
between 270 and 365 days for discovery from the date of the scheduling order.
“The following factors [are] considered in evaluating and assigning cases to a particular track: the
complexity of the case, number of parties, number of expert witnesses, volume of evidence,
problems locating or preserving evidence, time estimated by the parties for discovery and time
reasonably required for trial, among other factors.” S.D. Fla. L.R. 16.1(a)(3).
Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1) allows discovery regarding any nonprivileged matter that is
relevant to any party’s claim or defense and proportional to the needs of the case, considering the
importance of the issues at stake in the action, the amount in controversy, the parties’ relative
access to relevant information, the parties’ resources, the importance of the discovery in resolving
the issues, and whether the burden or expense of the proposed discovery outweighs its likely
benefit. The parties shall participate in good faith in developing a detailed discovery plan,
including any agreed-upon limitation on scope, frequency and the extent of discovery. The parties
shall include in their scheduling report any unique discovery matters, including any electronically
stored information that should be preserved and accessed. The parties shall establish a detailed
schedule for the preservation, disclosure and access of each different type or category of
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electronically stored information.
Consistent with the differentiated case management system, other relevant local rules (such
as Local Rule 16.2, regarding mediation), and the twin goals of expeditious and attentive case
management, the Court anticipates the following scheduling deadlines in the run of cases:
• Selection of a mediator and scheduling of a time, date and place for mediation within
30 days of the scheduling order.
• Deadline to amend pleadings and join parties within 60 days of the scheduling order.
• Completion of all discovery consistent with the case management track guidelines, and
120 days prior to trial.
• Completion of mediation prior to the deadline for dispositive pre-trial motions.
• Deadline for dispositive pre-trial motions and Daubert motions (which include motions
to strike experts) 100 days prior to trial.
• Deadline for submission of joint pre-trial stipulation, proposed jury instructions and
verdict form, or proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, as applicable, 40
days prior to trial.
• Calendar call one week prior to trial.
Those deadlines are not exhaustive of deadlines which may be set in the scheduling order.
The parties should address their joint scheduling report and their proposed pre-trial
deadlines both to the differentiated case management system and to the Court’s anticipated
deadlines. The parties are encouraged to explain their proposed deadlines in light of those
overarching guidelines, including as to the factors listed in Local Rule 16.1(a)(3). The parties are
cautioned that if they fail to submit a joint scheduling report by the applicable deadline, the
Court may unilaterally set this case on a case management track in accordance with Local
Rule 16.1(a) and calculated as if the scheduling report had been timely filed.
As part of the joint scheduling report, the parties shall jointly complete and file with the
Court the Election to Jurisdiction by a United States Magistrate Judge for Final Disposition of
Motions appended to this Order as Attachment A. The Court will not accept unilateral
submissions. A “Yes” should be checked only if all parties agree. If the parties consent to a full
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disposition of the case by the Magistrate Judge, including trial and entry of final judgment, the
parties shall jointly file the Election to Jurisdiction form appended to this Order as Attachment
B. The parties are advised that even if they do not consent to jurisdiction by the Magistrate Judge,
in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(b), the Court may still refer motions to the Magistrate Judge
for a report and recommendations.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
Case No. xx-cv-xxxxx-BLOOM/xxxxxx
_____________________,
Plaintiff(s),
v.
_____________________,
Defendant(s).
_____________________________/
ELECTION TO JURISDICTION BY A UNITED STATES
MAGISTRATE JUDGE FOR FINAL DISPOSITION OF MOTIONS
In accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), the undersigned parties to the
above-captioned civil matter hereby jointly and voluntarily elect to have a United States Magistrate
Judge decide the following motions and issue a final order or judgment with respect thereto:
1. Motions for Costs Yes _____ No _____
2. Motions for Attorney’s Fees Yes _____ No _____
3. Motions for Sanctions Yes _____ No _____
4. Motions to Dismiss Yes _____ No _____
5. Motions for Summary Judgment Yes _____ No _____
____________ ____________________________________________
(Date) (Signature—Plaintiff’s Counsel or Plaintiff if pro se)
____________ ____________________________________________
(Date) (Signature—Defendant’s Counsel or Defendant if pro se)
Attachment A
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
Case No. xx-cv-xxxxx-BLOOM/xxxxxx
_____________________,
Plaintiff(s),
v.
_____________________,
Defendant(s).
_____________________________/
MAGISTRATE JUDGE JURISDICTION FOR TRIAL
In accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), the undersigned parties to the
above-captioned civil matter hereby jointly and voluntarily elect to have a United States Magistrate
Judge conduct any and all further proceedings in the case, including TRIAL, and entry of final
judgment with respect thereto.
____________ ____________________________________________
(Date) (Signature—Plaintiff’s Counsel or Plaintiff if pro se)
____________ ____________________________________________
(Date) (Signature—Defendant’s Counsel or Defendant if pro se)
Attachment B
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