Opinion
Misc. No. 99-197 (TFH), MDL No. 1285
August 19, 2003
ORDER
By stipulation, the parties proposed and the Court on May 27, 1999, entered Stipulated Pretrial Case Management Order No. 2, designating,inter alia, Lead Counsel for plaintiffs and Liaison Counsel for defendants, and appointing the Special Master. Subsequently, the Court designated Liaison Counsel for the Direct Action Plaintiffs (Order dated November 3, 1999) and Liaison Counsel for coordination with indirect purchaser cases (Order of November 11, 1999), and directed Liaison Counsel for plaintiffs and for defendants each to nominate a designee to whom the Special Master would send his monthly bill (Order of March 1, 2000).
In light of the settlement of many of the cases consolidated before the Court for pretrial proceedings, review of the outstanding designations is required.
WHEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED this 19 day of August 2003:
1. Counsel for the parties now before this Court shall review the outstanding designations of Liaison Counsel and present to the Court within 10 days a proposed order confirming existing designations or designating replacements, as appropriate. In addition to any designations made as a result of the above ordered review, counsel shall specifically designate Liaison Counsel for the so-called indirect cases which are proceeding on a different scheduling track.
2. With respect to the designees to whom the Special Master is to send his monthly bill, Liaison Counsel for the plaintiffs shall, as appropriate in light of the parties remaining before the Court, confirm the existing designee or nominate a replacement, and, since defendants' current designee no longer represents a party before the Court, Liaison Counsel for the defendants shall nominate a replacement designee. Liaison counsel shall promptly advise the Special Master of the designations.
3. In all other respects, the Court's Pretrial Case Management Order No. 2 of May 27, 1999, and Orders of November 3 and 11, 1999, and March 1, 2000, remain in effect as issued.