Opinion
1297-24
08-06-2024
AIMEE WIELER, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
ORDER
Kathleen Kerrigan Chief Judge
Pending before the Court is petitioner's Motion to Proceed Remotely filed February 8, 2024. On February 13, 2024, respondent filed an unsolicited response to petitioner's motion. While that response sets forth respondent's objection, it does not provide the status of the case as to the parties' efforts to settle and/or otherwise narrow the scope of the issues in this case. Because there is no information in the record as to the parties' efforts or progress in the case, and in the event the case does not settle, a trial will be necessary, the Court will calendar the case for a remote trial.
Upon due consideration of the record and to assure efficient progress of this case, it is
ORDERED that petitioner's motion to proceed remotely is granted and that this case is calendared for trial at the remote session of the Court scheduled to commence on November 18, 2024. It is further
ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court shall also serve on the parties: (1) a Notice of Remote Proceeding that shall contain comprehensive instructions on how to participate in the above-referenced remote proceeding, (2) a copy of the Standing Pretrial Order for the Court's November 18, 2024, remote trial session, and (3) a clinic letter for Columbia, South Carolina. It is further
ORDERED that the parties (i.e., petitioner and respondent) are instructed to be diligent about preparing the case for trial, to be appropriately responsive with one another (by telephone, electronic means, or another appropriate means), to be cooperative and communicative with their opponent, to exchange documents and information, and to comply with this Court's rules and orders. The parties should also review the Court's Standing Pretrial Order issued for the Court's November 18, 2024, remote trial session, to assure their readiness for trial. It is further
ORDERED that in view of the record in this case, immediately upon receipt of this order (and in any event, no later than August 26, 2024), petitioner and respondent shall confer and be appropriately responsive, and shall cooperate and communicate with one another by telephone or electronic means, in scheduling a prompt telephone conference among the parties for the purpose of further discussing and developing the case for trial or other resolution. It is further
ORDERED that, the parties shall, on or before September 16, 2024, file a joint or separate status report in which the parties shall describe the status of the case, including their efforts to settle and/or otherwise narrow the scope of the issues in this case, and state whether the parties have conferred as directed in the preceding paragraph.