ORDER: (1) DENYING JOINT MOTION TO CONTINUE EARLY NEUTRAL EVALUATION CONFERENCE [ECF No. 31]

(2) FINDING EARLY NEUTRAL EVALUATION CONFERENCE INAPPROPRIATE

AND (3) RESETTING TELEPHONIC CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

BARBARA L. MAJOR, Magistrate Judge.

On April 6, 2017, the parties filed a joint motion asking the Court to continue the Early Neutral Evaluation Conference ("ENE") set for May 8, 2017 and related deadlines. ECF No. 31. In support, the parties state that both attorneys representing Defendant Kruger will participate in a civil trial in Orange County, which is scheduled to commence on May 1, 2017, and is expected to last two weeks. Id. at 2; see also id. at 4, Declaration of Oliver B. Dreger ("Dreger Decl."). The parties state that the attorneys would not be able to participate in the ENE, and ask the Court to continue the ENE and all related deadlines for three weeks. Id. at 2.

Due to defense counsel's scheduling conflict, the Court finds it inappropriate to convene an ENE at this time. See CivLR 16.1(c)(1) (explaining that "[t]he judicial officer will hold such conferences as he or she deems appropriate"). Instead, the Court issues the following orders:

The Court will hold a telephonic, attorneys-only Case Management Conference on April 28, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. In preparation for this conference, the parties must

a. Meet and confer pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(f) no later than April 17, 2017.

b. File a Joint Discovery Plan on the CM/ECF system no later than April 21, 2017. Agreements made in the Joint Discovery Plan will be treated as binding stipulations thaT are effectively incorporated into the Court's Case Management Order. The Joint Discovery Plan must be one document and must address each item identified in Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(f)(3). In addition, the discovery plan must include:

i. Service: A statement as to whether any parties remain to be served and, if so, a proposed deadline for service;

ii. Amendment of Pleadings: The extent to which parties, claims, or defenses are expected to be added or dismissed and a proposed deadline for amending the pleadings;

iii. Protective Order: Whether a protective order is contemplated to cover the exchange of confidential information and, if so, the date by which the proposed order will be submitted to the Court;

iv. Privilege: The procedure the parties plan to use regarding claims of privilege and whether an order pursuant to Fed. R. Evid. 502 will be sought;

v. Evidence Preservation: Whether the parties have discussed issues related to the preservation of relevant evidence and if there are areas of disagreement, how the parties are resolving them;

vi. Electronic Discovery: In addition to the requirements set forth in Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(f)(3)(C), the parties must describe their agreements regarding methodologies for locating and producing electronically stored information and the production of metadata, and must identify any issues or agreements regarding electronically stored information that may not be reasonably accessible (see Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(2)(B));

vii. Discovery: In addition to the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(f)(3)(B), the parties must describe the discovery taken to date (if any), any proposed limitations or modifications of the discovery rules, and any identified discovery disputes;

viii. Related Cases: Any related cases or proceedings pending before another judge of this court, or before another court or administrative body;

ix. Scheduling: Proposed dates for fact discovery cutoff, expert designations and disclosures, expert discovery cutoff, filing of dispositive motions, filing class certification motion (if class is alleged), pretrial conference and trial;

x. Professional Conduct: Whether all attorneys of record for the parties have reviewed Civil Local Rule 83.4 on Professionalism; and

xi. Miscellaneous: Such other matters as may facilitate the just, speedy and inexpensive disposition of this matter.

c. The parties' deadline to exchange initial disclosures pursuant to Rule 26(a)(1)(A-D) remains unchanged and is set for May 1, 2017.

IT IS SO ORDERED.