Crawford v. McDonald's USA, LLC

Crawford v. McDonalds

Crawford v. McDonald's USA

Fifth Amended General Order 20-0012 IN RE: CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 PUBLIC EMERGENCY Signed by the Chief Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer on July 10, 2020. This Order does not extend or modify any deadlines set in civil cases. No motions may be noticed for in-person presentment; the presiding judge will notify parties of the need, if any, for a hearing by electronic means or in-court proceeding. See attached Order. Signed by the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer on 7/10/2020. Mailed notice(gcy, ) (Entered: 09/01/2020)

COMPLAINT filed by Jeremy Lewis, Harold Lewis, Arthur Scott, Keith Manning, Victor Bruce, Mitchell McGuire, Delores Crawford, Christine Crawford, Lois McGuire, Kurt Holloway, Lisa Gunter, Serge Tancrede, David White, Michael Simon, John Tillman, Annis Alston-Staley, John Mason, Yvonne Knox, Darryl Umphries, George Gipson, Laetitia Johnson, Kent Jones, Lawrence Holland, Carrie Salone, Jeremiah Simmons, Gordon Thornton, Errol Service, Errol Thybulle, Larry Brown, Melvin Jones, Allen Stafford, Ralph King, Jacqueline George, Joseph Mbanefo, William Rasul, Juneth N Daniel, Dawn Mussenden, Joketra Hall, Harry Staley, Floyd Sims, Ronnie Thornton, Wise Finley, Jeffery Rogers, Lewis Anderson, Kenneth Manning, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, LeRoy Walker, Jr., Karen Tancrede, Hayes Ferrell, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Van Jakes; Jury Demand. Filing fee $ 400, receipt number 0752-17381347. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A, # 2 Exhibit B, # 3 Exhibit C, # 4 Exhibit D, # 5 Exhibit E, # 6 Exhibit F)(Ferraro, James) (Entered: 08/31/2020)

1 Exhibit A

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2 Exhibit B

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3 Exhibit C

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4 Exhibit D

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5 Exhibit E

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6 Exhibit F

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CIVIL Cover Sheet (Ferraro, James) (Entered: 08/31/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Lawrence Holland, Kurt Holloway, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dawn Mussenden, William Rasul, Jeffery Rogers, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., David White by James L. Ferraro (Ferraro, James) (Entered: 08/31/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Lawrence Holland, Kurt Holloway, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dawn Mussenden, William Rasul, Jeffery Rogers, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., David White by Janpaul Portal (Portal, Janpaul) (Entered: 09/01/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Lawrence Holland, Kurt Holloway, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dawn Mussenden, William Rasul, Jeffery Rogers, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., David White by Mamie Coleen Joeveer (Joeveer, Mamie) (Entered: 09/01/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Lawrence Holland, Kurt Holloway, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dawn Mussenden, William Rasul, Jeffery Rogers, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., David White by Natalia Maria Salas (Salas, Natalia) (Entered: 09/01/2020)

CASE ASSIGNED to the Honorable Steven C. Seeger. Designated as Magistrate Judge the Honorable Maria Valdez. Case assignment: Random assignment. (cp, )

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: An initial status report is due by November 19, 2020. Counsel must read the Standing Order entitled "Initial Status Conferences and Joint Initial Status Reports" on the Court's website. The parties must discuss settlement in good faith and make a serious attempt to resolve this case amicably. The parties also must confer as required by Rule 26(f) about the nature, scope, and duration of discovery. The parties must submit two documents to the Court. First, the parties must file the Joint Initial Status Report under Rule 26(f) on the docket. A Word version of the Joint Initial Status Report is available on the Court's website. Second, the parties must submit a Word version of a proposed Scheduling Order under Rule 16(b) to the Court's proposed order inbox. Lead counsel for the parties must participate in filing the initial status report. Plaintiff must serve this Order on all other parties. If the defendant has not been served with process, plaintiff's counsel must contact the Courtroom Deputy at jessica_j_ramos@ilnd.uscourts.gov to reschedule the initial status report deadline. Plaintiff should not file the Joint Initial Status Report before the defendant(s) has been served with process. All counsel of record must read and comply with this Court's Standing Orders on its webpage. Please pay special attention to the Standing Orders about Depositions and Discovery. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 09/01/2020)

SUMMONS Issued as to Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. (jg, )

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Patricia Brown Holmes (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Amy Curtner Andrews (Andrews, Amy) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice Filing fee $ 150, receipt number 0752-17416335. (Lynch, Loretta) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice Filing fee $ 150, receipt number 0752-17416410. (Buergel, Susanna) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: The Court grants both motions to appear pro hac vice. (Dckt. No. 11 and 12 ) Attorney Susanna M. Buergel and Loretta E. Lynch are added as counsel for Defendants. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Loretta E. Lynch (Lynch, Loretta) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Susanna M. Buergel (Buergel, Susanna) (Entered: 09/10/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Raymond Dion Rushing (Rushing, Raymond) (Entered: 09/11/2020)

MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice Filing fee $ 150, receipt number 0752-17428589. (Wu, Andrew) (Entered: 09/11/2020)

MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice Filing fee $ 150, receipt number 0752-17428615. (King, Karen) (Entered: 09/11/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: The Court grants both motions for leave to appear pro hac vice (Dckt. Nos. 17 and 18 ) Attorney Andrew Jason Wu and Karen King are added as counsel for McDonald's Corporation and McDonald's USA, LLC. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 09/14/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Andrew Jason Wu (Wu, Andrew) (Entered: 09/14/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Karen King (King, Karen) (Entered: 09/14/2020)

MOTION by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. for extension of time and proposed order regarding briefing schedule and page limits for defendant's Rule 12(B) Motion (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 09/17/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Defendants' Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time (Dckt. No. 22 ) is hereby granted. As agreed, the Court extends the deadline for Defendants to respond to the complaint to October 23, 2020. Plaintiffs' response is due by November 23, and the reply is due by December 7. The Court also grants the request for additional pages. The page limit for Defendants' opening brief, and Plaintiffs' response brief, is 35 pages. The page limit for the reply brief is 15 pages. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 09/18/2020)

MOTION by Defendants McDonald's USA, LLC., McDonald's Corporation to dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(B)(6) (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 10/23/2020)

MEMORANDUM by McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. in support of motion to dismiss 24 (Attachments: # 1 Index, # 2 Exhibit 1, # 3 Exhibit 2, # 4 Exhibit 3(a)-(k))(Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 10/23/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: The Court sets the following briefing schedule for Defendants' Motion to Dismiss. (Dckt. No. 24 ) Plaintiffs shall file a response by November 20, 2020. Defendants shall file a reply by December 4, 2020. No appearance on the motion is necessary. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 10/23/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. by Ariel Schepers Wilson (Wilson, Ariel) (Entered: 11/10/2020)

MOTION by Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Lawrence Holland, Kurt Holloway, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dawn Mussenden, William Rasul, Jeffery Rogers, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., David White for leave to file Amended Complaint (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A)(Ferraro, James) (Entered: 11/13/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Plaintiffs' Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint as a Matter of Course Pursuant to Rule 15 (Dckt. No. 28 ) is hereby granted. Rule 15(a)(1)(B) provides that a party "may amend its pleading once as a matter of course within... 21 days after service of a responsive pleading or 21 days after service of a motion under Rule 12(b), (e), or (f), whichever is earlier." See Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(1)(B). As the plain text reveals, Rule 15(a)(1)(B) contemplates an amendment "without the permission of the court." See 6 Charles Alan Wright et al., Fed. Prac. & Proc. ยง 1480 (3d ed. 2020). As long as the party files the amended pleading within 21 days, there is no need to ask the Court for anything. "The purpose of the amendment-as-of-right provision is to avoid judicial involvement in the pleading process when there is little reason for doing so." Id.; see also Bertha v. Sullivan, 719 F. App'x 516, 518 (7th Cir. 2017) ("Bertha filed his amended complaint within that [21-day] time limit, so permission from the judge was unnecessary."). "[W]hether to allow an amendment" is "out of the court's hands entirely" if the party files an amendment within 21 days. See Swanigan v. City of Chicago, 775 F.3d 953, 963 (7th Cir. 2015). Here, Plaintiffs filed a "motion for leave" to file an amended complaint "as a matter of course." (Dckt. No. 28 ) Those are two different things -- a party does not need permission to file an amended pleading as a matter of course. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss on October 23, 2020. (Dckt. No. 24 ) So, under the Federal Rules, Plaintiffs had a right to file an amended complaint by November 13, 2020, meaning 21 days later. But instead of filing an amended complaint, Plaintiffs filed a motion for leave to file an amended complaint, and did so on November 13, 2020. There was no need to file a motion for permission because, under the Federal Rules, they did not need permission. But by filing a motion for leave to file an amended complaint, instead of filing the amended complaint itself, Plaintiffs missed the deadline to file an amended complaint without permission. They asked for permission when they didn't need it, and thus missed a deadline to file something without permission. And by missing the deadline to file something without permission, Plaintiffs now need permission. Permission is granted. The motion (Dckt. No. 28 ) is granted. Plaintiffs attached the proposed first amended complaint as an attachment to their motion. Plaintiffs shall file the first amended complaint as a freestanding docket entry by November 23, 2020. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) Modified on 11/18/2020 (jjr, ). (Entered: 11/16/2020)

AMENDED complaint by Jeremy Lewis, Harold Lewis, Arthur Scott, Keith Manning, Victor Bruce, Lois McGuire, Lisa Gunter, Serge Tancrede, David White, Yvonne Knox, Laetitia Johnson, Lawrence Holland, Carrie Salone, Jeremiah Simmons, Allen Stafford, Jacqueline George, Joseph Mbanefo, Harry Staley, Floyd Sims, Ronnie Thornton, Lewis Anderson, Karen Tancrede, Hayes Ferrell, Delores Crawford, Mitchell McGuire, Christine Crawford, Michael Simon, John Tillman, Annis Alston-Staley, John Mason, Darryl Umphries, George Gipson, Errol Service, Gordon Thornton, Errol Thybulle, Melvin Jones, Larry Brown, Ralph King, William Rasul, Juneth N Daniel, Dawn Mussenden, Wise Finley, Jeffery Rogers, Kenneth Manning, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, LeRoy Walker, Jr., Dwayne Richard Johnson, Van Jakes, Glenna Hollis, George Jones, Paul Hoskins, Douglas Hollis, Jane Jones, Joyce Mance-Roan, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Keristin Holloway, Jacqueline Wynn, Barbara White, Kenneth Nelson, Kristen Harris, Al Harris, Michele Hoskins, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Dwight Miller, Wesley Hall, William (Pete) Washington, Gary Roan, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Sherman Claypool Claypool, Anthony George, Eleanor Clark, Bernard Saffold, Benny Clark, Gloria Holloway, Scott Miller, Faye Hobley against McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. and terminating Kent Jones, Joketra Hall and Kurt Holloway (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A-1, # 2 Exhibit A-2, # 3 Exhibit B, # 4 Exhibit C, # 5 Exhibit D, # 6 Exhibit E, # 7 Exhibit F)(Ferraro, James) (Entered: 11/16/2020)

1 Exhibit A-1

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2 Exhibit A-2

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3 Exhibit B

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4 Exhibit C

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5 Exhibit D

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6 Exhibit E

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7 Exhibit F

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MOTION by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. for extension of time to file response/reply to Plaintiff's Amended Complaint and Submit Joint Status Report and for Expansion of Briefing Page Limits for Defendants Rule 12(B) Motion (Holmes, Patricia) Text Modified on 11/18/2020 (gcy, ). (Entered: 11/17/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn by Natalia Maria Salas (Salas, Natalia) (Entered: 11/18/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn by Mamie Coleen Joeveer (Joeveer, Mamie) (Entered: 11/18/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn by Janpaul Portal (Portal, Janpaul) (Entered: 11/19/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Defendants' Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time to Respond to Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint and Submit a Joint Status Report and for an Expansion of Briefing Page Limits for Defendants' Rule 12(b) Motion (Dckt No. 31 ) is granted. Defendants anticipate filing a Rule 12(b) motion by December 21, 2020. Plaintiffs' response is due by January 15, 2021. Defendants' reply is due by January 29, 2021. The Court extends the joint initial status report deadline to January 18, 2021. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) Modified on 11/23/2020 (jjr, ). (Entered: 11/19/2020)

ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn by Daryl D Parks (Parks, Daryl) (Entered: 11/24/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: In light of the filing of the amended complaint (Dckt. No. 30 ), the motion to dismiss (Dckt. No. 24 ) is hereby denied as moot. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 12/08/2020)

MOTION TO DISMISS FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 12/21/2020)

MEMORANDUM by McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. in support of Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim 38 (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1 - 4-I in Support of Motion to Dismiss)(Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 12/21/2020)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: The Court sets the following briefing schedule on Defendant's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's Amended Complaint. (Dckt. No. 38 ) Plaintiffs' response is due by January 19, 2021. Defendants' reply is due by February 2, 2021. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 12/22/2020)

MOTION by Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Kurt Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn for leave to file excess pages (Ferraro, James) (Entered: 01/12/2021)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Plaintiffs' Unopposed Motion for Increased Page Limits (Dckt. No. 41 ) is denied as moot. Defendants filed a 35-page brief in support of their motion to dismiss. (Dckt. No. 39 ) Plaintiffs now seek to file a brief of the same length. After citing the Local Rule about 15-page briefs, Plaintiffs "request an additional twenty (20) pages," and "request that the Court approve Plaintiffs' request to exceed briefing page limits for a total of thirty-five (35) pages for their Response in Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss." (Dckt. No. 41 ) But this Court already gave Plaintiffs leave to file a 35-page response brief. On September 18, 2020, this Court issued an Order that increased the page limits for all parties on the then-forthcoming motion to dismiss. "The page limit for Defendants' opening brief, and Plaintiffs' response brief, is 35 pages." Plaintiffs are asking the Court for leave to do something that they already have leave to do, so the motion is moot. In short, Plaintiffs can file a 35-page brief. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 01/13/2021)

STATUS Report Joint Status Report by McDonald's USA, LLC; McDonald's Corporation AND by Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn (Ferraro, James) (Entered: 01/19/2021)

RESPONSE by Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Kurt Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynnin Opposition to MOTION TO DISMISS FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. 38 (Salas, Natalia) (Entered: 01/19/2021)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: The Court reviewed the Joint Initial Status Report (Dckt. No. 43 ). The parties disagree about whether discovery should proceed pending a ruling on the motion to dismiss, which the parties are still briefing (the reply is due on February 2, 2021). Plaintiffs are a putative class of 77 former Black franchisees of McDonald's. They operated more than 300 restaurants. Plaintiffs seek between $4 million and $5 million per restaurant in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages. All together, Plaintiffs seek more than $1 billion in damages. In light of the number of plaintiffs, the anticipated scope of discovery, and the enormity of the requested damages, it makes sense to assess the viability of the complaint before proceeding headlong into discovery. Discovery surely would be burdensome and expensive, so the sufficiency of the complaint must come first. Discovery is hereby stayed pending further order of the Court. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 01/21/2021)

MOTION by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. for leave to file excess pages of it's reply in support of their rule 12(B) motion and proposed order (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 01/28/2021)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Defendants' unopposed motion for extra pages (Dckt. No. 46 ) is hereby granted. The Court grants Defendants leave to file a 25-page reply brief in support of their motion to dismiss. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 01/29/2021)

REPLY by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. to Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim 38 in support of (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 02/02/2021)

MOTION by Attorney Karen R. King to withdraw as attorney for McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC.. No party information provided (King, Karen) (Entered: 02/12/2021)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: The motion to Withdraw as Counsel for Defendants (Dckt. No. 49 ) is granted. Attorney Karen King is terminated as counsel of record.Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 02/12/2021)

Rule 7.1 and Rule 3.2 Corporate Disclosure STATEMENT by McDonald's Corporation (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 04/16/2021)

Rule 7.1 and Rule 3.2 Corporate Disclosure STATEMENT by McDonald's USA, LLC. (Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 04/16/2021)

MOTION by Defendants McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's USA, LLC. for leave to file supplemental authority (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1)(Holmes, Patricia) (Entered: 06/14/2021)

1 Exhibit 1

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MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Defendants' motion for leave to file supplemental authority (Dckt. No. 53 ) is granted. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 06/15/2021)

MOTION by Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Joketra Hall, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Kurt Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Kent Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn for leave to file Supplemental Authority (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1)(Ferraro, James) (Entered: 06/29/2021)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Plaintiff's motion for leave to file supplemental authority (Dckt. No. 55 ) is hereby granted. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 06/30/2021)

MOTION by Plaintiffs Annis Alston-Staley, Lewis Anderson, Robert (Bob) Bonner, Larry Brown, Victor Bruce, Benny Clark, Eleanor Clark, Glenda, as Personal Representative of the Estate o Claypool, Christine Crawford, Delores Crawford, Juneth N Daniel, Yves Dominique, Philip Douglas, Hayes Ferrell, Wise Finley, Anthony George, Jacqueline George, George Gipson, Lisa Gunter, Wesley Hall, Al Harris, Kristen Harris, Faye Hobley, Lawrence Holland, Douglas Hollis, Glenna Hollis, Gloria Holloway, Keristin Holloway, Michele Hoskins, Paul Hoskins, Van Jakes, Dwayne Richard Johnson, Laetitia Johnson, George Jones, Jane Jones, Melvin Jones, Ralph King, Yvonne Knox, Harold Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Joyce Mance-Roan, Keith Manning, Kenneth Manning, John Mason, Joseph Mbanefo, Lois McGuire, Mitchell McGuire, Dwight Miller, Scott Miller, Dawn Mussenden, Kenneth Nelson, William Rasul, Gary Roan, Jeffery Rogers, Bernard Saffold, Carrie Salone, Arthur Scott, Errol Service, Jeremiah Simmons, Michael Simon, Floyd Sims, Allen Stafford, Harry Staley, Karen Tancrede, Serge Tancrede, Gordon Thornton, Ronnie Thornton, Errol Thybulle, John Tillman, Darryl Umphries, LeRoy Walker, Jr., William (Pete) Washington, Barbara White, David White, Lance Williams, Norman H Williams, Jacqueline Wynn for leave to file Supplemental Authority (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1)(Ferraro, James) (Entered: 09/10/2021)

MINUTE entry before the Honorable Steven C. Seeger: Plaintiff's motion for leave to file supplemental authority (Dckt. No. 57 ) is granted. Mailed notice. (jjr, ) (Entered: 10/04/2021)