Click here; Click here; Schedule A Standing Order; PDF link; Click here; PDF link

=== Click here ===

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION , Plaintiff, v. . Defendants. No. Judge Robert W. Gettleman JOINT STATUS REPORT FOR CASES ASSIGNED TO JUDGE GETTLEMAN This case has been assigned to the calendar of Judge Robert W. Gettleman. To assist the court in acquiring the requisite knowledge of the case, it is hereby ordered: 1. Counsel and any unrepresented party should obtain a copy of Judge Gettleman's Revised Standing Order Regarding Motion Practice, Briefs and Protective Orders in Civil Cases, which is available in chambers or on the court website (www.ilnd.uscourts.gov). 2. Counsel are to confer, prepare and file a brief, joint1 status report, not to exceed five pages. If defendant's counsel has not yet filed an appearance, the status report should be prepared by plaintiff's counsel. The report shall contain a full caption showing all parties and shall provide the following information in the order set forth below in the following format: 1There should be no reason why a joint status report cannot be prepared. If the parties disagree on any issue, such disagreement should be noted in the report. A. The date and time this case is set for a status report before the Court. B. The attorneys of record for each party, indicating which attorney is expected to try the case. C. The basis of federal jurisdiction. D. Whether a jury has been requested and by which party. E. The nature of the claims asserted in the complaint and any counterclaim, including a brief statement of the factual context of the case. F. The relief sought by any party, including computation of damages, if available. G. The name of any party who or which has not been served, and any fact or circumstance related to service of process on such party. H. The principal legal issues (including the citation to any key legal authority related to such issue). I. The principal factual issues, including the parties' respective positions on those issues. J. A brief description of all anticipated motions. K. A proposed discovery plan pursuant to F. R. Civ. P. 26(f), including a brief description of what discovery has been taken, if any, what remains to be 2 taken, a schedule for expert designations and discovery, and a proposed discovery cutoff. L. The earliest date the parties would be ready for trial and the probable length of trial. M. The status of any settlement discussions and whether a settlement conference would be appropriate. In this regard, counsel are directed to consider and discuss with their respective clients and each other the possibility of attempting to resolve this matter through alternative dispute resolution (ADA), and to briefly set forth the results of such consideration and discussion. For Lanham Act cases, the parties must comply fully with Local General Rule 16.3. N. Whether the parties will consent to jurisdiction and trial before a magistrate judge. ENTER: DATE: March 25, 2024 _________________________________________ Robert W. Gettleman United States District Judge 3

=== Click here ===

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION REVISED STANDING ORDER OF JUDGE GETTLEMAN REGARDING BRIEFS, MOTION PRACTICE, DISCLOSURES, AND PROTECTIVE ORDERS RULES 1 AND 2.A-G APPLY TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CASES 1. ALL DOCUMENTS A. A chambers’ copy of any document filed electronically that include exhibits must be delivered to Room 1788 by 4:30 p.m. on the next business day after the document is electronically filed. B. C. Double-sided printing is not permitted. All documents delivered to chambers must be bound properly; unbound documents will be stricken. If a chambers copy has more than one exhibit, it must be bound on the left side and include right-margin tabs for each exhibit, along with an index of exhibits. Documents containing voluminous exhibits should, in addition to complying with the above requirements, be bound in a three-ring binder. D. Motions to file briefs exceeding 15 pages are looked upon with disfavor and shall not be granted except in unusual circumstances. See L.R. 7.1. All briefs and other submissions must be double-spaced. Briefs that use nonstandard typeface or spacing or that improperly purport to incorporate another pleading (such as an L.R. 56.1 statement) to avoid the 15-page limitation will be stricken by the court. Excessive and/or substantive footnotes are strongly discouraged and will be counted as doubles paced passages when computing the number of pages in a brief. E. L.R. 7.1 will be strictly enforced; all briefs that exceed 15 pages must have a table of contents and a table of cases. 2. MOTIONS A. B. The requirements in 1.B-D also apply to motions. All motions should be filed without a notice of presentment. Notices of filing are not necessary or desired so long as a certificate of service is attached to the motion or brief. C. For “routine” motions (e.g., leave to file amended pleadings, motions for extensions of time, and motions that do not require briefing schedules), moving counsel should check with the Courtroom Deputy, Claire Newman 312) 435-5544) if an order addressing the motion has not been entered within 3 business days after filing. The court will attempt to rule on uncontested routine motions without requiring counsel to appear. If in connection with any such otherwise "routine" motion moving counsel is aware there will be an objection, this should be conspicuously noted in the body of the motion. If the respondent intends to object to such a motion that does not note the objection, respondent's counsel should so inform movant's counsel and the court's courtroom deputy as soon as possible. 2 D. Motions for Orders of Default, Default Judgment and Mortgage Foreclosure: All such motions must be verified and recite the date each party was served, the date all appearances were due and all other facts supporting the motion for default. All such motions and notices thereof must be mailed to or otherwise served on each party at his, her, or its last known address. E. When a case is set for a status conference, any party may, within the time periods and in the manner set forth above, file a motion with a notice to be heard at the time of the status conference. F. Discovery Motions: Civil discovery motions shall not be heard without a statement pursuant to L.R. 37.2 and Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(1)(A). In addition, no party shall serve on any other party more than 25 interrogatories in the aggregate without leave of court. G. Summary Judgment Motions L.R. 56.1 will be strictly enforced. Unless otherwise ordered, no statement filed pursuant to L.R. 56.1(a)(2) may contain more than 80 statements of uncontested fact, and no statement filed under L.R. 56.1(b)(3)(B) may contain more than 40 statements of additional fact. All memoranda in support of, or in opposition to, motions for summary judgment must contain a statement of facts section citing to and supported by the pertinent L.R. 56.1 statements. 3. EXPERT WITNESS DISCLOSURES AND MOTIONS A. Disclosures regarding experts' opinions, the basis and supporting data, information and exhibits, qualifications, fees, and other cases in which the expert has testified in the last four years are automatically required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2). 3 B. Expert disclosures required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2) shall be made no later than 60 days before the discovery cut-off date, unless otherwise ordered. Rebuttal information required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2) must be provided no later than 30 days before the discovery cut-off date, unless otherwise ordered. C. Compliance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2) is required before an expert may be designated as a trial witness in the final pretrial order. D. Any motions concerning expert qualifications filed pursuant to Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993), and its progeny, shall be filed at least 60 days prior to trial, or 10 days prior to the discovery cut-off date, whichever is earlier. 4. PROTECTIVE ORDERS In light of the holding in Jepson, Inc. v. Makita Elec. Works, Ltd., 30 F.3d 854, 858-59 (7th Cir. 1994), and its progeny with respect to protective orders: A. All material sought to be protected should be described in sufficient detail to justify such protection (e.g., "trade secrets," "personnel files," etc.). Parties should not be given total discretion to mark whatever material they choose to be protected or kept confidential. B. This court will not require the inclusion of an express finding of good cause in such orders. Instead it will review such orders with care and in detail before signing them. Its issuance of the protective order in the light of this Standing Order will constitute its determination, as required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c), that good cause existed for such issuance. C. Issuance of any protective order will not, however, be given binding effect 4 as a determination of good cause for Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c) purposes if at any future time either party moves for relief from the limitations of the protective order. At that time this court will engage in an appropriate balancing of the interests between privacy and public access in order to make a new determination of good cause in light of the facts then before this Court. See Jepson, 30 F.3d at 859. D. Whenever parties are contemplating their entry into a protective order that includes the possibility that documents that are designated as "Confidential" or that are otherwise subject to limited disclosure ("restricted documents" within the meaning of L.R. 26.2(a may be filed in court, three special provisions must be included: No filing under seal, or any other designation as a restricted document, is 1. to be permitted without previously-obtained court approval (see Citizens First Nat'l Bank v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 178 F.3d 943 (7th Cir. 1999 . 2. After the case is closed in the District Court (this requirement differs from L.R.26.2(e), which speaks of the case's "final disposition including appeals"), the parties may obtain the return of any previously-sealed or previously-restricted documents by a motion filed within a specified time period after the case is closed. Counsel are free to agree on that specified time period, but they should not designate more than a 63-day period. Any documents that are not so withdrawn will become part of the public case file, and the protective order must so provide. If the protective order contains any provision that would permit its 3. amendment by agreement of the parties without requiring court approval, that power of amendment cannot extend to the subjects covered in paragraphs 1 and 2. _________________________________________ Robert W. Gettleman United States District Judge DATE: March 25, 2024 5

=== Schedule A Standing Order ===

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION STANDING ORDER OF JUDGE GETTLEMAN REGARDING JOINDER, PERSONAL JURISDCTION, AND DEFAULT JUDGMENT IN “SCHEDULE A” LITIGATION 1. This standing order applies to all “Schedule A” cases, defined as any case alleging that multiple defendants (commonly listed in an attachment to the complaint entitled “Schedule A”) engaged in copyright, patent, or trademark infringement. 2. Within 2 weeks of filing a “Schedule A” case, plaintiff shall file a memorandum, not to exceed 10 pages: a. demonstrating why the defendants are properly joined under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 20; and b. demonstrating that this court has personal jurisdiction over each defendant. See Liu v. Monthly, No. 25-2074, __ F.4th __, 2026 WL 880018, at *2-3 (7th Cir. Mar. 31, 2026) (explaining that “[i]n the context of Schedule A litigation, a defendant’s operation of an online store accessible in the forum state, combined with completed sales in the forum state, has been found sufficient to subject that defendant to personal jurisdiction,” but that “merely operating a website, even a highly interactive website, that is accessible from, but does not target, the forum state is not enough to sustain jurisdiction,” and holding that “the district court clearly erred in finding that sales took place in Illinois, and therefore legally erred in finding that it had personal jurisdiction over the [Schedule A] defendants” (internal quotation and citation omitted . 3. In any “Schedule A” case where defendants are located abroad, in accordance with the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra-Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters, before or upon filing a motion for default judgment, plaintiff shall file a memorandum, not to exceed five pages, addressing: a. b. whether the addresses of defendants are known; and if the addresses of defendants are not known, the efforts that plaintiff undertook to discover defendants’ addresses. ENTER: __________________________________________ Robert W. Gettleman United States District Judge DATE: April 4, 2026

=== PDF link ===

PROCEDURES FOR SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES WITH JUDGE ROBERT W. GETTLEMAN The parties have requested a settlement conference with Judge Gettleman. It is 1. expressly understood that: a. The parties’ participation in the settlement conference is entirely voluntary; b. All communications relating to the settlement conference are confidential, “off the record,” and subject to Federal Rule of Evidence 408; c. Unless expressly excused by the court, clients or a person with authority to settle will personally be present at the settlement conference; and d. Judge Gettleman may, in his sole discretion, “caucus” with each party (i.e., hold discussions with a party outside the presence of the other parties). Prior to submission of the letters described in paragraph 3 below, the plaintiff(s) 2. shall make a demand and the defendant(s) shall respond thereto. All parties shall explain the rationale of their respective offers and demands. Seven days prior to the settlement conference, or on such other date as the court 3. may direct, the parties will submit letters to Judge Gettleman conforming to the following directions: a. The letters shall briefly set forth a description of the case and the parties’ positions with respect to settlement (including the demand(s) and offer(s) described in paragraph 2 above, along with any subsequent demand or offer); b. Each party shall send a copy of that party’s letter to all other parties; c. If any party wishes to communicate anything to the court that the party does not wish to share with other parties, the letter should include such information in a footnote or addendum, clearly stating that such information has not been shared with the other parties. d. All settlement letters will be discarded by Judge Gettleman at the close of the case. 4. Any party wishing to alter this procedure must make an appropriate request to the court prior to delivery of the settlement letters described above. Observance of an orderly settlement process is likely to increase the chances for amicable resolution. March, 1999

=== Click here ===

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION STANDING ORDER FOR FINAL PRETRIAL ORDER, SELECTION OF JURORS AND JURY INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRIALS BEFORE JUDGE GETTLEMAN 1. Follow the form specified in the final pretrial order appended to Local General Rule 16.1 and Form L.R. 16.1.1 (which Rule should be reviewed in detail and complied with by counsel), except as directed below. 2. Deliver an original and one copy of the proposed final pretrial order to chambers. 3. Bind the original copy at the top, pursuant to Local Rule 5.2(d), but submit one extra copy to chambers bound on the side in a three-ring binder. 4. Include an index to each binder at the front of the binder. All subsections of the pretrial order should be tabbed for easy access by the reader. 5. One copy of all deposition excerpts that the parties intend to read into the record should be submitted under separate cover prior to trial as set by the court at or before the final pretrial conference. All objections to portions of deposition transcripts should be identified by marking such portions in a manner that will inform the court as to the nature of the objection and the offering party's response. 6. One bench book of exhibits (in a three-ring binder) for each party should be submitted to chambers in advance of trial, pursuant to a schedule to be set at or before the final pretrial conference. Each bench book should include an index of the exhibits, and exhibit should be October 2011 tabbed for easy access by the court. Any objections to exhibits and responses thereto should be appended to each exhibit. 7. Motions in limine shall be submitted under separate cover at the time the pretrial order is filed, and will generally be decided at or before the final pretrial conference. Accordingly, unless already set by the court, the parties should ask the court to set an appropriate briefing schedule for motions in limine in advance of the submission of the final pretrial order. 8. The parties may submit pretrial briefs in non-jury as well as jury trials. 9. Jury Instructions and Voir Dire A. For jury trials, the court will insist on strict compliance with footnote 10 of paragraph 2(I) of the final pretrial order Form 16.1.1. This provision reads as follows: "Agreed instructions shall be presented by the parties whenever possible. Whether agreed or unagreed, each marked copy of an instruction shall indicate the proponent and supporting authority and shall be numbered. All objections to tendered instructions shall be in writing and include citations of authorities. Failure to object may constitute a waiver of any objection." (Emphasis in original.) It is the duty of the plaintiff's attorney to prepare the first draft of jury instructions, keeping in mind that the parties are expected to agree on all instructions other than those about which there is a genuine, material dispute. All parties shall confer in good faith to accomplish this goal. See paragraph 9(iii) below for further directions regarding jury instructions. When submitted to the court, the jury instructions shall conform to the following outline: October 2011 2 (I) Voir Dire a. A short description of the case to be read to the venire panel, along with a list of the witnesses expected to testify and the names of people who may be mentioned at the trial; b. Proposed voir dire questions. Upon request, Judge Gettleman’s chambers will provide counsel with the court’s standard voir dire questions; counsel are directed to suggest any variations or additions they believe are appropriate for their case. c. Jury selection procedures: questioning of prospective jurors in open court will be conducted only by Judge Gettleman; counsel may question individuals as permitted by the court at sidebar. The jury is selected by eliminating the names of all persons who have been excluded for cause or on the parties’ exercise of peremptory challenges, and selecting the jury from the computerized random list provided to the court; the first 8 names (for most civil juries) on that random list will be selected as the jury. Thus, every member of the venire panel has an equal chance of being selected as a juror. October 2011 3 (ii) Prefatory Instructions a. This court will use its standard prefatory instructions, unless counsel suggest and the court approves a variation thereof. The court encourages including a version of the “elements” instruction to the jury at this stage. (iii) Instructions at close of trial a. Unless otherwise ordered, use the Seventh Circuit Jury Instructions and, where Illinois law applies, use the Illinois Pattern Instructions. b. c. Arrange in the order to be given. Again, all instructions should be agreed except for those about which there is a genuine, good faith dispute. d. Place contested instructions in the order they would be given if accepted, and for each such instruction the party opposing it must succinctly state the grounds for objection and, if appropriate, tender an alternate instruction. The parties may be able to accomplish this by highlighting, bracketing or redlining the challenged portion of an instruction and indicating alternate language within the body of the instruction. The proposing party may also submit the reasons supporting the instruction as tendered. These objections and supporting materials shall be included in the binder of proposed October 2011 4 instructions immediately following the challenged instruction in question. Full compliance with this procedure is required and will result in more efficient and expeditious resolution of disputed pretrial issues. e. Jury instructions should be submitted in hard copy and also electronically filed with the clerk. Sample instructions for certain types of cases (e.g., Title VII, ADA, ADEA, excessive force) may be available from chambers. Make sure to tailor your proposed instructions to the parties in the case as well as the factual and legal issues to be presented. ENTER: October 19, 2010 ______________________________ Robert W. Gettleman United States District Judge October 2011 5

=== PDF link ===

QUESTIONS FOR PROSPECTIVE JURORS IN CIVIL CASES IN CIVIL CASES Judge Robert W. Gettleman [Name and Docket Number of Case] Thank you for serving in the jury pool for the United States District Court. The following questions will be asked of each of you by Judge Gettleman to elicit some basic information about you. The judge and/or the lawyers may ask additional questions. If you are uncomfortable answering any question in open court, please indicate to the judge and he will speak with you privately with the attorneys. Your cooperation and participation in this important process is greatly appreciated. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Your full name, spell the last name, your age. City of residence for the last 5 years (not the address). If Chicago, identify area of the city. Marital status (single, married, divorced, widowed). Whether you have children (number, ages, occupations). Education (level of school, degrees). Military service, if any (branch, years of service, rank, duties, type of discharge). Your employment for the last 5 years (employer and job description). Employment for last 5 years of persons living with you: spouse; children; parents; roommates; others. Outside interests and hobbies; favorite TV and radio shows, internet sites, newspapers and magazines, internet sites. 10. Whether you have served on a jury before; when and what kind of case; whether a verdict was reached (do not disclose what the verdict was). 11. Have you or a close friend or member of your immediate family been a party to or a witness in a civil lawsuit, administrative action or criminal case (other than a routine traffic case)? If so, the type of proceeding(s), date(s), and nature of your involvement (plaintiff, defendant, witness, crime victim, etc.). 12. [Specialized question e.g.: (a) (b) (c) Do you have any feelings or opinions regarding the laws that prohibit discrimination based on religion/disability/age/sex/national origin? Do you have any feelings or opinions regarding law enforcement or law enforcement officers that could affect your ability to be fair to all parties in this case? Have you or any of your friends or relatives ever had a bad experience with a law enforcement officer that could affect your ability to be a fair and impartial juror? 13. 14. Do you hold any philosophical or religious beliefs that would prevent you from sitting in judgment of another person or company? Is there anything about this case, the identity or status of parties, or anything else you’ve seen or heard today that would impair your ability to be a fair and impartial juror? February 2011