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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA Choose an item. DIVISION Plaintiff(s)., Plaintiff, v. Defendant(s)., Defendants. } } } } } } } } } } Case No.: Case Number. HAIKALA CHAMBERS INITIAL ORDER The Court enters this order to help “secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination” of this action. Fed. R. Civ. P. 1. The Court expects the parties to be adversaries with respect to the substantive issues litigated in this action, but counsel should cooperate in the litigation process in the spirit of Rule 1. The information contained in the sections that follow address these topics: Initial Screening of the Complaint I. II. Motions to Dismiss III. Rule 26(f) Obligations/Draft Scheduling Orders IV. Protective Orders V. Communication with the Court VI. Required E-Mail Submissions to Chambers VII. Briefing Format and Requirements including AI Disclosures VIII. Filing Procedures IX. Fee Shifting Cases X. Oral Argument XI. Use of AI to Create Court Submissions Please read this order closely; this initial order governs all proceedings in this case.* I. Initial Screening of the Complaint The Court has reviewed the complaint, and the Court finds that it may exercise jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action. The Court has an ongoing obligation to assess subject matter jurisdiction. Univ. of S. Alabama v. Am. Tobacco Co., 168 F.3d 405, 410 (11th Cir. 1999) (“[I]t is well settled that a federal court is obligated to inquire into subject matter jurisdiction sua sponte whenever it may be lacking.”); see also Burr & Forman v. Blair, 470 F.3d 1019, 1035 n. 38 (11th Cir. 2006). If, on motion from a party or on its own review, the Court determines that it may not have jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action, then the Court will give the parties an opportunity to address the jurisdictional issue. II. Motions to Dismiss When a defendant files a motion to dismiss, the Court will enter an order that sets either a briefing schedule or a hearing to discuss the motion. The Court often receives motions to dismiss that describe perceived deficiencies in the factual allegations of a complaint. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2). A plaintiff * This case is not governed by the Uniform Initial Order for the Northern District of Alabama. 2 may amend a complaint to address pleadings deficiencies that cause a complaint to fall short of the requirements of Rule 8. A district court must “freely give leave” to amend “when justice so requires.” FED. R. CIV. P. 15(a)(2). Accordingly, if counsel for a defendant believes that factual allegations in a complaint do not meet Rule 8’s notice requirement, then counsel for the defendant must confer with counsel for the plaintiff before filing a motion to dismiss and ask counsel for the plaintiff to cure the perceived deficiencies. If the plaintiff’s attorney agrees to amend the complaint, then the parties shall file a notice advising the Court that they have conferred, and the plaintiff has opted to file an amended complaint. The joint notice relieves the defendant(s) of the obligation of responding to the original complaint. If, after conferring with the plaintiff, the parties are not able to agree, and the defendant files a motion to dismiss, then the defendant shall state on the first page of the motion that the parties conferred before the defendant filed the Rule 12(b)(6) motion. The obligation to confer pertains only to Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss based on the sufficiency of the factual allegations in the complaint. There is no such obligation for other motions to dismiss. This instruction does not apply to cases in which individuals are handling their cases pro se without the assistance of an attorney. 3 III. Rule 26(f) Obligations Within 14 days of the appearance of all defendants, the parties must confer pursuant to Rule 26(f).1 If this case involves more than one defendant and if, 90 days from the date on which the plaintiff(s) filed the complaint, the defendants have not all been served and/or appeared, the parties shall file a joint notice advising the Court of the status of the case. At least seven days before the parties conduct a discovery conference pursuant to Rule 26(f), the parties shall exchange the initial disclosures that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(1) requires. The Court asks the parties to please exchange as much information as possible before the discovery conference to facilitate better discussions during the discovery meeting.2 The parties’ discussions during their Rule 26(f) conference shall cover the following topics: • the nature of the claims and defenses, the complexity of the case, and the possibility of a prompt settlement or resolution of the case through formal mediation or informal settlement negotiations; • preservation of discoverable information; 1 Rule 26(f)(2) provides: “[T]he court may order the parties or attorneys to attend the conference in person.” FED. R. CIV. P. 26(f)(2). The Court does not require the parties to meet in person, but the Court encourages the parties to conduct their Rule 26(f) conference in person or by video conference. 2 The Court recognizes that in some circumstances, a party may not be able to provide complete initial disclosures before the Rule 26(f) conference. The parties must supplement initial disclosures pursuant to Rule 26(e). 4 • a proposed discovery plan that briefly describes the parties’ positions and provides proposed deadlines for the matters addressed in sub- paragraphs (A) through (F) of FED. R. CIV. P. 26(f)(3); and • execution of authorization(s) for disclosure of “protected health information” in cases in which the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), Pub. L. No. 104-191, 110 Stat. 1936 (1996), and regulations promulgated under the Act, apply.3 Within three days of the Rule 26(f) meeting, the parties must file a joint report of their planning meeting. The report must include: • a brief description of the nature of the case; • a list of related cases or proceedings pending before another judge of this court or before another court or administrative body; • an indication of the parties’ assessment of the complexity of the case; and • an analysis of the case’s suitability for an early settlement conference or mediation. Using the Word template at https://www.alnd.uscourts.gov/content/judge-madeline- h-haikala, the parties shall email to chambers at [email protected] in Word a draft scheduling order that provides proposed deadlines for discovery and dispositive motions and proposed 3 If the parties require a HIPAA protective order, they may find a draft order at the Court’s website at https://www.alnd.uscourts.gov/content/judge-madeline-h-haikala. The parties should tailor the draft order to the needs of their case and email their draft protective order to the chambers email address, [email protected]. 5 limits on the number of discovery requests. The Court will provide a date for a post- discovery status conference. IV. Protective Orders If the parties anticipate an exchange of information that is confidential or proprietary, then the parties shall please email a draft protective order to chambers at [email protected] in Word format. The parties shall please include the following language in a proposed protective order: Any person who reviews or receives confidential material shall not disclose such information to any other person except as allowed by and in strict conformity with this Order. Attorneys of record shall advise all persons who are given access to confidential information of the terms of this order and shall have all persons who are given access to confidential information other than members of the attorneys’ staff sign a copy of this order to acknowledge their familiarity with the terms of the order and its binding force. Individuals who are shown confidential information shall not be allowed to retain copies and shall not use the confidential information for any purpose unrelated to this litigation. V. Communication with the Court The Court may not engage in ex parte communications. If attorneys need to contact chambers, they shall email chambers at [email protected] and copy all counsel of record on the email. VI. Required E-Mail Submissions to Chambers Counsel must e-mail to chambers in Word format copies of all filed motions that exceed 10 pages, copies of all filed briefs, and copies of all proposed orders. All 6 communications to the chambers email address must show a copy to all opposing counsel. VII. Briefing Format and Requirements Documents that the parties file shall use Times New Roman Font and 14-point font; footnotes may be in 12-point font. Documents must be double-spaced; footnotes and indented quotations that exceed three lines should be single-spaced. The party filing a motion shall indicate on the first page of the motion whether the motion is opposed or unopposed and whether the party requests oral argument. Citations to the record shall refer to the CM/ECF document number, page number, and paragraph or deposition line number, where available. Evidence cited in a brief must be filed in CM/ECF before a party files a brief to enable the party to cite to the evidence by CM/ECF document and page number. If a party cannot file evidence electronically before filing a brief, then the party shall, within three days of filing a brief, email to chambers ([email protected]) a Word version of the brief with CM/ECF record citations. VIII. Filing Procedures a. CM/ECF Record The official record of this case is maintained electronically in CM/ECF. Except in extraordinary circumstances, all filings must comply with the Court’s Administrative Procedures Manual. Attorneys must register for electronic filing and 7 service through the “Attorney Registration” link on the Court’s website, www.alnd.uscourts.gov.4 Pro se litigants who lack electronic access may file documents conventionally in paper format. Documents filed through CM/ECF must be in .pdf (Portable Document Format). Should counsel or a pro se litigant have trouble filing a document, (s)he may call the Clerk’s Office at (205) 278-1700 and select option 3 for the Help Desk for assistance. b. Protected Information Counsel are reminded to please comply with the Court’s Administrative Procedures Manual for electronic filing (on the Court’s website) with respect to personal identifiers (e.g., Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, birth dates, addresses, telephone numbers, bank account and credit card information) and other personal or sensitive information, in compliance with the E-Government Act. c. Sealing Documents If a party believes that information contained in a motion or an exhibit should be placed under seal, then the party must file a motion for leave to file the document under seal. If the Court grants the motion, the Court will review the information 4 After an attorney has registered, his/her registration becomes permanent; (s)he is not required to re-register in each individual case. 8 placed under seal. Upon review, if the Court is inclined to lt the seal partially or entirely, then the Court will give the parties notice and an opportunity to be heard. IX. Fee Shifting Cases The Court’s website contains standard orders for fee shifting cases. The parties may access the Court’s website at http://www.alnd.uscourts.gov/content/ judge-madeline-h-haikala. Parties must comply with those orders if they plan to seek an award of fees. X. Oral Argument The Court welcomes oral argument. Requests for oral argument shall appear on the first page of a motion or brief directly below the case number in the caption of the pleading. XI. Artificial Intelligence – Use of AI to Create Court Submissions Lawyers and pro se litigants who use technology like ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing AI Chat, or other generative artificial intelligence services to prepare documents that the parties file in the record in this case are cautioned that generative AI technologies sometimes may produce factually or legally inaccurate content. The Court does not prohibit the use of AI, but to comply with Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and other applicable legal and ethical standards, attorneys and pro se litigants must review and verify computer-generated content to ensure that it is accurate and complies with all such governing standards. 9 Conclusion Counsel of record shall instruct all attorneys who work on this case, including in-house counsel, to review this order. The Court looks forward to working with the parties on this case. 10

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RU LIN G O N O BJECTIO N (if any) RU LIN G O N REO FFER I D E N T I F I E D R E C E I V E D R E C D . C O N D . O R L T D . EXHIBITS PLAINTIFF GOVERNMENT DEFENDANT COURT JOINT SUS O/R RES SUS O/R DESCRIPTION N O T O F F E R E D N U M B E R 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

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TRIBUNAL FEDERAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA DISTRITO NORTE DE ALABAMA DIVISION de ---------------------- ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA contra elAcusado N° de caso: ---------- CERTIFICACION RESPECTO DE LA NOTIFICACION DE DERECHOS 1 Instrucciones al abogado Antes de la presentaci6n de la dec1araci6n de culpabilidad, el abogado defensor debeni conversar con el Acusado en persona, en detalle, sobre cada una de las siguientes cuestiones. De ser capaz, el Acusado deberia inscribir sus iniciales en los lugares correspondientes de este formulario. Una vez completada esta certificaci6n se hara constar en actas. A. Durante la audiencia de declaracion de culpabilidad: 1. se me hara tomar juramento. Lo comprendo, 2. si presto declaraci6n falsa de manera deliberada quedare sujeto Lo comprendo, a penas por 0 se me podni procersar adicionalmente. 3. debere informal' aljuez si no entiendo cualquier cosa que se diga o se haga en la sala del tribunal. Lo comprendo, 4. posiblemente se me preguntara acerca de mi historial educativo y laboral, y si se leer, escribir y entender el idioma ingles. Lo comprendo, 5. se me preguntara si tengo algun impedimento mental 0 emocional 0 alguna enfermedad fisica que pueda afectar mi capacidad de comprender la actuaci6njudicial. Lo comprendo, 6. se me preguntara si he consumido alguna droga, algun medicamento u otra sustancia que pueda afectar mi capacidad de comprender la actuaci6n judicial. Lo comprendo, Este fonllulario fue aprobado para utiJizarse en el Tribunal Federal para el Distrito Norte de Alabama el __ de mayo de 2013. Qucda prohibido cl uso de las versiones anteriores. 10f5 7. se me preguntara si me declaro culpable de manera Lo comprendo, voluntaria. 8. se me preguntara si alguien me ha coaccionado 0 amenazado Lo comprendo, para lograr que me declare culpable. 9. Se me preguntara si tengo queja alguna de mi abogado. Lo comprendo, 10. Se me preguntara: a. b. c. si recibi una copia de la acusaci6n formal si la he leido, 0 si mi abogado me la ha leido si comprendo el cargo/los cargos que se me imputan II. Se me preguntara: Lo comprendo, a. b. c. si he leido el convenio declaratorio, 0 si mi abogado me 10 ha leido si he tenido suficiente tiempo para hablar con mi abogado acerca del contenido del convenio si este contiene todo acuerdo que yo tenga con la Fiscalia d. si personalmente entiendo su contenido B. Explicacion de mis derechos sustantivos I. No estoy obligado a declararme culpable de Lo comprendo, ningun cargo. 2. Al declararme culpable, abandono los siguientes derechos: Lo comprendo a. b. c. d. e. f. el derecho a la presunci6n de mi inculpabilidad el derecho a un juicio publico y sin demora, durante el cualla Fiscalia tendra la obligaci6n de mostrar, mas alia de toda duda razonable, todos y cada uno de los elementos de los delitos imputados el derecho a carear a los testigos de la Fiscalia el derecho a contrainterrogar a los testigos de la Fiscalia el derecho a convocar testigo a que declaren a mi favor el derecho de escoger si presto declaraci6n 0 no 20fS 3. Si yo decidiese prestar declaraci6n durante el juicio, 10 haria bajo juramento, y la Fiscalia tendria el derecho de contra interrogarme. Lo comprendo, 4. Si yo decidiese no prestar declaraci6n durante eljuicio, 0 si Lo comprendo, decidiese no presentar pruebas para defenderme ante la acusaci6n, estos hechos en sf no se podrian utilizar en mi contra. 5. Al declararme culpable, no abandono mi derecho a que me represente Lo comprendo, un abogado adecuado segun la Constituci6n. C. Explicacion de los cargos 1. Se me preguntara si he tenido tiempo suficiente para hablar con Lo comprendo, mi abogado de mi caso. 2. Se me preguntara si mi abogado me ha expJicado los elementos del Lo comprendo, cargo/los cargos que me imputan. 3. El juez no aceptara mi declaraci6n (0 declaraciones) de culpabilidad si no esta convencido que la Fiscalia pod ria demostrar que exista un fundamento factico correspondiente a cada elemento de los cargos de los que me declaro culpable. Lo comprendo 4. Si el juez acepta mi declaraci6n de culpabilidad, solo quedaran por Lo comprendo, hacer dos cosas: a. Un Oficial Federal de Libertad Vigilada (Probation) llevara a cabo una investigaci6n pre-condenatoria, y producini un informe pre-condenatorio; y b. El juez me impondra la condena. D. Explicacion de las penas posibles 1. Se me preguntara si mi abogado me ha explicado cuales son las penas minimas obligatorias aplicables en mi caso (si existen), ademas de las maximas penas aplicables, segUn la ley generaL Lo comprendo, 2. El juez no podra imponerme una condena inferior a la minima pena Lo comprendo obligatoria, si me es aplicable, de no ser que exista una excepci6n rara que de lugar a ello. 3. El juez debera tomar en consideraci6n las Pautas Condenatorias Lo comprendo, Federales antes de imponerme la pena. 4. Se me preguntara si mi abogado ha hablado conmigo de las Lo comprendo, Pautas Condenatorias Federales, y del hecho que eljuez podni darme una condena mas leve 0 mas grave de aquellas penas que en elIas se describen. 30rs 5. Eljuez me ordenara que restituya a toda victima del/de los delitos de Lo comprendo, los que me declare culpable. 6. La cuantia y los plazos de pago de la restitucion se basaran en la Lo comprendo, informacion contenida en el Informe sobre la Investigacion Pre condenatoria. 7. Si me corresponde condena carcelaria, eljuez podra ordenar que la Lo comprendo, Oficina Federal de Libertad Vigilada me supervise tras mi excarcelacion. ____ _ 8. Es posible que el juez tenga la obligacion de imponenne una multa, Lo comprendo, al menos que: a. b. yo no tenga medios para poder pagarJa la imposici6n de multa crease una carga indebida 9. Es posible que eljuez ordene que yo pague, bien sea parcial 0 Lo comprendo, totalmente, los costes de mi encarcelaci6n y supervisari6n, si tengo medios para pagar. 10. Si no soy ciudadano de los Estados Unidos, se me podra deportar a Lo comprendo, consecuencia de mi declaraci6n de culpabilidad. E. EI convenio sobre la declaracion de culpabilidad 1. Si tengo un convenio con la Fiscalfa sobre mi declaraci6n de Lo comprendo, culpabilidad, el convenio y los terminos del mismo se divulgaran en actas del tribunal. 2. EI juez no queda obligado por los terminos del convenio Lo comprendo, declaratorio, y si rechaza dicho convenio, yo no podre retirar mi delcaraci6n de culpabilidad. F. Certificacion de parte del/de la Acusado/a: 1. Yo, , por el presente reconozco que mi abogado, cuya firma consta a continuaci6n en el apartado de certificaci6n correspondiente, me ha explicado en detalle cad a una de las cuestiones enunciadas en 10 anterior. 2. Asimismo certifico que estoy satisfecho con la representaci6n que mi abogado me ha dado, y que no tengo quejas de ningun aspecto de esta representaci6n. 3. Asimismo certifico que no estoy bajo los efectos de ninguna bebida alcoh6lica, ni otro licor, droga, medicamento, u otra sustancia que afecte mi capacidad de entender las cuestiones enunciadas en 10 anterior. 4 deS 4. Por ultimo, certifico que estoy presentando mi dec1aracionlmis dec1araciones de culpabilidad porque de hecho soy culpable, y pido que el juez acepte mi dec1aracion/mis dec1araciones de culpabilidad. Fecha Firma del/de la Acusado/a G. Certificaci6n de parte del abogado: Como representante legal del Acusado nombrado anteriormente, por el presente certifico que: 1. He conversado con el Acusado, en detalle, sobre cada una de las cuestiones enunciadas en 10 anterior. 2. He observado al Acusado hoy, antes de la audiencia de declaracion de cupabilidad, y no me consta ninguna razon por la que el Acusado no sea competente para dec1ararse culpable en este momento; y, 3. No me consta ninguna razon por la que eljuez no debiera aceptar su dec1aracion 0 declaraciones de culapbilidad. Fecha Firma del Abogado Defensor 5de5