Carlos Tobar Joost v. Home Depot Management Company, LLC, et al.

Opinion

Carlos Tobar Joost, Case No. 2:26-cv-02507-RFB-NJK Plaintiff(s), Order v. Home Depot Management Company, LLC, et al., Defendant(s). Pending before the Court is an order for Attorney Lynn Rivera to show cause why she has not complied with Local Rule IA 11-1(b). Docket No. 4. Attorney Rivera filed a response. Docket No. 9. “[A]n attorney who is admitted to practice in Nevada but who does not maintain an office in Nevada” must associate or designate a local attorney who does maintain such an office. Local Rule IA 11-1(b)(1). A “mail-drop location does not constitute an office under this rule.” Id. Instead, the location must be a “bona fide office . . . where clients are met, where files are kept, where telephones are answered, where mail is received, and where counsel can be reached during business hours.” Colony Ins. Co. v. Sanchez, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41796, *2 (D. Nev. Mar. 14, 2019). Hence, a bona fide office is where an attorney regularly works, not a place designed merely to accept service. See id. The response to the pending order to show cause identifies a Reno address where service is accepted. See Docket No. 9 at 1, 2. The response also states without meaningful elaboration that counsel “maintains a presence at the Nevada office.” Id. at 2. Although unclear, it appears that this location resembles a simple mail drop location. Moreover, the Court takes judicial notice that the location appears to be a residential property and that the location is not listed as an office on counsel’s law firm website. See United States v. Perea-Rey, 680 F.3d 1179, 1182 n.1 (9th Cir. 1} 2012) (taking judicial notice of Google map); in re Packaged Seafood Prods. Antitrust Litig., 338 F. Supp. 3d 1118, 1132 n.8 (S.D. Cal. 2018) (taking notice of website contents). Accordingly, the Court DEFERS ruling on the pending order to show cause. If counsel 4! continues to resist complying with Local Rule IA 11-1(b), she must file a declaration detailing how the subject property qualifies as a bona fide office. Such declaration must be filed by August 6] 31, 2026. The filing of a notice of compliance with this rule by August 31, 2026, will result in the automatic discharge of this order to show cause. Dated: August 24, 2026 UR. Nancy JKoppe, United States Magistrate Judge