Pham v. Lincoln Benefit Life Co.

Opinion

2 3 4

6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 KIM-ANH PHAM, on behalf of herself and all Case No. 2:23-cv-00561-KJM-DB 11 others similarly situated, Hon. Kimberly J. Mueller 12 Plaintiff, Courtroom 3

13 v. ORDER GRANTING STAY OF ACTION 14 LINCOLN BENEFIT LIFE COMPANY, and PENDING RESOLUTION OF APPEAL DOES 1 to 50, inclusive, 15 Defendants. [Filed concurrently with Joint Stipulation] 16

17 Complaint Filed: March 23, 2023 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 ] After careful consideration and finding good cause, the court approves the parties’ Joint 2 || Stipulation. This case shall be stayed pending a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 3 || Farley v. Lincoln Benefit Life Co., No. 20-02485, 2023 WL 3007413 (E.D. Cal. Apr. 18, 2023), 4 || appeal docketed, No. 23-16224 (9th Cir. Sept. 29, 2023) (Farley appeal). Either party to this 5 || action may petition this court to lift the stay in the event of a Ninth Circuit substantive ruling in 6 || Small vy. Allianz Life, No. 20-01944, 2023 WL 4042593 (C.D. Cal. May 23, 2023), appeal 7 || docketed, No. 23-55821 (9th Cir. Sept. 29, 2023), Poe v. Northwestern Mutual, No. 21-02065, 8 || 2023 WL 7273741 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 19, 2023), appeal docketed, No. 23-3243 (9th Cir. 9 || Nov. 2, 2023), Siino v. Foresters Life, appeal docketed, No. 23-16189 (9th Cir. Sept. 18, 2023), 10 |} Moriarty v. Am. Gen. Life Ins. Co., No. 17-1709, 2023 WL 6280967 (S.D. Cal. Sept. 26, 2023), 11 || appeal docketed, No. 23-3650 (9th Cir. Nov. 21, 2023), Pitt vy. Metropolitan Tower Life, 12 || 675 F. Supp. 3d 1073 (S.D. Cal. 2023), appeal docketed, No. 23-55566 (9th Cir. June 27, 2023), 13 || or Park vy. AXA Equitable Life Ins. Co., No. 22-00761, 2023 WL 1931373 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 11, 14 || 2023), appeal docketed, No. 23-55130 (9th Cir. Feb. 10, 2023). The parties shall file a Joint 15 |} Status Report within fourteen (14) days after the final resolution of the Farley appeal. 16 Within seven (7) days of the date of this order, Lincoln Benefit shall produce the 17 || information set forth in the Stipulation to plaintiff. 18 IT IS SO ORDERED. 19 || DATED: May 31, 2024. 20 71 CHIEF ED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 CaS NO. 223-CV-00861-KIMEDB