Free Response to Objection to Appeal of Magistrate Judge Decision - District Court of Colorado - Colorado

Case 1:01-cv-01451-REB-KLM

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Civil Action No. 01-cv-1451-REB-CBS (Consolidated with Civil Action Nos. 01-cv-1472-REB-CBS, 01-cv-1527-REB-CBS, 01cv-1616-REB-CBS, 01-cv-1799-REB-CBS, 01-cv-1930-REB-CBS, 01-cv-2083-REBCBS, 02-cv-0333-REB-CBS, 02-cv-0374-REB-CBS, 02-cv-0507-REB-CBS, 02-cv-0658REB-CBS, 02-cv-755-REB-CBS, 02-cv-798-REB-CBS and 04-cv-0238-REB-CBS) In re QWEST COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC. SECURITIES LITIGATION LEAD PLAINTIFFS' REPLY IN SUPPORT OF THEIR OBJECTION TO MAGISTRATE JUDGE SHAFFER'S SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 ORDER

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Lead Plaintiffs file this reply simply to address Qwest's jurisdictional argument which is the only newly raised point in Qwest's opposition.1 Simply put, Lead Plaintiffs' Objection to Magistrate Judge Shaffer's September 28, 2005 Order ("Objection") was timely filed. Magistrate Judge Shaffer's Order is dated September 28, 2005. Under Rule 72 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Lead Plaintiffs are entitled to ten days within which to object to an order of the Magistrate Judge. As conceded by Qwest "when the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than 11 days, intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation." Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a). Additionally, pursuant to Rule 6(e) "[w]henever a party has the right or is required to do some act or take some proceedings within a prescribed period after the service of a notice or other paper upon the party and the notice or paper is served upon the party under Rule 5(b)(2)(B), (C), or (D), 3 days shall be added to the prescribed period." In this instance, Lead Plaintiffs were provided with notice of the Order pursuant to Rule 5(b)(2)(D) by "electronic means." When the above described three days are included in calculating Lead Plaintiffs' response time, it is crystal clear that Lead Plaintiffs' Objection was timely filed. The published case law clearly mandates this result as it confirms the timely nature of Lead Plaintiffs' filing. Under nearly identical circumstances, the United States District Court for the District of Alabama rejected the argument being raised by Qwest here, and held that when filing an objection under Rule 72(b), a party will have at least 17 days to file his objection. Nalty v.

1

Lead Plaintiffs will not rehash any arguments relating to the merits of the parties' positions as these have been extensively briefed and clearly demonstrate that the imposition of a stay was erroneous.

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Nalty Tree Farm, 654 F. Supp. 1315, 1318 (S.D. Ala. 1987). The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has adopted this same approach. See Lerro v. Quaker Oats Co., 84 F.3d 239, 242 (7th Cir. 1996) (holding Rule 72 objection timely filed where objecting party added three days for service pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 6). In this case, Lead Plaintiffs filed their Objection exactly 17 days after the filing of Magistrate Shaffer's Order (ten days, excluding weekends, plus the three days for service pursuant to Rule 6(e)). Accordingly, Qwest's assertion that Lead Plaintiffs' Objection was untimely is baseless.2 DATED: October 27, 2005 Respectfully submitted, LERACH COUGHLIN STOIA GELLER RUDMAN & ROBBINS LLP MICHAEL J. DOWD SPENCER A. BURKHOLZ THOMAS E. EGLER SCOTT H. SAHAM X. JAY ALVAREZ TRIG R. SMITH TED MINAHAN ANDREA N. SALOW

/s/ SCOTT H. SAHAM SCOTT H. SAHAM 655 West Broadway, Suite 1900 San Diego, CA 92101 Telephone: 619/231-1058

2

Moreover, in actuality Lead Plaintiffs did not receive ECF notice of the Order until October 1, 2005. Thus, a wholly separate rationale exists for rejecting Qwest's argument.

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LERACH COUGHLIN STOIA GELLER RUDMAN & ROBBINS LLP MICHELLE M. McCARRON 9601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 510 Los Angeles, CA 90210 Telephone: 310/859-3100 310/278-2148 (fax) Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs DYER & SHUMAN, LLP ROBERT J. DYER III KIP B. SHUMAN JEFFREY A. BERENS 801 East 17th Avenue Denver, CO 80218-1417 Telephone: 303/861-3003 Liaison Counsel
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DECLARATION OF SERVICE BY MAIL I, the undersigned, declare: 1. That declarant is and was, at all times herein mentioned, a citizen of the

United States and a resident of the County of San Diego, over the age of 18 years, and not a party to or interested party in the within action; that declarant's business address is 655 West Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101. 2. That on October 27, 2005, declarant served the LEAD PLAINTIFFS' REPLY

IN SUPPORT OF THEIR OBJECTION TO MAGISTRATE JUDGE SHAFFER'S SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 ORDER by depositing a true copy thereof in a United States mailbox at San Diego, California in a sealed envelope with postage thereon fully prepaid and addressed to the parties listed on the attached Service List. 3. That there is a regular communication by mail between the place of mailing

and the places so addressed. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 27th day of October, 2005, at San Diego, California. /s/ KATHLEEN R. JONES KATHLEEN R. JONES

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 10/27/2005 Page 1 of 4 Defendant(s) Scott B. Schreiber John A. Freeman Kwame Clement Arnold & Porter 555 Twelfth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20004 202/942-5000 202/942-5999(Fax)

(201-067)

Timothy Atkeson Joshua D. Franklin Arnold & Porter LLP 370 Seventeenth Street, Suite 4500 Denver, CO 80202-1370 303/863-1000 303/832-0428(Fax)

Mark T. Drooks Thomas V. Reichert Bird, Marella, Boxer & Wolpert, P.C. 1875 Century Park East, 23rd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90067-2561 310/201-2100 310/201-2110(Fax) Alfred Levitt Jonathan D. Schiller David Boyd Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP 5301 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 800 Washington, DC 20015-2015 202/237-2727 202/237-6131(Fax) David Meister James Miller David Cook Clifford Chance US LLP 31 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019 212/878-8000 212/878-8375(Fax)

David Boies Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP 333 Main Street Armonk, NY 10504 914/749-8200 914/749-8300(Fax)

David W. Shapiro John F. Cove, Jr. Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP 1999 Harrison Street Oakland, CA 94612 510/874-1005 510/874-1460(Fax)

James E. Nesland Paul H. Schwartz Jeff Smith Cooley Godward, LLP 380 Interlocken Crescent, Suite 900 Broomfield, CO 80021-8023 720/566-4000 720/566-4099(Fax)

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 10/27/2005 Page 2 of 4

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Holly Stein Sollod Jennifer H. Weddle Holland & Hart 555 Seventeenth Street, Suite 3200 Denver, CO 80202 303/295-8000 303/295-8261(Fax) Mark C. Hansen Rebecca Beynon David Schwarz Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, P.L.L.C. 1615 M Street, N.W., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036 202/326-7900 202/326-7999(Fax) Barbara Moses Haley Fabricant Morovillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason & Silberberg 565 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017 212/856-9600 212/856-9494(Fax)

Bruce F. Black Michael J. Hofmann Holme Roberts & Owen LLP 1700 Lincoln Street, Suite 4100 Denver, CO 80203 303/861-7000 303/866-0200(Fax) Walter W. Garnsey, Jr. Kelly Haglund Garnsey & Kahn LLC 1441 Eighteenth Street, Suite 300 Denver, CO 80202-1255 303/296-9412 303/293-8705(Fax)

Eric S. Goldstein Roberta A. Kaplan Marguertie S. Dougherty Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 1285 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019-6064 212/373-3000 212/757-3990(Fax) Frederick J. Baumann James M. Lyons Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP 1200 17th Street, Suite 3000 Denver, CO 80202-5839 303/623-9000 303/623-9222(Fax)

Robert N. Miller Stephanie E. Dunn Perkins Coie LLP 1899 Wynkoop Street, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80202 303/291-2300 303/291-2400(Fax)

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 10/27/2005 Page 3 of 4

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Terence C. Gill Marcy M. Heronimus Sherman & Howard L.L.C. 633 Seventeenth Street, Suite 3000 Denver, CO 80202 303/297-2900 303/298-0940(Fax)

Neil Peck James D. Kilroy Snell & Wilmer, LLP One Tabor Center, SUite 1900 1200 Seventeenth Street Denver, CO 80202 303/634-2000 303/634-2020(Fax)

Charles A. Stillman Diana Nehro Stillman & Friedman, P.C. 425 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 212/223-0200 212/223-1942(Fax) Plaintiff(s) Robert J. Dyer III Kip B. Shuman Jeffrey A. Berens Dyer & Shuman, LLP 801 East 17th Avenue Denver, CO 80218-1417 303/861-3003 303/830-6920(Fax) William S. Lerach Spencer A. Burkholz Thomas E. Egler Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP 655 West Broadway, Suite 1900 San Diego, CA 92101 619/231-1058 619/231-7423(Fax) Michelle M. McCarron Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP 9601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 510 Los Angeles, CA 90210 310/859-3100 310/278-2148(Fax)

Joe R. Whatley, Jr. Whatley Drake, LLC 2323 Second Ave., North Birmingham, AL 35203 205/328-9576 205/328-9669(Fax)

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 10/27/2005 Page 4 of 4

(201-067)

Plaintiff Stichting Pensioenfonds Counsel Jay W. Eisenhofer Geoffrey C. Jarvis Michael J. Barry Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A. 1201 North Market Street, Suite 2100 Wilmington, DE 19801 302/622-7000 302/622-7100(Fax) Intervenor Plaintiff William J. Leone District of Colorado United States Attorney 1225 17th Street, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80202 303/454-0100 303/454-0400(Fax) Clyde A. Faatz Christopher J.W. Forrest Hamilton and Faatz, A P.C. 1600 Broadway, Suite 500 Denver, CO 80202-4905 303/830-0500 303/860-7855(Fax)