Twin City Fire Ins. Co. v. Lundberg LLC

JOHN C. COUGHENOUR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE.

ORDER

JOHN C. COUGHENOUR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE.

This matter comes before the Court sua sponte. A hearing on the parties' cross-motions for partial summary judgment is scheduled for January 18, 2022 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 16206. Since the Court scheduled the hearing, Chief Judge Martinez issued General Order 16-21, requiring that such hearings be continued unless explicitly permitted by the presiding judge for good cause. See W.D. Wash. General Order 16-21 (December 30, 2021). This was done in effort to mitigate the public health impacts of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. (Id.)

Here, the Court FINDS that such good cause exists. Plaintiff requested oral argument and its motion has been outstanding for almost three months. (See Dkt. No. 24 at 1.) Moreover, the matter at issue, Plaintiff's duty to defend Defendant in third-party litigation, remains an urgent issue for which a timely decision is necessary. (See generally Dkt. Nos. 24, 27.) Therefore, the hearing will proceed as planned at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 16206 on January 18, 2022.