Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 1 of 7

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THE HONORABLE JAMES L. ROBART

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

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JOHN DOE, et al.,
Plaintiffs,

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CASE NO. C17-0178JLR
JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO
REINSTATE THEIR CROSS-MOTION
FOR LIMITED EXPEDITED
DISCOVERY ON COMPLIANCE WITH
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

v.
DONALD TRUMP, et al.,
Defendants.

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Noted for consideration: May 11, 2018

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(RELATING TO CASE NO. C17-1707JLR)

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JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES, et al.,
Plaintiffs,

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CASE NO. C17-1707JLR

v.
DONALD TRUMP, et al.,
Defendants.
INTRODUCTION
JFS Plaintiffs seek reinstatement of their cross-motion for limited expedited discovery

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regarding Defendants’ compliance with this Court’s preliminary injunction (Dkt. No. 121).

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Good cause warranting limited expedited discovery continues to exist after the Ninth Circuit’s

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remand—indeed, even more so as newly acquired evidence raises additional concerns about

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Defendants’ compliance with this Court’s Order. The Court should consider Plaintiffs’ motion
JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 1

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 2 of 7

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now and permit discovery without waiting to address Defendants’ forthcoming motion to dismiss
because Plaintiffs have shown good cause and because the requested discovery will be necessary
for Plaintiffs to respond to and for this Court to evaluate Defendants’ mootness arguments.
PROCEDURAL HISTORY

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On March 29, 2018, the Ninth Circuit denied without prejudice Defendants’ motion to
dismiss the pending cross-appeals as moot, vacate the district court’s judgment, and remand with
instructions to dismiss the underlying claims as moot. (Dkt. No. 126). The Court remanded the
cases to this Court to address mootness in the first instance. (Id.). The mandate has yet to issue.
On April 10, 2018, this Court directed the Clerk to remove from the Court’s calendar two
pending motions in this case: Defendants’ motion to stay the case pending appeal (Dkt. No.
110),1 and JFS Plaintiffs’ cross-motion for limited expedited discovery on Defendants’
compliance with the preliminary injunction (Dkt. No. 121). In response to that order, the JFS
Plaintiffs, Doe Plaintiffs, and Defendants (together, “the Parties”) filed a Joint Status Report on
May 3, 2018, in which Defendants indicated their intention to renew their mootness motion
before this Court, JFS Plaintiffs indicated their intention to file the instant motion, the Parties
agreed that the mandate need not issue before this Court resolves JFS Plaintiffs’ expedited
discovery motion (Dkt. No. 121), and the Parties agreed that Doe Plaintiffs will join that motion.
(Dkt. No. 129).
ARGUMENT

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A.

Expedited Discovery on Compliance Should Be Granted Without Waiting for
Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Because Significant Questions Regarding
Noncompliance Have Been Raised.
In the interest of efficiency, Plaintiffs refer to the arguments that have been fully briefed

in the prior motion for limited expedited discovery, and focus instead on facts that have come to
light since then that raise serious concerns about Defendants’ compliance with this Court’s
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The parties have agreed that Defendants’ motion is rendered moot by the Ninth Circuit’s remand. See
Joint Status Report (Dkt. No. 129); Stipulated Motion and Proposed Order ¶ 1 (Dkt. No. 130).

JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 2

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 3 of 7

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injunction and provide further support for expedited discovery. First, in response to an inquiry
submitted by a U.S. congressperson’s office on behalf of Plaintiff John Doe 1, a representative of
the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration within Defendant Department of State wrote:
According to our records, this cas[e] was opened in Oct. 2014 and finally
approved by DHS/USCIS in September 2017. The USRAP was unable to
complete the final processing of the case prior to the Oct. 24, 2017 Executive
Order directing the temporary suspension of the movement of the nationals from
eleven countries, including Iraq, until a further review of the procedures for
processing these cases was completed. This suspension ended on Jan. 22, 2018.
The USRAP collected additional biodata information from [John Doe 1] in
January and [sic] in the processing of completing further security checks as a
result of the findings of the review.
Doe 1 Decl., Ex. A (emphasis added). This communication is evidence that there was no refugee
processing at all between October 24, 2017 and January 22, 2018—a month after this Court
enjoined Defendants from suspending processing and admissions of refugees from SAO
countries and follow-to-join refugees. Moreover, as a result of Defendants’ noncompliance,
John Doe 1’s medical check—valid for twelve months—expired on January 13, 2018, which has
resulted in further delays as the medical check must be re-initiated. See Doe Decl. ¶¶ 2-3; see
Hawai’i v. Trump, 871 F.3d 646, 664 (9th Cir. 2017) (recognizing the irreparable harm caused
by the cascading effect of delays in refugee processing); Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law,
and Order Issuing a Preliminary Injunction at 34 (Dkt. No. 92) (same).
Second, even limited publicly available information about refugee admissions strongly
suggests that Defendants are noncompliant with this Court’s injunction. In the four months since
the injunction, admission of refugees who are SAO nationals has remained at a standstill.
Specifically, in the first half of fiscal year 2018, only 44 Syrian refugees have been admitted—a
99 percent drop in admissions compared to the prior fiscal year. 2 While refugees from SAO

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Human Rights First, Administration Falling Behind Historically-Low Refugee Resettlement Goals (Mar.
30, 2018), available at https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/press-release/administration-falling-behind-historicallylow-refugee-resettlement-goals.
JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 3

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 4 of 7

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countries previously comprised about half of refugee admissions under the USRAP, in this time
period, SAO nationals have comprised less than 3 percent of all refugee admissions. Smith
Decl. ¶ 5. Indeed, of the refugees from SAO countries who were admitted in the first half of
fiscal year 2018, nearly two-thirds were admitted before this Court’s injunction. Id. ¶ 4.
These details, in addition to the evidence previously submitted, see, e.g., Decl. of Melissa
Keaney ¶ 2, Ex. A (Dkt. No. 125); Decl. of Casey Smith (Dkt. No. 118), provide sufficient good
cause for this Court to order limited discovery on compliance. See Cal. Dep’t of Soc. Servs. v.
Leavitt, 523 F.3d 1025, 1034 (9th Cir. 2008) (instructing that “appropriate discovery should be
granted” where “significant questions regarding noncompliance have been raised” and
explaining that “the kind and amount of evidence of noncompliance required to justify discovery
is, necessarily, considerably less than that needed to show actual noncompliance”). There is no
reason for this discovery to be delayed given the irreparable harm that Plaintiffs are suffering if
the Defendants are or were indeed out of compliance with the injunction. See PI Order at 56-58
(Dkt. No. 92).
B.

Good Cause Separately Supports Expedited Discovery to Address Questions of
Mootness.
Discovery regarding Defendants’ past and present compliance with the injunction is

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separately needed to evaluate whether this case is, as Defendants will assert in their forthcoming

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motion, moot. See Friends of Animals v. United States Bureau of Land Mgmt., No. 2:16-CV-

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1670-SI, 2017 WL 1025669, at *1, *3-4 (D. Or. Mar. 16, 2017) (granting limited discovery on

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mootness after concluding that “’[p]ertinent facts bearing on the question of jurisdiction are

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controverted’”) (quoting Laub v. U.S. Dep't of Interior, 342 F.3d 1080, 1093 (9th Cir. 2003));

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Sherwood v. Tenn. Valley Auth., 842 F.3d 400, 407 (6th Cir. 2016) (noting, in APA case, that

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“[f]ully fleshing out any future mootness claim may require jurisdictional discovery”). As

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Plaintiffs argued before the Ninth Circuit, this case is replete with factual disputes about whether

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the suspension of SAO admissions has in fact ended and whether Defendants have met their
JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 4

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 5 of 7

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obligation under this Court’s Order to return refugee processing and admissions to the status quo
ante, including by reversing the reallocation of resources directed by the now-enjoined Agency
Memo. See JFS Pls.’ Opp. to Defs.’ Mot. to Dismiss (ECF 25-1) at 11-12, Doe v. Trump, Nos.
18-35015, 18-3502 (9th Cir. Feb. 21, 2018). Although Defendants claimed before the Ninth
Circuit that the SAO review period and FTJ suspension have ended, they have refused to
acknowledge that admission of SAO refugees was ever suspended (a fact the above-referenced
email openly acknowledges), let alone demonstrated that the suspensions are over. Cf. Halet v.
Wend Inv. Co., 672 F.2d 1305, 1308 (9th Cir. 1982) (concluding that the Court “cannot rely on
[defendant’s] statement alone” in determining that a case is moot). Ordering limited discovery
on Defendants’ compliance now is therefore efficient because much of the same discovery will
be necessary for Plaintiffs to respond to and this Court to evaluate Defendants’ motion to dismiss
on mootness grounds. For example, with respect to both Defendants’ compliance and mootness,
Plaintiffs will likely seek production of documents reflecting the circuit rides scheduled for
Fiscal Year 2018 prior to the issuance of the Agency Memo and any circuit rides scheduled,
canceled, reinstated, and/or actually held since this Court’s injunction and order on Defendants’
motion to stay.
Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court grant their motion, given these and
previously raised concerns about Defendants’ compliance with this Court’s injunction, the
irreparable harm Plaintiffs suffer if Defendants are not complying with the injunction, see PI
Order at 56-58 (Dkt. No. 92), which far outweighs any prejudice to Defendants, as well as
considerations relating to the administration of justice, see Semitool, Inc. v. Tokyo Electron Am.,
Inc., 208 F.R.D. 273, 276 (N.D. Cal. 2002) (“Good cause may be found where the need for
expedited discovery, in consideration of the administration of justice, outweighs the prejudice to
the responding party.”).

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JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 5

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 6 of 7

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II.

CONCLUSION

For the reasons stated above, Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court reinstate and
rule upon their motion for limited expedited discovery (Dkt. No. 121).

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Respectfully submitted,
s/ Melissa Keaney
Melissa S. Keaney, Pro Hac Vice
Karen C. Tumlin, Pro Hac Vice
Esther H. Sung, Pro Hac Vice
National Immigration Law Center
3450 Wilshire Blvd, #108-62
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: (213) 639-3900
Fax: (213) 639-3911
tumlin@nilc.org
keaney@nilc.org
sung@nilc.org
Deepa Alagesan, Pro Hac Vice
Mariko Hirose, Pro Hac Vice
Linda Evarts, Pro Hac Vice
Kathryn C. Meyer, Pro Hac Vice
International Refugee Assistance Project
40 Rector Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Tel: (646) 459-3044
mhirose@refugeerights.org
dalagesan@refugeerights.org
levarts@refugeerights.org
kmeyer@refugeerights.org
David Burman, WSBA No. 10611
Lauren Watts Staniar, WSBA No. 48741
Tyler Roberts, WSBA No. 52688
Perkins Coie LLP
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Telephone: 206.359.8000
Facsimile: 206.359.9000
dburman@perkinscoie.com
lstaniar@perkinscoie.com
troberts@perkinscoie.com

DATED: May 3, 2018
Justin B. Cox, Pro Hac Vice
National Immigration Law Center
PO Box 170208
Atlanta, GA 30317
Tel: (678) 279-5441
Fax: (213) 639-3911
cox@nilc.org
Elizabeth Sweet, Pro Hac Vice
Mark Hetfield, Pro Hac Vice
HIAS, Inc.
1300 Spring Street, Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-844-7300
liz.sweet@hias.org
mark.hetfield@hias.org
Lauren E. Aguiar, Pro Hac Vice
Mollie M. Kornreich, Pro Hac Vice
Abigail E. Davis, Pro Hac Vice
Four Times Square
New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 735-3000
Fax: (212) 735-2000
lauren.aguiar@probonolaw.com
mollie.kornreich@probonolaw.com
abigail.sheehan@probonolaw.com

Counsel for Plaintiffs Jewish Family Service,
et al.

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JFS PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 6

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131 Filed 05/03/18 Page 7 of 7

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on May 3, 2018, I electronically filed the foregoing document with

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the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such filing to all

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of the registered CM/ECF users for this case.

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I hereby declare under penalty of perjury of the laws of the State of Washington that the
foregoing is true and correct.

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DATED this 3rd day of May, 2018.

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/s/ Melissa Keaney
Melissa Keaney, Pro Hac Vice

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 1

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131-1 Filed 05/03/18 Page 1 of 4

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THE HONORABLE JAMES L. ROBART

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

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JOHN DOE, et al.,
Plaintiffs,

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v.
DONALD TRUMP, et al.,
Defendants.

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JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES, et al.,

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CASE NO. C17-0178JLR
[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING JFS
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE
THEIR CROSS-MOTION FOR LIMITED
EXPEDITED DISCOVERY
(RELATING TO CASE NO. C17-1707JLR)
CASE NO. C17-1707JLR

Plaintiffs,
v.
DONALD TRUMP, et al.,
Defendants.

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[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING JFS PLAINTIFFS’
MOTION TO REINSTATE (No. C17-0178JLR) – 1

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131-1 Filed 05/03/18 Page 2 of 4

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Now before the Court is Plaintiffs Jewish Family Service of Seattle, Jewish Family
Services of Silicon Valley, Allen Vaught, Afkab Mohamed Hussein, John Doe 1, John Doe 2,
John Doe 3, Jane Doe 4, Jane Doe 5, Jane Doe 6, and John Doe 7’s Motion to Reinstate Their
Cross-Motion For Limited Expedited Discovery on Compliance with Preliminary Injunction.
The Court has reviewed Plaintiffs’ Motion and attached exhibits, any opposition filed, oral
argument, if any, and the record on file in this matter. Good cause being found, the Court hereby
GRANTS the motion.
IT IS SO ORDERED
DATED this __ day of ___________, 2018.

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__________________________
JAMES L. ROBART
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING JFS
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE (No. C170178JLR) – 2

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131-1 Filed 05/03/18 Page 3 of 4

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Presented by,

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s/ Melissa Keaney
Melissa S. Keaney, Pro Hac Vice
Karen C. Tumlin, Pro Hac Vice
Esther H. Sung, Pro Hac Vice
National Immigration Law Center
3450 Wilshire Blvd, #108-62
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: (213) 639-3900
Fax: (213) 639-3911
tumlin@nilc.org
keaney@nilc.org
sung@nilc.org

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Deepa Alagesan, Pro Hac Vice
Mariko Hirose, Pro Hac Vice
Linda Evarts, Pro Hac Vice
Kathryn C. Meyer, Pro Hac Vice
International Refugee Assistance Project
40 Rector Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Tel: (646) 459-3044
mhirose@refugeerights.org
dalagesan@refugeerights.org
levarts@refugeerights.org
kmeyer@refugeerights.org
David Burman, WSBA No. 10611
Lauren Watts Staniar, WSBA No. 48741
Tyler Roberts, WSBA No. 52688
Perkins Coie LLP
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Telephone: 206.359.8000
Facsimile: 206.359.9000
dburman@perkinscoie.com
lstaniar@perkinscoie.com
troberts@perkinscoie.com

DATED: May 3, 2018
Justin B. Cox, Pro Hac Vice
National Immigration Law Center
PO Box 170208
Atlanta, GA 30317
Tel: (678) 279-5441
Fax: (213) 639-3911
cox@nilc.org
Elizabeth Sweet, Pro Hac Vice
Mark Hetfield, Pro Hac Vice
HIAS, Inc.
1300 Spring Street, Suite 500
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-844-7300
liz.sweet@hias.org
mark.hetfield@hias.org
Lauren E. Aguiar, Pro Hac Vice
Mollie M. Kornreich, Pro Hac Vice
Abigail E. Davis, Pro Hac Vice
Four Times Square
New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 735-3000
Fax: (212) 735-2000
lauren.aguiar@probonolaw.com
mollie.kornreich@probonolaw.com
abigail.sheehan@probonolaw.com

Counsel for Plaintiffs Jewish Family Service,
et al.

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[PROPOSED] ORDER GRANTING JFS
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO REINSTATE (No. C170178JLR) – 3

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000

 Case 2:17-cv-00178-JLR Document 131-1 Filed 05/03/18 Page 4 of 4

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on May 3, 2018, I electronically filed the foregoing document with

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the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such filing to all

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of the registered CM/ECF users for this case.

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I hereby declare under penalty of perjury of the laws of the State of Washington that the
foregoing is true and correct.

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DATED this 3rd day of May, 2018.

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/s/ Melissa Keaney
Melissa Keaney, Pro Hac Vice

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
(No. C17-0178JLR) – 1

Perkins Coie LLP

1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101-3099
Phone: 206.359.8000
Fax: 206.359.9000