When a civil lawsuit is filed in the Northern District of California, it is randomly assigned to a district judge or a magistrate judge. If a magistrate judge is chosen, each party must indicate consent for that judge to oversee the entire case.

Apple’s trade‑secrets suit against former employees, OpenAI, and Jony Ive’s io Products was initially assigned to Magistrate Judge Virginia K. De Marchi. The company submitted a consent‑or‑declination form, indicating it did not agree to De Marchi’s jurisdiction, triggering a reassignment.

The case has now been reassigned to U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, with Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins handling discovery. The original case‑management conference set for October 13 was vacated and must be rescheduled. Parties still must discuss settlement options and exchanges of evidence by September 22, and file initial disclosures and a joint case‑management statement by October 6.

The reassignment reflects Apple’s preference for full district‑judge oversight. All other filings remain unchanged, and the case continues under the new judge’s schedule.