February 5, 2025 - Sewell, NJ: The Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners, “CNJFO,” in partnership with Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, and individual plaintiff Heidi Bergman-Schoch have filed a suit, Bergman-Schoch v Platkin, in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey challenging the ban on the possession, transportation, and carrying of widely available and commonly owned hollow point self defense ammunition, which New Jersey refers to as 'dum dum" or “hollow nose” ammunition.
New Jersey heavily restricted the possession and transportation of hollow point ammunition, including bullets, in 1978 and is the only state with such a law in place which, we believe, clearly puts it at odds with the Second Amendment’s text “…the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
New Jersey is the only state to ban the possession of hollow point ammunition and components. Hollow point ammunition is designed for greater accuracy and controlled penetration, and is ammunition that is in common use for self defense, hunting, and target shooting. With the Heller and Bruen decisions, firearms for self defense is not solely limited to our home, and we should be able to use the most proper ammunition without the same limitations, as the current law has no historical basis. - Nick Wong, CNJFO Trustee
can you give me a summary of the history and current status of the legal proceedings in the case of BERGMANN-SCHOCH v. PLATKIN (1:25-cv-00997) with the following courtlistener docket url: BERGMANN-SCHOCH v. PLATKIN, 1:25-cv-00997 – CourtListener.com
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Output:
Case Overview
BERGMANN-SCHOCH v. PLATKIN (Docket No. 1:25-cv-00997) is a federal case filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Filing Date: February 4, 2025
Judge: Christine P. O’Hearn (presiding); referred to Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Skahill
Nature of Suit: Constitutional challenge to a state statute (under 28 U.S.C. § 1331, federal question jurisdiction)
Parties:
Plaintiffs: Heidi Bergmann-Schoch, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, and Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners
Defendants: New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, Superintendent Patrick J. Callahan (New Jersey State Police), and Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina
Jury Demand: None
The case appears to involve a Second Amendment or firearms-related constitutional challenge to New Jersey law(s), based on the plaintiffs’ organizations.
Procedural History (Key Events)
The case has progressed through initial pleadings, early procedural matters, and into the discovery phase without any dispositive motions or resolution to date:
February 4–5, 2025: Plaintiffs filed the complaint with supporting declarations and exhibits. Summonses were issued.
February 7–19, 2025: Defendants were served. Defense counsel entered appearances. Defendants obtained short extensions to respond (answers originally due in mid-March).
Late February 2025: All defendants filed a joint answer to the complaint. Additional counsel appearances and pro hac vice admissions for plaintiffs’ attorneys.
March 17, 2025: Court issued order scheduling initial pretrial conference for April 23, 2025.
April–May 2025: Joint discovery plan submitted. Court issued scheduling order setting initial discovery deadlines (e.g., amended pleadings by May 30, 2025; factual discovery cutoff September 26, 2025; dispositive motions potentially by late 2025 or early 2026).
July–September 2025: Multiple telephone status conferences held. Deadlines were adjusted (factual discovery extended to October 10, 2025; expert reports initially due November 7, 2025, with rebuttals by December 19, 2025).
September 2025: Court entered a discovery confidentiality order.
October 14, 2025: Another status conference; factual discovery closed, expert discovery deadlines confirmed, next conference scheduled for January 13, 2026.
October 31–November 3, 2025: Parties submitted and obtained a consent order extending the deadline for initial expert reports to December 22, 2025.
No hearings on the merits, motions for summary judgment, or trial dates have been set. The docket reflects routine procedural activity typical of early-to-mid discovery in a civil constitutional case.
Current Status (as of latest available docket, November 3, 2025)
The case is ongoing and in the expert discovery phase.
Pretrial factual discovery is closed.
Initial expert reports are now due December 22, 2025.
Expert depositions must conclude by February 13, 2026.
Dispositive motions are due by March 12, 2026 (if expert discovery is used) or earlier if skipped.
A telephone status conference is scheduled for January 13, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
No entries appear after November 3, 2025, on the CourtListener docket, which is consistent with the case awaiting the upcoming expert report deadline and conference. The case remains active with no indication of settlement, dismissal, or judgment.
The FBI uses Critical Duty 135gr+P 9mm. I also find Critical Defense 380 to be one of the best performing self defense rounds in that caliber. But those are the only 2 calibers I carry, except for 32acp once in a while, in which case I carry Underwood Extreme Defender Monolithic +P.
OK, crazy question. What happens to this lawsuit, since Callahan retired and Platkin will be gone soon? Does it still continue, since they’re not in their official positions anymore?
