A scheduling order approved Monday by United States District Court Judge Louise Wood Flanagan shows that an excessive force lawsuit against a former Warrenton police officer will continue throughout the remainder of this year and into 2027.

The town of Warrenton and its police chief are also defendants in the civil lawsuit filed on behalf of Shamayah Jones, Ishmill Smith, Xavier Davis, and Dwayne Hicks. The plaintiffs claim they were tased by Mark Oakley multiple times without lawful justification when they posed no threat.

In an exhaustive case management order, Flanagan set several key deadlines that will span nearly the entire year:

Initial disclosures: The parties must exchange primary case information by March 20.

Fact discovery: The process of gathering evidence and witness testimony must be completed by October 15.

Expert discovery: Investigations involving expert witnesses are scheduled to wrap up by December 31.

Mediation: The parties have selected Asa L. Bell Jr. as their mediator and are required to undergo mediation no later than December.

The case is expected to remain active into the following year due to the deadlines set for major legal filings:

Dispositive motions: The deadline for filing "potentially dispositive" motions — requests for the judge to rule on all or part of the case without a full trial — is set for January 31, 2027.

Future scheduling: Only after the court rules on these early 2027 motions will a new order be entered to set the actual dates for the final pretrial conference and the trial itself.