EC already has the transaction documents and the trade information, a calendar, lawyer billings detailing the timing of the term sheet negotiations, accountant billings, and the insider trading statutes. A deposition might pinpoint the exact individuals involved in the illegal activity, but from the ec standpoint that is not important because as long as someone involved in the hedge fund executed the trade the hedge fund is on the hook. Scheduling the depositions gives the traders the squirts, and not one of them wants to have to admit under oath what they did. Fear facilitates settlement. If sincere settlement negotiations are not happening, ec would have filed motions to compel by now imho. So I think the rescheduling is very good news. Also remember, JPM may very well have known of the insider trading and instead of reporting it to the authorities extracted favorable gsa terms for itself for jpm's silence....which is the crime of compounding. Things are looking good here.