recognizing trade secrets and confidential business 13 information as legitimate categories of information subject to protection
How later courts described this case
- recognizing trade secrets and confidential business 13 information as legitimate categories of information subject to protection
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
1 SHEPPARD, MULLIN, RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP
A Limited Liability Partnership, Including Professional Corporations
2 JENNIFER G. REDMOND, Cal. Bar No. 144790
jredmond@sheppardmullin.com
3 Four Embarcadero Center, 17th Floor
San Francisco, California 94111
4 Tel: 213.434.9100 Fax: 213.434.3947
Y. DOUGLAS YANG, Cal. Bar No. 307550
5 dyang@sheppardmullin.com
333 South Hope Street, 43rd Floor
6 Los Angeles, California 90071-1422
Tel: 213.620.1780 Fax: 213.620.1398
7 ISAIAH Z. WEEDN, Cal. Bar No. 229111
650 Town Center Drive, 10th Floor
8 Costa Mesa, California 92626
Tel: 714.513.5100 Fax: 714.513.5130
9
Attorneys for Plaintiffs
10 FIRST FOUNDATION INC. and
FIRST FOUNDATION ADVISORS
11
PATRICIA L. GLASER, Cal. Bar No. 55668
12 pglaser@glaserweil.com
RORY S. MILLER, Cal. Bar No. 238780
13 rmiller@glaserweil.com
MICHAEL L. SMITH, Cal. Bar No. 298917
14 msmith@glaserweil.com
GLASER WEIL FINK HOWARD AVCHEN & SHAPIRO LLP
15 10250 Constellation Boulevard, 19th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90067
16 Telephone: (310) 553-3000
Facsimile: (310) 556-2920
17
Attorneys for Defendants
18 THOMAS GIDDINGS and LOUIS ABEL
19
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
20
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA, SOUTHERN DIVISION
21
FIRST FOUNDATION, INC., a Case No. 8:20-cv-00359-DOC-KES
22 Delaware Corporation; and FIRST
FOUNDATION ADVISORS, a JOINTLY STIPULATED
23 California Corporation, PROTECTIVE ORDER:
[PROPOSED] ORDER
24 Plaintiffs,
v.
25 Complaint Filed: February 21, 2020
THOMAS MUNSON GIDDINGS, an
26 individual; and LOUIS PANCOAST
ABEL, an individual,
27
Defendants.
1 TO THE HONORABLE COURT, ALL PARTIES AND THEIR
2 ATTORNEYS OF RECORD:
3 In order to facilitate discovery in the above-captioned matter, Plaintiffs First
4 Foundation Inc. and First Foundation Advisors (together, “Plaintiffs”) and
5 Defendants Thomas Munson Giddings and Louis Pancoast Abel (together,
6 “Defendants”) (collectively, “the parties”) hereby agree to the following Jointly
7 Stipulated Protective Order concerning the CONFIDENTIAL or HIGHLY
8 CONFIDENTIAL treatment of certain documents and information.
9 1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS
10 Disclosure and discovery activity in this action are likely to involve production
11 of confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special protection from
12 public disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation
13 may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the court
14 to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this
15 Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery
16 and that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the
17 limited information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the
18 applicable legal principles.
19 The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this
20 Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information
21 under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed and
22 the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file
23 material under seal. Where the Court orders documents to be filed under seal, the
24 Stipulated Protective Order shall be deemed to automatically apply to all documents
25 sealed by order of the Court.
26 It is the intent of the parties that information will not be designated as
27 confidential for tactical reasons and that nothing be so designated without a good faith
1 belief that it has been maintained in a confidential, non-public manner, and there is
2 good cause why it should not be part of the public record of this case.
3 1.1 Good Cause For a Protective Order
4 Good cause exists for a Protective Order because both Plaintiffs and
5 Defendant’s document productions will disclose information relating to (1) the trade
6 secrets and confidential business practices of Plaintiffs, which Plaintiffs safeguard as
7 a means to ensure competitiveness in their industry; and (2) private wealth clients’
8 personal and confidential information, such as their assets under management and
9 other key financial information. See Harmon v. City of Santa Clara, 323 F.R.D. 617,
10 623 (N.D. Cal. 2018) (identifying privacy interests, among others when considering
11 existence of good cause); Nutratech, Inc. v. Syntech (SSPF) Int'l, Inc., 242 F.R.D.
12 552, 554 (C.D. Cal. 2007) (recognizing trade secrets and confidential business
13 information as legitimate categories of information subject to protection).
14 2. DEFINITIONS
15 2.1 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the
16 designation of information or items under this Order.
17 2.2 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information
18 (regardless of how it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify
19 for protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c). This may include, without
20 limitation and without either party conceding that any particular Protected Material is
21 properly designated as such, information regarding personal financial and account
22 information and private communications not related to the subject matter of this
23 litigation.
24 2.3 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and
25 House Counsel (as well as their support staff).
26 2.4 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates
27 information or items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as
1 “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL– ATTORNEYS’ EYES
2 ONLY.”
3 2.5 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information,
4 regardless of the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained
5 (including, among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are
6 produced or generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.
7 2.6 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a
8 matter pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to
9 serve as an expert witness or as a consultant in this action.
10 2.7 “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY”
11 Information or Items: information that the Producing Party claims in good faith is
12 highly confidential or sensitive, including technical information, pricing and revenue
13 information and other sensitive financial data, and the disclosure of which to another
14 Party or Non-Party would create a substantial risk of serious harm that could not be
15 avoided by less restrictive means.
16 2.8 House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this
17 action. House Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other
18 outside counsel.
19 2.9 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation,
20 association, or other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.
21 2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a
22 party to this action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this action and
23 have appeared in this action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm
24 which has appeared on behalf of that party.
25 2.11 Party: any party to this action, including all of its officers,
26 directors, employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record
27 (and their support staffs).
1 2.12 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or
2 Discovery Material in this action.
3 2.13 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation
4 support services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or
5 demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium)
6 and their employees and subcontractors.
7 2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is
8 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL,” or as “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—
9 ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.”
10 2.15 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery
11 Material from a Producing Party.
12 3. SCOPE
13 The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only
14 Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted
15 from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of
16 Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or presentations by Parties
17 or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. However, the protections
18 conferred by this Stipulation and Order do not cover the following information: (a)
19 any information that is in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving
20 Party or becomes part of the public domain after its disclosure to a Receiving Party
21 as a result of publication not involving a violation of this Order, including becoming
22 part of the public record through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to
23 the Receiving Party prior to the disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after
24 the disclosure from a source who obtained the information lawfully and under no
25 obligation of confidentiality to the Designating Party. Any use of Protected Material
26 at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or order.
27
1 4. DURATION
2 Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations
3 imposed by this Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees
4 otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise directs. Final disposition shall be
5 deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this action, with
6 or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and
7 exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this action,
8 including the time limits for filing any motions or applications for extension of time
9 pursuant to applicable law. This section does not modify the scope of the protective
10 order as set forth in Section 3 of this Stipulated Protective Order, including the
11 requirement that any use of Protected Material at Trial be governed by a separate
12 agreement or order.
13 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
14 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.
15 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection
16 under this Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that
17 qualifies under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for
18 protection only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written
19 communications that qualify – so that other portions of the material, documents,
20 items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept
21 unjustifiably within the ambit of this Order.
22 Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations
23 that are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper
24 purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber or retard the case development process or to
25 impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) expose the Designating
26 Party to sanctions.
27
1 If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it
2 designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must
3 promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation.
4 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations.
5 Except as otherwise provided in this Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of
6 section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery
7 Material that qualifies for protection under this Order must be clearly so designated
8 before the material is disclosed or produced.
9 Designation in conformity with this Order requires:
10 (a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic
11 documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial
12 proceedings), that the Producing Party affix the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or
13 “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” to each page that
14 contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page
qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected
15
portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).
16
A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials
17
available for inspection need not designate them for protection until after the
18
inspecting Party has indicated which material it would like copied and produced.
19
During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material made available
20
for inspection shall be deemed “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’
21
EYES ONLY.” After the inspecting Party has identified the documents it wants
22
copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which documents, or
23
portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before producing the
24
specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the appropriate legend
25 (“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’ EYES
26 ONLY”)to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions
27 of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must
1 clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the
2 margins).
3 (b) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial
4 proceedings, that the Designating Party identify on the record, before the close of the
5 deposition, hearing, or other proceeding, all protected testimony.
(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and
6
for any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on
7
the exterior of the container or containers in which the information or item is stored
8
the appropriate legend (“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—
9
ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY). If only a portion or portions of the information or
10
item warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify
11
the protected portion(s).
12
5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent
13
failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive
14
the Designating Party’s right to secure protection under this Order for such material.
15
Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable
16 efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this
17 Order.
18 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
19 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a
20 designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the Court’s
21 Scheduling Order. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party’s confidentiality
22 designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary
23 economic burdens, or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a Party does
24 not waive its right to challenge a confidentiality designation by electing not to mount
a challenge promptly after the original designation is disclosed.
25
6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute
26
resolution process by providing written notice of each designation it is challenging
27
and describing the basis for each challenge. To avoid ambiguity as to whether a
1 challenge has been made, the written notice must recite that the challenge to
2 confidentiality is being made in accordance with this specific paragraph of the
3 Protective Order. The parties shall attempt to resolve each challenge in good faith and
4 must begin the process by conferring directly (in voice to voice dialogue; other forms
5 of communication are not sufficient) within 14 days of the date of service of notice.
In conferring, the Challenging Party must explain the basis for its belief that the
6
confidentiality designation was not proper and must give the Designating Party an
7
opportunity to review the designated material, to reconsider the circumstances, and,
8
if no change in designation is offered, to explain the basis for the chosen designation.
9
A Challenging Party may proceed to the next stage of the challenge process only if
10
it has engaged in this meet and confer process first or establishes that the Designating
11
Party is unwilling to participate in the meet and confer process in a timely manner.
12
6.3 Judicial Intervention. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge without
13
court intervention, the Designating Party shall file and serve a motion to retain
14
confidentiality under Civil Local Rules 7-4 through 7-8 (and in compliance with
15
Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) within 21 days of the initial notice of challenge
16 or within 14 days of the parties agreeing that the meet and confer process will not
17 resolve their dispute, whichever is earlier. Each such motion must be accompanied
18 by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet
19 and confer requirements imposed in the preceding paragraph. Failure by the
20 Designating Party to make such a motion including the required declaration within
21 21 days (or 14 days, if applicable) shall automatically waive the confidentiality
22 designation for each challenged designation. In addition, the Challenging Party may
23 file a motion challenging a confidentiality designation at any time if there is good
cause for doing so, including a challenge to the designation of a deposition transcript
24
or any portions thereof. Any motion brought pursuant to this provision must be
25
accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied
26
with the meet and confer requirements imposed by the preceding paragraph.
27
1 The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the
2 Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose
3 (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may
4 expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived
5 or withdrawn the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford the
material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing
6
Party’s designation until the Court rules on the challenge.
7
7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
8
7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is
9
disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this
10
case only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this litigation. Such
11
Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the
12
conditions described in this Order. When the litigation has been terminated, a
13
Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of Section 13 below (FINAL
14
DISPOSITION).
15
Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a
16
location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons
17 authorized under this Order.
18 7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items.
19 Unless otherwise ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the
20 Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or item
21 designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:
22 (a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as
23 well as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably
24 necessary to disclose the information for this litigation;
(b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of
25
the Receiving Party;
26
27
1 (c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom
2 disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the
3 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
4 (d) the court and its personnel;
5 (e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants,
mock jurors, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary
6
for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be
7
Bound” (Exhibit A); during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom
8
disclosure is reasonably necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and
9
Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the Designating
10
Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to
11
depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately bound by the court
12
reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated
13
Protective Order.
14
(f) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a
15
custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.
16 (g) any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel,
17 mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.
18 7.3 Disclosure of “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’ EYES
19 ONLY” Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the court or permitted in
20 writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or
21 item designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” only
22 to:
23 (a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as
24 employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to
25 disclose the information for this litigation;
26 (b) the House Counsel of the Receiving Party;
27 (c) the author of the information or item, subject to special procedures specified
1 (d) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure
2 is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment
3 and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
4 (e) the court and its personnel;
5 (f) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, mock
6 jurors, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this
7 litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound”
8 (Exhibit A); during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is
9 reasonably necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be
10 Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the
11 court. Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal
12 Protected Material must be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be
13 disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order.
14 7.4 Disclosure of Special Handling Documents to Defendants. Certain
15 documents authored by one or both of the Defendants which Plaintiffs contend reflect
16 Plaintiffs’ trade secrets, including, but not limited to, those documents filed under seal
17 as Exhibits A and B to the Declaration of Scott Kavanaugh (Doc. 19-1, pp. 2-22 and
18 Doc. 19-2, pp. 2-21) filed in support of Plaintiffs’ Application for Temporary
19 Restraining Order (collectively, the “Special Handling Documents”), may only be
20 disclosed to Defendants subject to the following special handling requirements: (a)
21 the Special Handling Documents may only be disclosed to/reviewed by the
22 Defendants in hard-copy form, in the presence of Defendants’ counsel; and (b)
23 Defendants shall not be provided with or permitted to retain copies (whether hard-
24 copy or electronic) of the Special Handling Documents. To the extent either party
25 identifies or produces additional documents purportedly authored by one or both of
26 the Defendants that Plaintiffs believe reflect Plaintiffs’ trade secrets, Plaintiffs shall
27 identify those documents, in writing, to Defendants. Any documents so-identified
1 writing, to such designation within five (5) court days of receiving Plaintiffs’ written
2 identification of such additional documents. Any such objection shall include an
3 explanation of Defendants’ reasoning as to why each particular, identified document
4 should not be deemed a Special Handling Document. Upon receiving such written
5 objection, Plaintiffs may seek further intervention from the Court (consistent with the
6 Court’s procedures for resolving discovery disputes) concerning the proper
7 designation of the additional, identified documents consistent with this Stipulated
8 Protective Order and the intentions expressed by the parties herein.
9 8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED
IN OTHER LITIGATION
10
If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation
11
that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as
12
“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’ EYES
13
ONLY,” that Party must:
14
(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification
15
shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
16
(b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order
17
to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena
18
or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of
19
this Stipulated Protective Order; and
20
(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be
21 pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.
22 If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with
23 the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this
24 action as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’
25 EYES ONLY” before a determination by the court from which the subpoena or order
26 issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The
27 Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that
court of its confidential material – and nothing in these provisions should be
1 construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this action to disobey
2 a lawful directive from another court.
3 9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE
PRODUCED IN THIS LITIGATION
4
(a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a
5
Non-Party in this action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY
6
CONFIDENTIAL—ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.” Such information produced by
7
Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief
8
provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as
9
prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.
10
(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to
11
produce a Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is
12
subject to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s
13 confidential information, then the Party shall:
14 (1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-
15 Party that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality
16 agreement with a Non-Party;
17 (2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated
18 Protective Order in this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably
19 specific description of the information requested; and
20 (3) make the information requested available for inspection by the
Non-Party.
21
(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this
22
court within 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the
23
Receiving Party may produce the Non-Party’s confidential information responsive
24
to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the
25
Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its possession or control that is
26
subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination
27
1 by the court. Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden
2 and expense of seeking protection in this court of its Protected Material.
3 10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
4 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed
5 Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this
6 Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in
7 writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts
8 to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or
9 persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order,
10 and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and
11 Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
12 11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE
PROTECTED MATERIAL
13
When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain
14
inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection,
15
the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil
16
Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure
17
may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without prior
18
privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the
19
parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or
20
information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product protection, the
21
parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted
22
to the court.
23
12. MISCELLANEOUS
24
12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any
25
person to seek its modification by the court in the future.
26
12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this
27
Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to
1 disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this
2 Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any
3 ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.
4 12.3 Filing Protected Material. Without written permission from the
5 Designating Party or a court order secured after appropriate notice to all interested
6 persons, a Party may not file in the public record in this action any Protected Material.
7 A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected Material must comply with Civil
8 Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may only be filed under seal pursuant to a court
9 order authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected Material at issue. Pursuant to
10 Civil Local Rule 79-5, a sealing order will issue only upon a request establishing that
11 the Protected Material at issue is privileged, protectable as a trade secret, or otherwise
12 entitled to protection under the law. If a Receiving Party's request to file Protected
13 Material under seal pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5.2.2 is denied by the court, then
14 the Receiving Party may file the information in the public record pursuant to Civil
15 Local Rule 79-5.2.2(b)(ii) unless otherwise instructed by the Court.
16 13. FINAL DISPOSITION
17 Within 60 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph
18 4, each Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or
19 destroy such material. As used in this subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes
20 all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other format reproducing or
21 capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned
22 or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written certification to the Producing
23 Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60 day
24 deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material
25 that was returned or destroyed and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not
26 retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format
27 reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this
1 papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence,
2 deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant
3 and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such
4 archival copies that contain or constitute Protected Material remain subject to this
5 Protective Order as set forth in Section 4 (DURATION).
6 14. SANCTIONS FOR VIOLATION OF ORDER: Any violation of
7 this Order may be punished by all appropriate measures, including, without
8 limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary sanctions.
9
10
11 IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.
12
Dated: March 23, 2020
13
14 Respectfully submitted,
15 SHEPPARD, MULLIN, RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP
16
By /s/ Isaiah Z. Weedn
17
JENNIFER G. REDMOND
18 Y. DOUGLAS YANG
ISAIAH Z. WEEDN
19
Attorneys for Plaintiffs
20 FIRST FOUNDATION, INC. and FIRST
FOUNDATION ADVISORS
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1 ||} Dated: March 23, 2020
2 Respectfully submitted,
3
GLASER WEIL FINK HOWARD AVCHEN &
4 SHAPIRO LLP
5
6 By /s/ Patricia L. Glaser
PATRICIA L. GLASER
7 RORY S. MILLER
g MICHAEL L. SMITH
9 Attorneys for Defendants
10 THOMAS MUSON GIDDINGS and LOUIS
PANCOAST ABEL
11
12
B ATTESTATION
14 Pursuant to Local Rule 5-4.3.4(a)(2), I hereby attest that all signatories listed
15 above, and on whose behalf this filing is submitted, concur in the filing's content
16 and have authorized the filing of this document.
17
18 /s/ Isaiah Z. Weedn
19 ISAIAH Z. WEEDN
20
[PROPOSED] ORDER
21
FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.
22
Tiouns E. Scott?
Dated: March 24, 2020 By: hin
24 THE HONORABLE KAREN E. SCOTT
25 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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-|&- Case No. 8:20-cv-00359-DOC-KES
1 EXHIBIT A
2 CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
3 I, ______________________, hereby declare:
4 1. My address is _____________________________________________.
5 My telephone number is (_____) ______-____________.
6 2. I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulation and Protective
7 Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of
8 California in the case of First Foundation Inc., et al. v. Thomas Munson Giddings,
9 et al., United States District Court, Central District of California, Case No. 8:20-cv-
10 00359-DOC-KES. I hereby agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms
11 of this Stipulation and Protective Order.
12 3. I understand that the Stipulation and Protective Order requires that I not
13 disclose in any manner any information or item that is subject to this Stipulation and
14 Protective Order to any person or entity except in strict compliance with the
15 provisions of this Stipulation and Protective Order.
16 4. I consent to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the
17 Central District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this
18 Stipulation and Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after
19 termination of this action.
20 I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
21
Executed on _____________, 2020 at _____________________________ .
22
23 _________________________________
Signature
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