# Elizabeth Reed v. Costco Wholesale Corporation

> District Court, C.D. California · August 20, 2020

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/10038839

## Case

- **Court:** District Court, C.D. California
- **Decided:** August 20, 2020
- **Opinion:** 100trialcourt
- **Cited by:** 0 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

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## Opinion text

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8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA – WESTERN DIVISION
10
Case No. 2:19-cv-08570 AB (GJSx)
11 ELIZABETH REED,

12 Plaintiff, Hon. André Birotte Jr., Courtroom 7B

13 v.
STIPULATED PROTECTIVE
14 COSTCO WHOLESALE ORDER1
CORPORATION, and DOES 1
15
through 20,

16
Defendants.
17

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19 1. A. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS
20 Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of confidential,
21 proprietary or private information for which special protection from public
22 disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may
23 be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to
24 enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this
25 Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to
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1 discovery and that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends
2 only to the limited information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment
3 under the applicable legal principles.
4 B. GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT
5 A Stipulated Protective Order is required to ensure the confidentiality of certain
6 information involving trade secrets, customer and pricing lists and other valuable
7 research, development, commercial, financial, technical and/or proprietary
8 information that is protected from public disclosure and from use for any purpose
9 other than prosecution of this action.
10 Such confidential and proprietary materials and information consist of, among
11 other things, confidential business or financial information, information regarding
12 confidential business practices, information otherwise generally unavailable to the
13 public, or which may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure under
14 state or federal statutes, court rules, case decisions, or common law. Accordingly, to
15 expedite the flow of information, to facilitate the prompt resolution of disputes over
16 confidentiality of discovery materials, to adequately protect information the parties
17 are entitled to keep confidential, to ensure that the parties are permitted reasonable
18 necessary uses of such material in preparation for and in the conduct of trial, to
19 address their handling at the end of the litigation, and serve the ends of justice, a
20 protective order for such information is justified in this matter. It is the intent of the
21 parties that information will not be designated as confidential for tactical reasons
22 and that nothing be so designated without a good faith belief that it has been
23 maintained in a confidential, non-public manner, and there is good cause why it
24 should not be part of the public record of this case.
25 ///
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1 C. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROCEDURE FOR FILING UNDER
2 SEAL
3 The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this
4 Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information
5 under seal; Local Civil Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed
6 and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court
7 to file material under seal.
8 There is a strong presumption that the public has a right of access to judicial
9 proceedings and records in civil cases. In connection with non-dispositive motions,
10 good cause must be shown to support a filing under seal. See Kamakana v. City and
11 County of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006), Phillips v. Gen. Motors
12 Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 1210-11 (9th Cir. 2002), Makar-Welbon v. Sony Electrics,
13 Inc., 187 F.R.D. 576, 577 (E.D. Wis. 1999) (even stipulated protective orders
14 require good cause showing), and a specific showing of good cause or compelling
15 reasons with proper evidentiary support and legal justification, must be made with
16 respect to Protected Material that a party seeks to file under seal. The parties’ mere
17 designation of Disclosure or Discovery Material as CONFIDENTIAL does not—
18 without the submission of competent evidence by declaration, establishing that the
19 material sought to be filed under seal qualifies as confidential, privileged, or
20 otherwise protectable—constitute good cause.
21 Further, if a party requests sealing related to a dispositive motion or trial, then
22 compelling reasons, not only good cause, for the sealing must be shown, and the
23 relief sought shall be narrowly tailored to serve the specific interest to be protected.
24 See Pintos v. Pacific Creditors Ass’n, 605 F.3d 665, 677-79 (9th Cir. 2010). For
25 each item or type of information, document, or thing sought to be filed or introduced
26 under seal in connection with a dispositive motion or trial, the party seeking
27 protection must articulate compelling reasons, supported by specific facts and legal
1 the application to file documents under seal must be provided by declaration.
2 Any document that is not confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable in
3 its entirety will not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted.
4 If documents can be redacted, then a redacted version for public viewing, omitting
5 only the confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable portions of the document,
6 shall be filed. Any application that seeks to file documents under seal in their
7 entirety should include an explanation of why redaction is not feasible.
8 2. DEFINITIONS
9 2.1 Action: The subject federal lawsuit.
10 2.2 Challenging Party: A Party or Non-Party that challenges the
11 designation of information or items under this Order.
12 2.3 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of
13 how it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for
14 protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c), and as specified above in
15 the Good Cause Statement.
16 2.4 Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as
17 their support staff).
18 2.5 Designating Party: A Party or Non-Party that designates information or
19 items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as
20 “CONFIDENTIAL.”
21 2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: All items or information, regardless
22 of the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including,
23 among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or
24 generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.
25 2.7 Expert: A person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter
26 pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as
27 an expert witness or as a consultant in this Action.
1 2.8 House Counsel: Attorneys who are employees of a party to this Action.
2 House Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside
3 counsel.
4 2.9 Non-Party: Any natural person, partnership, corporation, association or
5 other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.
6 2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: Attorneys who are not employees of a
7 party to this Action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this Action and
8 have appeared in this Action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm
9 that has appeared on behalf of that party, and includes support staff.
10 2.11 Party: Any party to this Action, including all of its officers, directors,
11 employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their
12 support staffs).
13 2.12 Producing Party: A Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or
14 Discovery Material in this Action.
15 2.13 Professional Vendors: Persons or entities that provide litigation
16 support services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or
17 demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium)
18 and their employees and subcontractors.
19 2.14 Protected Material: Any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is
20 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.”
21 2.15 Receiving Party: A Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery
22 Material from a Producing Party.
23 3. SCOPE
24 The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only
25 Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or
26 extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or
27 compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or
1 Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the
2 trial judge. This Order does not govern the use of Protected Material at trial.
3 4. DURATION
4 FINAL DISPOSITION of the action is defined as the conclusion of any
5 appellate proceedings, or, if no appeal is taken, when the time for filing of an appeal
6 has run. Except as set forth below, the terms of this protective order apply through
7 FINAL DISPOSITION of the action. The parties may stipulate that the they will be
8 contractually bound by the terms of this agreement beyond FINAL DISPOSITION,
9 but will have to file a separate action for enforcement of the agreement once all
10 proceedings in this case are complete.
11 Once a case proceeds to trial, information that was designated as
12 CONFIDENTIAL or maintained pursuant to this protective order used or introduced
13 as an exhibit at trial becomes public and will be presumptively available to all
14 members of the public, including the press, unless compelling reasons supported by
15 specific factual findings to proceed otherwise are made to the trial judge in advance
16 of the trial. See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1180-81 (distinguishing “good cause”
17 showing for sealing documents produced in discovery from “compelling reasons”
18 standard when merits-related documents are part of court record). Accordingly, for
19 such materials, the terms of this protective order do not extend beyond the
20 commencement of the trial.
21 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
22 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.
23 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under
24 this Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that
25 qualifies under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for
26 protection only those parts of material, documents, items or oral or written
27 communications that qualify so that other portions of the material, documents, items
1 within the ambit of this Order.
2 Mass, indiscriminate or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations
3 that are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper
4 purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber the case development process or to impose
5 unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Designating
6 Party to sanctions.
7 If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it
8 designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must
9 promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the inapplicable designation.
10 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in
11 this Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise
12 stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection
13 under this Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or
14 produced.
15 Designation in conformity with this Order requires:
16 (a) For information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic
17 documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial
18 proceedings), that the Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend
19 “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that
20 contains protected material. If only a portion of the material on a page qualifies for
21 protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s)
22 (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).
23 A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents available for
24 inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has
25 indicated which documents it would like copied and produced. During the
26 inspection and before the designation, all of the material made available for
27 inspection shall be deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has
1 determine which documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this
2 Order. Then, before producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must
3 affix the “CONFIDENTIAL legend” to each page that contains Protected Material.
4 If only a portion of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing
5 Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate
6 markings in the margins).
7 (b) For testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party
8 identifies the Disclosure or Discovery Material on the record, before the close of the
9 deposition all protected testimony.
10 (c) For information produced in some form other than documentary
11 and for any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place
12 on the exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored the
13 legend “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information
14 warrants protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the
15 protected portion(s).
16 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent
17 failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive
18 the Designating Party’s right to secure protection under this Order for such material.
19 Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable
20 efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this
21 Order.
22 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
23 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a
24 designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the Court’s
25 Scheduling Order, or if no date is provided in the Scheduling Order, no later than
26 discovery cut-off date as ordered by the Court.
27 6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute
1 6.3 Joint Stipulation. Any challenge submitted to the Court shall be via a
2 joint stipulation pursuant to Local Rule 37-2.
3 6.4 The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on
4 the Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper
5 purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other
6 parties) may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating
7 Party has waived or withdrawn the confidentiality designation, all parties shall
8 continue to afford the material in question the level of protection to which it is
9 entitled under the Producing Party’s designation until the Court rules on the
10 challenge.
11 7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
12 7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is
13 disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this
14 Action only for prosecuting, defending or attempting to settle this Action. Such
15 Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the
16 conditions described in this Order. When the Action has been terminated, a
17 Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of section 13 below (FINAL
18 DISPOSITION).
19 Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a
20 location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons
21 authorized under this Order.
22 7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless
23 otherwise ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a
24 Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated
25 “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:
26 (a) The Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this Action, as
27 well as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably
1 (b) The officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of
2 the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action;
3 (c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom
4 disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have signed the
5 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
6 (d) The court and its personnel;
7 (e) Court reporters and their staff;
8 (f) Professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional
9 Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have
10 signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
11 (g) The author or recipient of a document containing the information or a
12 custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information;
13 (h) During their depositions, witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in the
14 Action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary provided: (1) the deposing party
15 requests that the witness sign the form attached as Exhibit 1 hereto; and (2) they will
16 not be permitted to keep any confidential information unless they sign the
17 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise
18 agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed
19 deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material may
20 be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except
21 as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
22 (i) Any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel,
23 mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.
24 8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED
25 IN OTHER LITIGATION
26 If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation
27 that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as
1 (a) Promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification
2 shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
3 (b) Promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order
4 to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the
5 subpoena or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include
6 a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and
7 (c) Cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be
8 pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.
9 If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with
10 the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this
11 action as “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the
12 subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s
13 permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking
14 protection in that court of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions
15 should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action
16 to disobey a lawful directive from another court.
17 9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE
18 PRODUCED IN THIS LITIGATION
19 (a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a
20 Non-Party in this Action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information
21 produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the
22 remedies and relief provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be
23 construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.
24 (b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to
25 produce a Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is
26 subject to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s
27 confidential information, then the Party shall:
1 that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality
2 agreement with a Non-Party;
3 (2) Promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated
4 Protective Order in this Action, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably
5 specific description of the information requested; and
6 (3) Make the information requested available for inspection by the
7 Non-Party, if requested.
8 (c) If the Non-Party fails to seek a protective order from this court within
9 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party
10 may produce the Non-Party’s confidential information responsive to the discovery
11 request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall
12 not produce any information in its possession or control that is subject to the
13 confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the court.
14 Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and
15 expense of seeking protection in this court of its Protected Material.
16 10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
17 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed
18 Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this
19 Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in
20 writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts
21 to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or
22 persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order,
23 and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and
24 Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
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1 11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE
2 PROTECTED MATERIAL
3 When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain
4 inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection,
5 the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil
6 Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to modify whatever
7 procedure may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production
8 without prior privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and
9 (e), insofar as the parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a
10 communication or information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work
11 product protection, the parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated
12 protective order submitted to the court.
13 12. MISCELLANEOUS
14 12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any
15 person to seek its modification by the Court in the future.
16 12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this
17 Protective Order, no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to
18 disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this
19 Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any
20 ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.
21 12.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any
22 Protected Material must comply with Local Civil Rule 79-5. Protected Material
23 may only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the
24 specific Protected Material at issue. If a Party’s request to file Protected Material
25 under seal is denied by the court, then the Receiving Party may file the information
26 in the public record unless otherwise instructed by the court.
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1 13. FINAL DISPOSITION
2 Within 60 days after the final disposition of this Action, as defined in
3 paragraph 4, each Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the
4 Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this subdivision, “all Protected
5 Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other
6 format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the
7 Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a
8 written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to
9 the Designating Party) by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where
10 appropriate) all the Protected Material that was returned or destroyed and (2) affirms
11 that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations,
12 summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected
13 Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an archival
14 copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal
15 memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney
16 work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such materials
17 contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or constitute
18 Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in Section 4
19 (DURATION).
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1 || 14. VIOLATION
2 |} Any violation of this Order may be punished by appropriate measures including,
3 |} without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary sanctions.
4 || ITIS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.
5
6 || DATED: July 30, 2020
7 /s/ Jordan Hankey
Jordan Hankey
9 || Attorney for Plaintiff ELIZABETH REED
10
11
DATED: July 30, 2020
/s/ Jessica Farley
13
14 || Sean Burnett /Jessica Farley =
5 Attorneys for Defendant COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

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17 || FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.
18
19 || DATED: August 20, 2020
20
21 Ura
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23 || UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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1 EXHIBIT A
2 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND
3
4 I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of
5 _________________ [print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury
6 that I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that
7 was issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California
8 on [date] in the case of ___________ [insert formal name of the case and the
9 number and initials assigned to it by the court]. I agree to comply with and to be
10 bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and
11 acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment
12 in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner
13 any information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any
14 person or entity except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.
15 I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the
16 Central District of California for enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective
17 Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.
18 I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of
19 _______________________________________ [print or type full address and
20 telephone number] as my California agent for service of process in connection with
21 this action or any proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective
22 Order.
23 Date: ______________________________________
24 City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________
25
26 Printed name: _______________________________
27

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/10038839. Public record. Not legal advice.