even stipulated protective orders require good cause showing
How later courts described this case
- even stipulated protective orders require good cause showing
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
NMOADTEE: TCOH ATNHIGSE DSO HCAUVMEE BNETEN
1
2 See last sentence of §3.
3
4
5
6
7
8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9 FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
10
SARAH SMITH, an individual, on behalf CASE NO.: 2:20-cv-08557-AB-AFM
11 of the general public,
[PROPOSED] ORDER ENTERING
12
Plaintiff, STIPULATED PROTECTIVE
13 ORDER1
v.
14
15 AGA SERVICE COMPANY, d/b/a
16 ALLIANZ GLOBAL ASSISTANCE;
JEFFERSON INSURANCE COMPANY,
17 and DOES 1-100, inclusive,
18
Defendants.
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27 1 This Stipulated Protective Order is based substantially on the model protective order
For good cause show, the Court hereby enters the following Protective Order,
1
which has been stipulated to between the parties in the above-referenced matter:
2
1. A. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS
3
Disclosure and discovery activity in this Action are likely to involve production of
4
confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public
5
disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be
6
warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the court to enter the
7
following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this Order does not
8
confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and that the
9
protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited
10
information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal
11
principles.
12
B. GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT
13
This Action is likely to involve information relating to the purchase by consumers
14
of event tickets and event protection insurance, including but not limited to personal
15
financial data, as well as trade secrets, customer and pricing lists and other valuable
16
research, development, commercial, financial, technical and/or proprietary information
17
for which special protection from public disclosure and from use for any purpose other
18
than prosecution of this Action is warranted. Such confidential and proprietary materials
19
and information consist of, among other things, confidential business or financial
20
information, information regarding confidential business practices, or other confidential
21
research, development, or commercial information (including information implicating
22
privacy rights of third parties), information otherwise generally unavailable to the public,
23
or which may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure under state or federal
24
statutes, court rules, case decisions, or common law. Accordingly, to expedite the flow
25
of information, to facilitate the prompt resolution of disputes over confidentiality of
26
discovery materials, to adequately protect information the parties are entitled to keep
27
1 material in preparation for and in the conduct of trial, to address their handling at the end
2 of the litigation, and serve the ends of justice, a protective order for such information is
3 justified in this matter. It is the intent of the parties that information will not be designated
4 as confidential for tactical reasons and that nothing be so designated without a good faith
5 belief that it has been maintained in a confidential, non-public manner, and there is good
6 cause why it should not be part of the public record of this case. Additionally, any
7 Producing Party may designate as “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” any Discovery Material that
8 it believes in good faith contains highly sensitive business or personal information, the
9 disclosure of which is likely to cause significant harm to an individual or to the business
10 or competitive position of the designating party.
11 C. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROCEDURE FOR FILING UNDER SEAL
12 The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this
13 Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information under
14 seal; Local Civil Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed and the
15 standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file
16 material under seal.
17 There is a strong presumption that the public has a right of access to judicial
18 proceedings and records in civil cases. In connection with non-dispositive motions, good
19 cause must be shown to support a filing under seal. See Kamakana v. City and County of
20 Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006), Phillips v. Gen. Motors Corp., 307 F.3d
21 1206, 1210-11 (9th Cir. 2002), Makar-Welbon v. Sony Electrics, Inc., 187 F.R.D. 576,
22 577 (E.D. Wis. 1999) (even stipulated protective orders require good cause showing), and
23 a specific showing of good cause or compelling reasons with proper evidentiary support
24 and legal justification, must be made with respect to Protected Material that a party seeks
25 to file under seal. The parties’ mere designation of Disclosure or Discovery Material as
26 CONFIDENTIAL does not—without the submission of competent evidence by
27 declaration, establishing that the material sought to be filed under seal qualifies as
1 Further, if a party requests sealing related to a dispositive motion or trial, then
2 compelling reasons, not only good cause, for the sealing must be shown, and the relief
3 sought shall be narrowly tailored to serve the specific interest to be protected. See Pintos
4 v. Pacific Creditors Ass’n., 605 F.3d 665, 677-79 (9th Cir. 2010). For each item or type
5 of information, document, or thing sought to be filed or introduced under seal in
6 connection with a dispositive motion or trial, the party seeking protection must articulate
7 compelling reasons, supported by specific facts and legal justification, for the requested
8 sealing order. Again, competent evidence supporting the application to file documents
9 under seal must be provided by declaration.
10 Any document that is not confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable in its
11 entirety will not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted. If
12 documents can be redacted, then a redacted version for public viewing, omitting only the
13 confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable portions of the document, shall be filed.
14 Any application that seeks to file documents under seal in their entirety should include
15 an explanation of why redaction is not feasible.
16 2. DEFINITIONS
17 2.1 Action: the above-captioned pending federal lawsuit.
18 2.2 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of
19 information or items under this Order.
20 2.3 Confidential or “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information
21 (regardless of how it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for
22 protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c) and are designated as
23 “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes’ Only,” as specified above in the Good Cause
24 Statement, according to the good faith belief of a Designating Party.
25 2.4 Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as their
26 employees and other support staff).
27 2.5 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or
1 2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of the
2 medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among other
3 things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or generated in
4 disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.
5 2.7 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter
6 pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an
7 expert witness or as a consultant in this Action.
8 2.8 In-House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this Action.
9 In-House Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside
10 counsel.
11 2.9 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or
12 other legal entity not named as a Party to this Action.
13 2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party to
14 this Action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this Action and have appeared
15 in this Action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm which has appeared
16 on behalf of that party.
17 2.11 Party: any party to this Action, including all of its officers, directors,
18 employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their
19 support staffs).
20 2.12 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or
21 Discovery Material in this Action.
22 2.13 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support
23 services (e.g., court reporting, photocopying, videotaping, graphic support services,
24 document review, coding, translating, preparing exhibits or demonstrations, and
25 organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) and their employees and
26 subcontractors.
27 2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is designated
1 has not had such designation removed by agreement of the Parties or by court order, and
2 that is not excluded from protection of this Order pursuant to Section 3 below.
3 2.15 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material
4 from a Producing Party.
5 2.16 Requesting Party: a Party that seeks (whether formally or informally)
6 Disclosure or Discovery Material in this action.
7 3. SCOPE
8 The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected
9 Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from
10 Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected
11 Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or presentations by Parties or their
12 Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. However, the protections conferred by this
13 Stipulation and Order do not cover the following information: (a) any information that is
14 in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving Party or becomes part of the
15 public domain after its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of publication not
16 involving a violation of this Order, including becoming part of the public record through
17 trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to the Receiving Party prior to the
18 disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a source who
19 obtained the information lawfully and under no obligation of confidentiality to the
20 Designating Party.
21 Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or
22 order of the trial judge.
23 4. DURATION
24 Once a case proceeds to trial, information that was designated as CONFIDENTIAL
25 or maintained pursuant to this protective order used or introduced as an exhibit at trial
26 becomes public and will be presumptively available to all members of the public,
27 including the press, unless compelling reasons supported by specific factual findings to
1 F.3d at 1180-81 (distinguishing “good cause” showing for sealing documents produced
2 in discovery from “compelling reasons” standard when merits-related documents are part
3 of court record). Accordingly, the terms of this protective order do not extend beyond the
4 commencement of the trial. The Parties reserve the right to object to the use or
5 introduction of any material designated as CONFIDENTIAL prior to its use or
6 introduction at trial.
7 Otherwise, even after the final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality
8 obligations imposed by this Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees
9 otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise directs. The Court shall retain jurisdiction
10 after final disposition of this matter to hear and resolve any disputes arising out of this
11 Order. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and
12 defenses in this action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the
13 completion and exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this
14 action, including the time limits for filing any motions or applications for extension of
15 time pursuant to applicable law.
16 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
17 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.
18 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under
19 this Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies
20 under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for protection
21 only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written communications that
22 qualify – so that other portions of the material, documents, items, or communications for
23 which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within the ambit of this
24 Order.
25 Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that
26 are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g.,
27 to unnecessarily encumber or retard the case development process or to impose
1 unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) expose the Designating Party to
2 sanctions.
3 If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it
4 designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must
5 promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation.
6 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations.
7 Except as otherwise provided in this Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of section
8 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material
9 that qualifies for protection under this Order must be clearly so designated before the
10 material is disclosed or produced.
11 Designation in conformity with this Order requires:
12 (a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic documents
13 not produced in native format, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial
14 or trial proceedings), that the Producing Party affix the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or
15 “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” to each page that contains protected material. If only a portion
16 or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also
17 must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in
18 the margins).
19 A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for
20 inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has
21 indicated which material it would like copied and produced. During the inspection and
22 before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be deemed
23 “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only.” After the inspecting Party has identified
24 the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which
25 documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before
26 producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the
27 “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” legend to each page that contains
1 protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g.,
2 by making appropriate markings in the margins).
3 (b) for electronic files and documents produced in native electronic format,
4 Designating Party shall include both the words “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes
5 Only” and a unique, sequential production number in the file name or designator for the
6 document or file at issue. When electronic files or documents produced in native format
7 are printed for use at deposition, a court proceeding, a court filing, or for provision to an
8 Expert, the Party printing the electronic files or documents shall affix to the printed
9 document a legend that includes the production number and designation associated with
10 the native file.
11 (c) for any other information transmitted to a Party by electronic means, the
12 label “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” shall appear in the subject of the
13 electronic mail or in the title or other prominent location of the digital document or media
14 through which the information is conveyed.
15 (d) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings,
16 that the Designating Party (i) identify on the record, before the close of the deposition,
17 hearing, or other proceeding, all protected testimony, or (ii) within thirty (30) days of the
18 deposition or other proceeding, notify all Parties and the stenographer/videographer, in
19 writing, of the specific pages, lines, and/or sections of the transcript or recording that
20 contain confidential information and that should be treated as Protected Material. Except
21 as otherwise agreed to in writing by the Parties, all transcripts and recordings of
22 depositions and other non-public proceedings shall be treated as Protected Material for
23 thirty (30) days following the deposition or proceeding, or until written notice of a
24 designation or non-designation is received, whichever occurs first. A Party that intends
25 to designate testimony as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” is responsible
26 for obtaining a transcript or recording as needed to make designations within the 30-day
27 period. The Parties may agree at any time that any transcript or recording, or portion(s)
1 unreasonably withheld (e.g., to impose inconvenience on another Party). After the 30-
2 day period, if no Party has designated some or all of that transcript or recording as
3 “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” under this Order, those portions of the
4 transcript or recording not designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only”
5 (or the entire transcript or recording if no designations are made), will no longer be
6 considered Protected Material. In the case of a Non-Party witness, testimony can be
7 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” by a Party or by the Non-
8 Party witness.
9 After designation, transcript pages containing Protected Material shall, at the
10 request and expense of the Designating Party, be separately bound by the court reporter,
11 who must affix to the top of each such page the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or
12 “Attorneys’ Eyes Only.” In the event that the deposition or other non-public proceeding
13 is recorded in audiovisual format, the original and all copies of the video recording shall
14 be marked by the video technician to indicate that the content of the video is subject to
15 this Stipulated Protective Order, substantially along the lines of “This video contains
16 confidential testimony used in this case and is not to be viewed or the contents thereof to
17 be displayed or revealed except pursuant to the terms of the operative Stipulated
18 Protective Order in this matter or pursuant to the written stipulation of the Parties.” Any
19 additional charges for such treatment of the transcript or the video recording shall be
20 borne by the Designating Party.
21 (e) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for any
22 other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the exterior
23 of the container or containers in which the information or item is stored the legend
24 “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only.” If only a portion or portions of the
25 information or item warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable,
26 shall identify the protected portion(s).
27
1 (f) Use of Protected Material as Exhibits. The use of Protected Material as an
2 exhibit at a deposition or other non-public proceeding shall not, on that basis, in any way
3 affect its designation as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “Attorneys’ Eyes Only.”
4 (g) Requests to Seal. Requests to seal court filings or proceedings that would
5 otherwise be a matter of public record shall be made to the Court according to the local
6 rules and individual practices and/or instructions of the Court.
7 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure
8 to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the
9 Designating Party’s right to secure protection under this Order for such material, and such
10 materials shall be treated as Protected Material upon written notice by the Designating
11 Party. If possible, the Designating Party shall timely re-produce the information or items
12 with the appropriate designations (and, if applicable, using the same Bates number as the
13 original production). Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must
14 make reasonable efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the
15 provisions of this Order.
16 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS.
17 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a designation
18 of confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party’s
19 confidentiality designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness,
20 unnecessary economic burdens, or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a
21 Party does not waive its right to challenge a confidentiality designation by electing not to
22 mount a challenge promptly after the original designation is disclosed.
23 6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute resolution
24 process under Local Rule 37-1 et seq.
25 6.3 Joint Stipulation. Any challenge submitted to the Court shall be via a joint
26 stipulation pursuant to Local Rule 37-2.
27 6.4 The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the
1 to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the
2 Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived or withdrawn
3 the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford the material in question
4 the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party’s designation until
5 the Court rules on the challenge.
6 7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
7 7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is
8 disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this case
9 only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this litigation. Such Protected
10 Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the conditions
11 described in this Order. When the litigation has been terminated, a Receiving Party must
12 comply with the provisions of section 13 below (FINAL DISPOSITION).
13 Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a
14 location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons
15 authorized under this Order.
16 7.2 Disclosure of Protected Material. Unless otherwise ordered by the court or
17 permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any
18 information or item designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:
19 (a) the Party and the Party’s Counsel;
20 (b) the officers, directors, and employees of the Receiving Party to whom
21 disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the
22 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
23 (c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Designating Party may be shown or
24 examined on any information, document or thing designated “CONFIDENTIAL” by the
25 Designating Party;
26 (d) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure
27 is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment
1 (e) the Court and its personnel, and any appellate court or other court, special
2 master, and/or referee (and their personnel) before which the Parties appear in this
3 litigation;
4 (f) court reporters and videographers (and their staff),
5 (g) professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional Vendors
6 (i) whose contract with or warranties to a Party related to the provision of services in
7 connection with this action requires them to maintain the confidentiality of the Protected
8 Material or (ii) to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who
9 have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
10 (h) any witness in this action may be shown or examined on any information if
11 the disclosure of Protected Material is reasonably necessary (including if it appears that
12 the witness authored or received a copy of it, possessed or knew the confidential
13 information at issue, was involved in or knowledgeable about the subject matter thereof,
14 or was employed by the Producing Party at the time the Protected Material was created),
15 provided that (i) each such witness shall be advised that such Protected Material is being
16 disclosed pursuant to and subject to the terms of this Order and that the Protected Material
17 may not be disclosed other than pursuant to the terms of this Order and (ii) any witness
18 who is not employed by the Producing Party shall be first required to sign the
19 Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by
20 the Designating Party or ordered by the Court;;
21 (i) any other person as to whom the Designating Party has consented to
22 disclosure in advance; and
23 (j) any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel, mutually
24 agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.
25 7.3. Materials designated as “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” shall not be disclosed by
26 the person receiving it to any other person without the prior written consent of the
27 Producing Party or an order of the Court, except the following:
1 (b) Court and its personnel, and any appellate court or other court, special
2 master, and/or referee (and their personnel) before which the Parties appear in this
3 litigation; and
4 (c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure
5 is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment
6 and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A).
7 8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN
8 OTHER LITIGATION
9 If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation
10 that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as
11 “CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party must:
12 (a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall
13 include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
14 (b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to
15 issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or
16 order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this
17 Stipulated Protective Order; and
18 (c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by
19 the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.
20 If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the
21 subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this Action as
22 “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the subpoena or
23 order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The
24 Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court
25 of its confidential material – and nothing in these provisions should be construed as
26 authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action to disobey a lawful directive
27 from another court.
1 9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED
2 IN THIS LITIGATION
3 (a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a Non-Party
4 in this Action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information produced by
5 Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief
6 provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a
7 Non-Party from seeking additional protections. Any Party issuing a subpoena to a Non-
8 Party shall provide a copy of this Order to the Non-Party.
9 (b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a
10 Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an
11 agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s confidential information,
12 then the Party shall:
13 (1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some
14 or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-
15 Party;
16 (2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of this Order, the relevant
17 discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the information requested;
18 and
19 (3) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-Party.
20 (c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this court within
21 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may
22 produce the Non-Party’s confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If
23 the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any
24 information in its possession or control that is subject to the confidentiality agreement
25 with the Non-Party before a determination by the court. Absent a court order to the
26 contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in this
27 court of its Protected Material.
1 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed
2 Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this
3 Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing
4 the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve
5 all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or persons to
6 whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order, and (d) request
7 such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound”
8 that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
9 Unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure does not change the status of Protected
10 Material or waive the right to maintain the disclosed document or information as
11 Protected Material.
12 11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE
13 PROTECTED MATERIAL
14 Nothing in this Stipulated Protective Order shall require disclosure of information
15 which is protected by the attorney-client privilege, work product immunity, or other
16 privilege or immunity, or otherwise alters the parties’ ethical responsibilities under the
17 State Bar of California Rules of Professional Conduct and the Civility and
18 Professionalism Guidelines for the Central District of California. The inadvertent
19 production of privileged or work-product-protected documents, electronically stored
20 information (“ESI”) or information is not, in itself, a waiver of the privilege or protection
21 from discovery in this case or in any other federal or state proceeding or governmental
22 investigation or proceeding. There must be an intentional waiver of the applicable
23 privilege or else the information must have been used and disclosed in such a way that
24 the belated assertion of the privilege or protection is no longer practical or would be
25 prejudicial to the Receiving Party. This Order shall be interpreted to provide the
26 maximum protection allowed by Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d). For the avoidance of
27 any doubt and for purposes of the application of this paragraph, the parties agree that
1 When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently
2 produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of
3 the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B).
4 This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure may be established in an e-
5 discovery order that provides for production without prior privilege review. Each
6 Receiving Party must immediately return such Discovery Material and all copies to the
7 Producing Party, except for any pages containing privileged markings by the Receiving
8 Party, which shall instead be destroyed and certified as such by the Receiving Party to
9 the Producing Party.
10 12. REDACTIONS
11 Any Producing Party may redact from Discovery Material matters that the
12 Producing Party claims are Privileged Material. The Producing Party shall mark each
13 redaction with a legend stating “REDACTED,” at or near the location of the redaction(s),
14 and must also specify the basis for the redaction on a privilege log. Where a document
15 consists of more than one page, at least each page on which information has been redacted
16 shall be so marked. If counsel for the Producing Party agrees or if the Court orders that
17 Discovery Material initially redacted shall not be subject to redaction or shall receive
18 alternative treatment, and the Discovery Material is subsequently produced in unredacted
19 form, then that unredacted Discovery Material shall continue to receive the protections
20 and treatment afforded to documents bearing the confidentiality designation assigned to
21 it by the Producing Party.
22 Defendants reserve the right to seek a Court order allowing the party to redact non-
23 responsive matter that is personal in nature from otherwise responsive documents on a
24 case-by-case basis. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the
25 parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or information
26 covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product protection, the parties may
27 incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted to the court.
1 13.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any
2 person to seek its modification by the court in the future. Any Party may, via a noticed
3 motion or noticed request to the Court, and for good cause shown, seek a modification of
4 this Protective Order. By agreeing to this Protective Order, no Party shall be deemed to
5 have waived the right to modifications later sought by the Party. Nothing in this
6 Protective Order shall limit the Parties’ ability to stipulate to the receipt of Protected
7 Material by a particular individual, to the manner in which an individual may receive
8 such Material, or to modifications to deadlines required by this Protective Order. 13.2
9 13.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this
10 Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to disclosing
11 or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this Stipulated
12 Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any ground to use in
13 evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.
14 13.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected
15 Material must comply with Local Civil Rule 79-5. Protected Material may only be filed
16 under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected
17 Material at issue. If a Party’s request to file Protected Material under seal is denied by the
18 court, then the Receiving Party may file the information in the public record unless
19 otherwise instructed by the court.
20 13. 4 Scope of Persons/Entities Bound: This Stipulated Protective Order shall be
21 binding upon the Parties hereto, their Counsel, and their successors, executors, heirs,
22 assigns, and employees.
23 13.5 Compliance with Federal and State Law. Nothing in this Order or the ESI
24 protocol shall require a party to violate any controlling public records, disclosure, or
25 retention laws.
26 14. FINAL DISPOSITION
27 Within sixty (60) days after the final disposition of this Action, as defined in
1 Party or destroy such material. As used in this subdivision, “all Protected Material’
2 {includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other format reproducing
3 || or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned or
4 || destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written certification to the Producing Party
5 ||(and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the sixty (60)-day
6 ||deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material
7 || that was returned or destroyed and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained
8 ||any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or
9 ||capturing any of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are
10 entitled to retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and
11 |j/hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits,
12 |}expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if
13 ||such materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or
14 constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in
15 || Section 4 (DURATION).
16 VIOLATION
17 Any violation of this Order may be punished by appropriate measures including,
18 || without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary sanctions.
19
20 || FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.
Chey Moe k—-~
22 || DATED:11/24/2021
73 Hon. Alexander F. MacKinnon
United States Magistrate Judge
24
25
26
27
28
1 EXHIBIT A
2 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND
3 I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of _________________
4 [print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety
5 and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States
6 District Court for the Northern District of California on [date] in the case of Sarah Smith
7 v. AGA Service Company et. al., Case No. 2:20-cv-08557-AB-AFM. I agree to comply
8 with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand
9 and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment
10 in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any
11 information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or
12 entity except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.
13 I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the
14 Northern District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated
15 Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this
16 Action.
17 I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of
18 _______________________________________ [print or type full address and telephone
19 number] as my California agent for service of process in connection with this Action or
20 any proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.
21
22 Date: ______________________________________
23 City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________
24
25 Printed name: _______________________________
26
27 Signature: __________________________________