Opinion

Andrea Linder v. Walmart, Inc.

Court
District Court, C.D. California
Filed
Sep 25, 2025
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 35.5%

even stipulated protective orders 21 require good cause showing

How later courts described this case

  • even stipulated protective orders 21 require good cause showing

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

1 STEPHANIE FORMAN, ESQ.; STATE BAR NO.: 195757

ERIC J. PALMER, ESQ.; STATE BAR NO.: 231207

2

THARPE & HOWELL, LLP

3 15250 Ventura Blvd., Ninth Floor

Sherman Oaks, California 91403

4 (818) 205-9955; (818) 205-9944 fax

E-Mail: sforman@tharpe-howell.com

5 E-Mail: epalmer@tharpe-howell.com

6 Attorneys for Defendant,

WALMART INC.

7

8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

10

11 ANDREA LINDER, Case No. 2:25-cv-05591

[Los Angeles County Superior Court Case

12 Plaintiff, No. 25LBCV01056]

13 v. [Assigned to District Judge Maame Ewusi-

Mensah Frimpong and Magistrate Judge

14 WALMART, INC. and DOES 1 to 50, Stephanie S. Christensen]

inclusive,

15

Defendants. [DISCOVERY MATTER]

16 STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER1

17

18 Complaint Filed: March 28, 2025

Trial Date: September 14, 2026

19

1. INTRODUCTION

20

1.1 Purposes and Limitations. Discovery in this action is likely to involve

21

production of confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special

22

protection from public disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting

23

this litigation may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and

24

petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties

25

acknowledge that this Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or

26

27 1 This Stipulated Protective Order is substantially based on the model protective

order provided under Magistrate Judge Stephanie S. Christensen’s Procedures as of

28

1 responses to discovery and that the protection it affords from public disclosure

2 and use extends only to the limited information or items that are entitled to

3 confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles.

4 1.2 GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT

5 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 26(c)(1) states in pertinent part, that the

6 Court, upon a showing of good cause may “issue an order to protect a party from

7 annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense.” Fed.R.Civ.P.

8 26(c)(1). In the instant matter, Defendant Walmart Inc.’s Confidential Documents

9 contain proprietary and confidential trade secret information relating to Defendant’s

10 business practices, policies and procedures, its safety protocol, and its video

11 surveillance system. Defendant Walmart Inc., (“Defendant” or “Walmart”) derives

12 independent economic value from maintaining the confidentiality of the policies and

13 procedures set forth in these Confidential Documents.

14 Defendant is a leading national retailer with its first store opening in 1962. The

15 retail industry is very competitive. As a result of years of investing time and money

16 in research and investigation, Defendant developed the policies contained in the

17 Confidential Documents for the purposes of maintaining the security of its facilities,

18 providing quality customer service, and ensuring the safety of its employees,

19 customers, and other invitees. These policies and procedures, as memorialized in the

20 Confidential Documents, were created and generated by Walmart for Walmart, and

21 are used for the purposes of maintaining safety at its stores and creating efficient and

22 organized work environments for its employees. As a result, Defendant is able to

23 minimize the waste of any resources, which is a key factor in generating profitability

24 for its business.

25 Defendant derives economic value from maintaining the secrecy of its Confidential

26 Documents. If disclosed to the public, the trade secret information contained in

27 Defendant’s Confidential Documents would reveal Defendant’s internal operations

28 and could potentially be used by competitors as a means to compete for its customers,

1 interfere with its business plans and thereby gain unfair business advantages. If

2 Defendant’s safety protocol were revealed to the general public, it would hinder

3 Defendant’s ability to effectively resolve and minimize liability claims, and its goal of

4 protecting its customers and employees from theft and other crimes. Unrestricted or

5 unprotected disclosure of such information would result in prejudice or harm to

6 Defendant by revealing Walmart’s competitive confidential information, which has

7 been developed at the expense of Walmart and which represents valuable tangible and

8 intangible assets. Accordingly, the parties respectfully submit that there is good cause

9 for the entry of this Protective Order.

10 1.3 Acknowledgment of Procedure for Filing Under Seal. The parties further

11 acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order

12 does not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Local Rule 79-5 sets

13 forth the procedures that must be followed and the standards that will be applied when

14 a party seeks permission from the court to file material under seal.

15 There is a strong presumption that the public has a right of access to judicial

16 proceedings and records in civil cases. In connection with non-dispositive motions,

17 good cause must be shown to support a filing under seal. See Kamakana v. City and

18 Cnty. of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006), Phillips ex rel. Ests. of Byrd

19 v. Gen. Motors Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 1210–11 (9th Cir. 2002), Makar-Welbon v. Sony

20 Elecs., Inc., 187 F.R.D. 576, 577 (E.D. Wis. 1999) (even stipulated protective orders

21 require good cause showing), and a specific showing of good cause or compelling

22 reasons with proper evidentiary support and legal justification, must be made with

23 respect to Protected Material that a party seeks to file under seal. The parties’ mere

24 designation of Disclosure or Discovery Material as CONFIDENTIAL does not—

25 without the submission of competent evidence by declaration, establishing that the

26 material sought to be filed under seal qualifies as confidential, privileged, or otherwise

27 protectable—constitute good cause.

28 Further, if a party requests sealing related to a dispositive motion or trial, then

1 compelling reasons, not only good cause, for the sealing must be shown, and the relief

2 sought shall be narrowly tailored to serve the specific interest to be protected. See

3 Pintos v. Pac. Creditors Ass’n, 605 F.3d 665, 677–79 (9th Cir. 2010). For each item

4 or type of information, document, or thing sought to be filed or introduced under seal

5 in connection with a dispositive motion or trial, the party seeking protection must

6 articulate compelling reasons, supported by specific facts and legal justification, for

7 the requested sealing order. Again, competent evidence supporting the application to

8 file documents under seal must be provided by declaration.

9 Any document that is not confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable in its

10 entirety will not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted. If

11 documents can be redacted, then a redacted version for public viewing, omitting only

12 the confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable portions of the document, shall

13 be filed. Any application that seeks to file documents under seal in their entirety should

14 include an explanation of why redaction is not feasible.

15 2. DEFINITIONS

16 2.1 Action: Andrea Linder v. Walmart, Inc., and Does 1-50, inclusive. Case

17 No. 2:35-CV-05591.

18 2.2 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation

19 of information or items under this Order.

20 2.3 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of

21 how it is generated, stored, or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection

22 under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c), and as specified above in the Good Cause

23 Statement.

24 2.4 Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as their

25 support staff).

26 2.5 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or

27 items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as

28 “CONFIDENTIAL.”

1 2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of

2 the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including,

3 among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or

4 generated in 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

7 an expert witness or as a consultant in this Action.

8 2.8 Final Disposition: the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in

9 this Action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the

10 completion and exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of

11 this Action, including the time limits for filing any motions or applications for

12 extension of time pursuant to applicable law.

13 2.9 In-House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this Action.

14 House Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside

15 counsel.

16 2.10 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or

17 other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.

18 2.11 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party

19 to this Action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this Action and have

20 appeared in this Action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm which

21 has appeared on behalf of that party, including support staff.

22 2.12 Party: any party to this Action, including all of its officers, directors,

23 employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their

24 support staffs).

25 2.13 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or

26 Discovery Material in this Action.

27 2.14 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support

28 services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or

1 demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) and

2 their employees and subcontractors.

3 2.15 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is

4 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.”

5 2.16 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material

6 from a Producing Party.

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.

13 Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the trial

14 judge. This Stipulated Protective Order does not govern the use of Protected Material

15 at trial.

16 4. TRIAL AND DURATION

17 The terms of this Stipulated Protective Order apply through Final Disposition of

18 the Action.

19 Once a case proceeds to trial, information that was designated as CONFIDENTIAL

20 or maintained pursuant to this Stipulated Protective Order and used or introduced as

21 an exhibit at trial becomes public and will be presumptively available to all members

22 of the public, including the press, unless compelling reasons supported by specific

23 factual findings to proceed otherwise are made to the trial judge in advance of the trial.

24 See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1180–81 (distinguishing “good cause” showing for sealing

25 documents produced in discovery from “compelling reasons” standard when merits-

26 related documents are part of court record). Accordingly, for such materials, the terms

27 of this Stipulated Protective Order do not extend beyond the commencement of the

28 trial.

1 Even after Final Disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations

2 imposed by this Stipulated Protective Order shall remain in effect until a Designating

3 Party agrees otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise directs.

4 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL

5 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.

6 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under this

7 Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies

8 under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for protection

9 only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written communications that

10 qualify so that other portions of the material, documents, items, or communications

11 for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within the ambit of

12 this Order.

13 Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that

14 are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose

15 (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber the case development process or to impose

16 unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Designating Party

17 to sanctions.

18 If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it

19 designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must

20 promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the inapplicable designation.

21 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in

22 this Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of Section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise

23 stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection

24 under this Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or

25 produced.

26 Designation in conformity with this Order requires:

27 (a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic

28 documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial

1 proceedings), that the Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend

2 “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that

3 contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page

4 qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected

5 portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).

6 A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents available for

7 inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has

8 indicated which documents it would like copied and produced. During the inspection

9 and before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be

10 deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has identified the documents

11 it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which documents,

12 or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before producing

13 the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the “CONFIDENTIAL

14 legend” to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of

15 the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly

16 identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).

17 (b) for testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party identify

18 the Disclosure or Discovery Material on the record, before the close of the deposition

19 all protected testimony.

20 (c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for

21 any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the

22 exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored the legend

23 “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information warrants

24 protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected

25 portion(s).

26 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent

27 failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the

28 Designating Party’s right to secure protection under this Order for such material. Upon

1 timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable efforts

2 to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this Stipulated

3 Protective Order.

4 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS

5 a. Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a

6 designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the court’s Scheduling

7 Order.

8 b. Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute

9 resolution process under Local Rule 37.1 et seq. and with Section 2 of Judge

10 Christensen’s Civil Procedures titled “Brief Pre-Discovery Motion Conference.”

11 c. The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on

12 the Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose

13 (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties), may

14 expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived

15 or withdrawn the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford the

16 material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the

17 Producing Party’s designation until the Court rules on the challenge.

18 7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

19 a. Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that

20 is disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this

21 Action only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this Action. Such

22 Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the

23 conditions described in this Order. When the Action has been terminated, a

24 Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of Section 13 below (FINAL

25 DISPOSITION).

26 Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a

27 location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons

28 authorized under this Order.

1 b. Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless

2 otherwise ordered by the Court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a

3 Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated “CONFIDENTIAL”

4 only to:

5 (a) to the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this Action, as

6 well as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably

7 necessary to disclose the information for this Action;

8 (b) to the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of

9 the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action;

10 (c) to Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom

11 disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have signed the

12 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

13 (d) to the court and its personnel;

14 (e) to court reporters and their staff;

15 (f) to professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional

16 Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have

17 signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

18 (g) to the author or recipient of a document containing the information or

19 a custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information;

20 (h) during their depositions, to witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in

21 the Action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary, provided: (1) the deposing

22 party requests that the witness sign the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be

23 Bound” (Exhibit A); and (2) the witness will not be permitted to keep any confidential

24 information unless they sign the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound”

25 (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court.

26 Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal

27 Protected Material may be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be

28 disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and

1 (i) to any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel,

2 mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.

3 8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED

4 PRODUCED IN OTHER LITIGATION

5 If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation

6 that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as

7 “CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party must:

8 (a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification

9 shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order;

10 (b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order

11 to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena

12 or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of

13 this Stipulated Protective Order; and

14 (c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued

15 by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.

16 If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with

17 the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action

18 as “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the subpoena

19 or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The

20 Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court

21 of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions should be construed as

22 authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action to disobey a lawful

23 directive from another court.

24 9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE

25 PRODUCED IN THIS LITIGATION

26 9.1 Application. The terms of this Stipulated Protective Order are

27 applicable to information produced by a Non-Party in this Action and designated as

28 “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information produced by Non-Parties in connection with

1 this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief provided by this Order. Nothing

2 in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking

3 additional protections.

4 9.2 Notification. In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery

5 request, to produce a Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the

6 Party is subject to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s

7 confidential information, then the Party shall:

8 (a) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that

9 some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement

10 with a Non-Party;

11 (b) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-

12 Party, if requested.

13 9.3 Conditions of Production. If the Non-Party fails to seek a protective

14 order from this court within 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying

15 information, the Receiving Party may produce the Non-Party’s confidential

16 information responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a

17 protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its

18 possession or control that is subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-

19 Party before a determination by the court. Absent a court order to the contrary, the

20 Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in this court of its

21 Protected Material.

22 10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

23 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed

24 Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this

25 Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in

26 writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts

27 to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or

28 persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order,

1 and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and

2 Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A).

3 11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE

4 PROTECTED MATERIAL

5 When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain

6 inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection,

7 the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Rule 26(b)(5)(B) of the

8 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This provision is not intended to modify whatever

9 procedure may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production

10 without prior privilege review. Pursuant to Rules 502(d) and (e) of the Federal Rules

11 of Evidence, insofar as the parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a

12 communication or information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work

13 product protection, the parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated

14 protective order submitted to the court.

15 12. MISCELLANEOUS

16 12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Stipulated Protective Order

17 abridges the right of any person to seek its modification by the court in the future.

18 12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this

19 Stipulated Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object

20 to disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this

21 Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any

22 ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Stipulated Protective

23 Order.

24 12.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any

25 Protected Material must comply with Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may only

26 be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific

27 Protected Material at issue. If a Party's request to file Protected Material under seal is

28 denied by the court, then the Receiving Party may file the information in the public

1 record unless otherwise instructed by the court.

2 13. FINAL DISPOSITION

3 After the Final Disposition of this Action, as defined in paragraph 4, within 60

4 days of a written request by the Designating Party, each Receiving Party must return

5 all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this

6 subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations,

7 summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected

8 Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party

9 must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person

10 or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies (by

11 category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material that was returned or destroyed

12 and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts,

13 compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the

14 Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel is entitled to retain an

15 archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts,

16 legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports,

17 attorney work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such materials

18 contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or constitute

19 Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in Section 4.

20 ///

21 ///

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28 ///

| 14. VIOLATION

2 Any violation of this Stipulated Protective Order may be punished by any and

3|| all appropriate measures including, without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or

monetary sanctions.

5

6

7\| IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.

8 EISENBERG LAW GROUP

9

Dated: September 25, 2025

10 By: ___/s/ Vick V_Petrosian

JASON G. EISENBERG

gq il VICK V. PETROSIAN

a Attorneys for Plaintiff,

ANDREA LINDER

zo THARPE & HOWELL, LLP

15

Dated: September 25, 2025 By: /s/ Eric J. Palmer

16 STEPHANIE FORMAN

Se 17 ERIC J. PALMER

Attorneys for Defendant,

18 WALMART INC.

Eric J. Palmer, the filer of this document, attests that all other signatories listed above, and on

whose behalf this filing is submitted, concur in the filing’s content and have authorized the

20 filing, pursuant to L.R. 5-4.3.4(a)(2)(i).

21

92 || FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.

23

24|| DATED: September 25, 2025 Z

Hon. Stephanie S. Christensen

25 United States Magistrate Judge

26

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Ve]

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

5

under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and understand the

6

Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for

7

the Central District of California on [date] in the case of Andrea Linder v

8

Walmart, Inc. and Does1-50 inclusive. Case No:2:25-cv-05591. I agree to comply

9

with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I

10

understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to

11

sanctions and punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I

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will not disclose in any manner any information or item that is subject to this

13

Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity except in strict compliance

14

with the provisions of this Order.

15

I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District

16

Court for the Central District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms

17

of this Stipulated Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur

18

after termination of this action. I hereby appoint ___________________________

19

[print or type full name] of ________________________________ [print or

20

type full address and telephone number] as

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1 my California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any

2 proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.

3

4 Date: ___________________________

5 City and State where sworn and

6 signed: ___________________________

7 Printed name: ___________________________

8 Signature: ___________________________

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This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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