# Opinion

> District Court, C.D. California · January 28, 2026

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/11338892

## Case

- **Full name:** Estate of Steve De Leon Gonzalez, by and through successors in interest, Steve Anthony De Leon and Rosario Gonzalez; Steve Anthony De Leon, individually; Rosario Gonzalez, individually v. County of Riverside, a public entity; Riverside County Sheriff’s Department; Sheriff Chad Bianco, in his individual and official capacity
- **Court:** District Court, C.D. California
- **Decided:** January 28, 2026
- **Opinion:** 100trialcourt
- **Cited by:** 0 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

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## Opinion text

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
7
FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
8

9 ESTATE OF STEVE DE LEON ) CASE NO. 5:25-cv-02272-KK-SP
GONZALEZ, by and through ) [Assigned to the Hon. Kenly Kiya Kato,
10 successors in interest, Steve Anthony ) District Judge; Referred to the Hon. Sheri
De Leon and Rosario Gonzalez; ) Pym, Magistrate Judge]
11 STEVE ANTHONY DE LEON, )
individually; ROSARIO GONZALEZ, )
12 individually )
) STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
13 Plaintiffs, )
)
14 v. )
)
15 COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE, a public )
entity; RIVERSIDE COUNTY )
16 SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT; )
SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO, in his )
17 individual and official capacities; )
HERMAN LOPEZ; MICHAEL )
18 KOEHLER; ALYSSA VERNAL; )
SCOTT LOWDER and DOES 1 )
19 through 10, individually, jointly and )
severally, )
20 )
Defendants. )
21 )
)
22 )
)
23 )

24
1. A. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS
25
Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of confidential,
26
proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public
27
disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be
28
1 the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this Order
2 does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and
that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited
3
information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable
4
legal principles. The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below,
5
that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to a file confidential
6
information under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be
7
followed and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from
8
the court to file material under seal.
9
B. GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT
10
Plaintiffs and the individual Defendants may produce certain documents in this
11
case that contain personal medical, employment or financial information. Such
12
information may implicate the privacy interests of the party and are properly
13
protected through a Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c) protective order. Seattle Times Co. v.
14 Rhinehart, 467 U.S. 20, 35 n.21 (1984) (“Rule 26(c) includes among its express
15 purposes the protection of a ‘party or person from annoyance, embarrassment,
16 oppression or undue burden or expense.’ Although the Rule contains no specific
17 reference to privacy or to other rights or interests that may be implicated, such matters
18 are implicit in the broad purpose and language of the Rule.”); Soto v. City of Concord,
19 162 F.R.D. 603, 617 (N.D. Cal. 1995) (a party’s privacy rights are to be protected
20 through a “carefully crafted protective order.”).
21 2. DEFINITIONS
22 2.1 Action: This pending federal law suit.
23 2.2 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation
24 of information or items under this Order.
25 2.3 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of
26 how it is generated, stored, or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for
27 protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c), and as specified above in the
28 Good Cause Statement.
1 2.4 Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as
2 their support staff).
3 2.5 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or
4 items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as
5 “CONFIDENTIAL.”
6 2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless
7 of the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including,
8 among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or
9 generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.
10 2.7 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter
11 pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as
12 an expert witness or as a consultant in this Action.
13 2.8 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 2.9 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or
17 other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.
18 2.10 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 2.11 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 2.12 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or
26 Discovery Material in this Action.
27 2.13 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)
2 and their employees and subcontractors.
3 2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is
4 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.”
5 2.15 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
9 Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or
extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or
10
compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or
11
presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material.
12
Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the
13
trial judge. This Order does not govern the use of Protected Material at trial.
14
4. DURATION
15
Once a case proceeds to trial, all of the information that was designated as
16
confidential or maintained pursuant to this protective order used or introduced as an
17
exhibit at trial becomes public and will be presumptively available to all members of
18
the public, including the press, unless compelling reasons supported by specific
19
factual findings to proceed otherwise are made to the trial judge in advance of the
20
trial. See Kamakana v. City and County of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1180-81 (9th
21
Cir. 2006) (distinguishing “good cause” showing for sealing documents produced in
22 discovery from “compelling reasons” standard when merits-related documents are
23 part of court record). Accordingly, the terms of this protective order do not extend
24 beyond the commencement of the trial except as outlined in this section.
25 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
26 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.
27 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under
28 this Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that
1 qualifies under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for
2 protection only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written
communications that qualify so that other portions of the material, documents, items,
3
or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably
4
within the ambit of this Order.
5
Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations
6
that are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper
7
purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber the case development process or to impose
8
unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Designating
9
Party to sanctions.
10
If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it
11
designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must
12
promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the inapplicable designation.
13
5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in
14
this Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of Section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise
15
stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection
16
under this Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or
17
produced.
18
Designation in conformity with this Order requires:
19 (a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic
20 documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial
21 proceedings), that the Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend
22 “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that
23 contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page
24 qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected
25 portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).
26 A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents available for
inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has
27
indicated which documents it would like copied and produced. During the inspection
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1 and before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be
2 deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has identified the documents
it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which documents,
3
or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before producing
4
the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the “CONFIDENTIAL
5
legend” to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of
6
the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly
7
identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the
8
margins). Markings added to documents pursuant to this paragraph shall not obscure
9
the content or text of the documents produced.
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(b) for testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party identify
11
the Disclosure or Discovery Material on the record, before the close of the deposition
12
all protected testimony. The court reporter must affix to each such transcript page
13
containing Protected Material the “CONFIDENTIAL legend”, as instructed by the
14 Designating Party.
15 (c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and
16 for any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on
17 the exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored the
18 legend “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information warrants
19 protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected
20 portion(s).
21 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent
22 failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the
23 Designating Party’s right to secure protection under this Order for such material.
24 Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable
25 efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this
26 Order.
27 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
28 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a
1 designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the Court’s
2 Scheduling Order.
3 6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party Shall initiate the dispute
4 resolution process under Civil Local Rule 37-1 et seq.
5 6.3 Burden of Persuasion
6 The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the
7 Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose
8 (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties), may
9 expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived
10 or withdrawn the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford the
11 material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the
12 Producing Party’s designation until the Court rules on the challenge.
13
14 7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
15 7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is
16 disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this
17 Action only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this Action. Such
18 Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the
19 conditions described in this Order. When the Action has been terminated, a
20 Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of Section 13 below (FINAL
21 DISPOSITION).
22 Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a
23 location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons
authorized under this Order.
24
7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless
25
otherwise ordered by the Court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a
26
Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated
27
“CONFIDENTIAL” only to:
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1 (a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this Action, as
2 well as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably
necessary to disclose the information for this Action;
3
(b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of
4
the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action;
5
(c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom
6
disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have signed the
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“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
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(d) the Court and its personnel;
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(e) court reporters and their staff;
10
(f) professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional
11
Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have
12
signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
13
(g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a
14 custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information;
15 (h) during their depositions, witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in the
16 Action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary provided: (1) the deposing party
17 requests that the witness sign the form attached as Exhibit 1 hereto; and (2) they will
18 not be permitted to keep any confidential information unless they sign the
19 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise
20 agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the Court. Pages of transcribed
21 deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material may be
separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as
22
permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
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(i) any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel,
24
mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.
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8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED
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PRODUCED IN OTHER LITIGATION
27
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1 If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation
2 that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as
“CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party must:
3
(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification
4
shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
5
(b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order
6
to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena
7
or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of
8
this Stipulated Protective Order; and
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(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be
10
pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.
11
If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with
12
the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this
13
action as “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the
14 subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s
15 permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking
16 protection in that court of its confidential material, and nothing in these provisions
17 should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action
18 to disobey a lawful directive from another court.
19 9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE
20 PRODUCED IN THIS LITIGATION
21 (a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a
22 Non-Party in this Action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information
23 produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the
remedies and relief provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be
24
construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.
25
(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to
26
produce a Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is
27
subject to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s
28
1 (1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party
2 that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality 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 Non-
7
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 expense
15 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,
and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and
23
Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
24
11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE
25
PROTECTED MATERIAL
26
When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain
27
inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection,
28
1 the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil
2 Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure
may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without prior
3
privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the
4
parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or
5
information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product protection, the
6
parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted
7
to the Court.
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12. MISCELLANEOUS
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12.1 Right to Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any person
10
to seek its modification by the Court in the future.
11
12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this
12
Protective Order, no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to
13
disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this
14
Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any
15
ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.
16
12.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any
17
Protected Material must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may
18
only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific
19
Protected Material at issue. If a Party’s request to file Protected Material under seal
20
is denied by the court, then the Receiving Party may file the information in the public
21
record unless otherwise instructed by the court.
22
13. FINAL DISPOSITION
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After the final disposition of this Action, as defined in paragraph 4, within 60
24
days of a written request by the Designating Party, each Receiving Party must return
25
all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in
26
this subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations,
27
summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected
28
1 Party must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same
2 person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies
(by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material that was returned or
3
destroyed; and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies,
4
abstracts, compilations, summaries, or any other format reproducing or capturing any
5
of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to
6
retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing
7
transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert
8
reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such
9
materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or
10
constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in
11
Section 4 (DURATION).
12
14. Any violation of this Order may be punished by any and all appropriate
13
measures including, without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary
14
sanctions.
15

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IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.
17
18 Dated: January 13, 2026 GASTÉLUM LAW, APC
19
By: /s/ Selene Estrada-Villela
20 Denisse O. Gastélum, Esq.
21 Selene Estrada-Villela, Esq.
Attorneys for Plaintiffs,
22 ESTATE OF STEVE DE LEON GONZALEZ, by
23 and through successors in interest, Steve Anthony De
Leon and Rosario Gonzalez; STEVE ANTHONY
24 DE LEON, individually; ROSARIO GONZALEZ,
25 individually

26

27 Dated: January 13, 2026 LAW OFFICES OF CHRISTIAN CONTRERAS
28 A Professional Law Corporation
1 By: /s/ Christian Contreras
Christian Contreras, Esq.
2 Attorney for Plaintiffs,
3 ESTATE OF STEVE DE LEON GONZALEZ, by
and through successors in interest, Steve Anthony De
4 Leon and Rosario Gonzalez; STEVE ANTHONY
5 DE LEON, individually, ROSARIO GONZALEZ,
‘ individually
7
Dated: January 13, 2026 MANNING & KASS ELLROD, RAMIREZ,
8
TRESTER LLP
9
10
ll By: /s/ Kayleigh A. Andersen
Eugene P. Ramirez
Kayleigh A. Andersen
13 Attorneys for Defendants
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE, RIVERSIDE COUNTY
M4 SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, SHERIFF CHAD
15 BIANCO, HERMAN LOPEZ, MICHAEL
6 KOEHLER, and ALYSSA VERNAL

17
18 || FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.
19
20
1 DATED: January 28, 2026
HON. SHERI PYM
02 United States Magistrate Judge
23
24
25
26
27
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13

1 EXHIBIT A
2 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND

3
I, _____________________________ [full name], of _________________
4
[full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and
5
understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States
6
District Court for the Central District of California on [date] in the case of
7
___________ [Estate of Steve De Leon Gonzalez, et al. v. County of Riverside, et
8
al.; Case No. 5:25-cv-02272-KK-SP]. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all
9
the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that
10
failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment in the nature of
11
contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any information
12
or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity
13
except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.
14 I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court
15 for the Central District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this
16 Stipulated Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after
17 termination of this action. I hereby appoint __________________________ [full
18 name] of _______________________________________ [full address and
19 telephone number] as my California agent for service of process in connection with
20 this action or any proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective
21 Order.
Date: ______________________________________
22
City and State where signed: _________________________________
23

24
Printed name: _______________________________
25

26
Signature: __________________________________
27

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/11338892. Public record. Not legal advice.