# Barsha Knox v. City of Pasadena

> District Court, C.D. California · November 29, 2023

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9985196

## Case

- **Court:** District Court, C.D. California
- **Decided:** November 29, 2023
- **Opinion:** 100trialcourt
- **Cited by:** 0 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

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## Opinion text

1 MICHELE BEAL BAGNERIS, City Attorney
State Bar No. 115423
2 mbagneris@cityofpasadena.net
ARNOLD F. LEE Assistant City Attorney
3 State Bar No. 278610
aflee@cityofpasadena.net
4 100 N. Garfield Avenue, Suite N210
Pasadena, CA 91101
5 Telephone: (626) 744-4141
Facsimile: (626) 744-4190
6
Nathan A. Oyster (SBN 225307)
7 E-mail: noyster@bwslaw.com
Caylin W. Jones (SBN 327829)
8 E-mail: cjones@bwslaw.com
BURKE, WILLIAMS & SORENSEN, LLP
9 444 South Flower Street, Suite 2400
Los Angeles, California 90071-2953
10 Tel: 213.236.0600 Fax: 213.236.2700

11 Attorneys for Defendants, CITY OF PASADENA,
CHIEF EUGENE HARRIS, OFFICER RALPH PALACIOS,
12
SGT. BLANCHARD, and LT. CHRIS KIRBY
13
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
14
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
15

16
BARSHA KNOX, CARLOS
TOWNS and "CT2" by and through Case No. 2:23-cv-04447-MEMF-PD
17
his Guardian Ad Litem FIONA
BELL, STIPULATED PROTECTIVE
18 ORDER1
Plaintiffs,
19

v. Judge: Hon. Maame Ewusi-Mensah
20
Frimpong
CITY OF PASADENA, CHIEF
21
EUGENE HARRIS, PASADENA
P.D. OFC. RALPH PALACIOS,
22
SGT. BLANCHARD, and LT. CHRIS
KIRBY, individually and in their
23
official capacities and DOES 1-10
inclusive,
24
Defendants.
25

26

27
1 This Stipulated Protective Order is substantially based on the model protective
1 1. A. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS
2 Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of confidential,
3 proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public
4 disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be
5 warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to enter
6 the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this Order
7 does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and
8 that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the
9 limited information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the
10 applicable legal principles.
11 B. GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT
12 In light of the nature of the claims and allegations in this case and the parties’
13 representations that discovery in this case will involve the production of confidential
14 records, police officer personnel files, investigation information that may include
15 third party information, materials protected by the Official Information Privilege,
16 and in order to expedite the flow of information, to facilitate the prompt resolution
17 of disputes over confidentiality of discovery materials, to adequately protect
18 information the parties are entitled to keep confidential, to ensure that the parties are
19 permitted reasonable necessary uses of such material in preparation for and in the
20 conduct of trial, to address their handling at the end of the litigation, and serve the
21 ends of justice, a protective order for such information is justified in this matter. It is
22 the intent of the parties that information will not be designated as confidential for
23 tactical reasons and that nothing be so designated without a good faith belief that
24 it has been maintained in a confidential, non-public manner, and there is good cause
25 why it should not be part of the public record of this case.
26 C. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROCEDURE FOR FILING UNDER SEAL
27 The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this
1 under seal; Local Civil Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed and
2 the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to
3 file material under seal.
4 There is a strong presumption that the public has a right of access to judicial
5 proceedings and records in civil cases. In connection with non-dispositive motions,
6 good cause must be shown to support a filing under seal. See Kamakana v. City and
7 County of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006), Phillips v. Gen. Motors
8 Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 1210-11 (9th Cir. 2002), Makar-Welbon v. Sony Electrics,
9 Inc., 187 F.R.D. 576, 577 (E.D. Wis. 1999) (even stipulated protective orders require
10 good cause showing), and a specific showing of good cause or compelling reasons
11 with proper evidentiary support and legal justification, must be made with respect to
12 Protected Material that a party seeks to file under seal. The parties’ mere designation
13 of Disclosure or Discovery Material as CONFIDENTIAL does not—without the
14 submission of competent evidence by declaration, establishing that the material
15 sought to be filed under seal qualifies as confidential, privileged, or otherwise
16 protectable—constitute good cause.
17 Further, if a party requests sealing related to a dispositive motion or trial, then
18 compelling reasons, not only good cause, for the sealing must be shown, and the
19 relief sought shall be narrowly tailored to serve the specific interest to be protected.
20 See Pintos v. Pacific Creditors Ass’n, 605 F.3d 665, 677-79 (9th Cir. 2010). For each
21 item or type of information, document, or thing sought to be filed or introduced under
22 seal in connection with a dispositive motion or trial, the party seeking protection
23 must articulate compelling reasons, supported by specific facts and legal
24 justification, for the requested sealing order. Again, competent evidence supporting
25 the application to file documents under seal must be provided by declaration.
26 Any document that is not confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable in
27 its entirety will not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted. If
1 the confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable portions of the document, shall
2 be filed. Any application that seeks to file documents under seal in their entirety
3 should include an explanation of why redaction is not feasible.
4 2. DEFINITIONS
5 2.1 Action: Knox v. City of Pasadena, et al. USDC Case No. 2:23-
6 CV-04447-MEMF-PDx.
7 2.2 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges
8 the designation of information or items under this Order.
9 2.3 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of
10 how it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for
11 protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c), and as specified above in the
12 Good Cause Statement.
13 2.4 Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as
14 their support staff).
15 2.5 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or
16 items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as
17 “CONFIDENTIAL.”
18 2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless
19 of the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including,
20 among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or
21 generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.
22 2.7 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter
23 pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as
24 an expert witness or as a consultant in this Action.
25 2.8 House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this Action.
26 House Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside
27 counsel.
1 other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.
2 2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party
3 to this Action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this Action and have
4 appeared in this Action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm which
5 has appeared on behalf of that party, and includes support staff.
6 2.11 Party: any party to this Action, including all of its officers, directors,
7 employees, consultants, retained experts, House Counsel and Outside Counsel of
8 Record (and their support staffs).
9 2.12 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or
10 Discovery Material in this Action.
11 2.13 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation
12 support services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or
13 demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium)
14 and their employees and subcontractors.
15 2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is
16 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.”
17 2.15 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material
18 from a Producing Party.
19 3. SCOPE
20 The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only
21 Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or
22 extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or
23 compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or
24 presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material.
25 Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the
26 trial judge. This Order does not govern the use of Protected Material at trial.
27 4. DURATION
1 appellate proceedings, or, if no appeal is taken, when the time for filing of an appeal
2 has run. Except as set forth below, the terms of this protective order apply through
3 FINAL DISPOSITION of the action. The parties may stipulate that they will be
4 contractually bound by the terms of this agreement beyond FINAL DISPOSITION,
5 but will have to file a separate action for enforcement of the agreement once all
6 proceedings in this case are complete.
7 Once a case proceeds to trial, information that was designated as
8 CONFIDENTIAL or maintained pursuant to this protective order used or introduced
9 as an exhibit at trial becomes public and will be presumptively available to all
10 members of the public, including the press, unless compelling reasons supported by
11 specific factual findings to proceed otherwise are made to the trial judge in advance
12 of the trial. See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1180-81 (distinguishing “good cause”
13 showing for sealing documents produced in discovery from “compelling reasons”
14 standard when merits-related documents are part of court record). Accordingly, for
15 such materials, the terms of this protective order do not extend beyond the
16 commencement of the trial.
17 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
18 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.
19 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under
20 this Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that
21 qualifies under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for
22 protection only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written
23 communications that qualify so that other portions of the material, documents, items,
24 or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably
25 within the ambit of this Order.
26 Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations
27 that are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper
1 unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Designating
2 Party to 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 inapplicable designation.
6 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in
7 this Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise
8 stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection
9 under this Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or
10 produced.
11 Designation in conformity with this Order requires:
12 (a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic
13 documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial
14 proceedings), that the Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend
15 “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that
16 contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page
17 qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected
18 portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).
19 A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents available for inspection
20 need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated
21 which documents it would like copied and produced. During the inspection and
22 before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be
23 deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has identified the
24 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 legend” to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a
1 Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate
2 markings in the margins).
3 (b) for testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party identify
4 the Disclosure or Discovery Material on the record, before the close of the deposition
5 all protected testimony.
6 (c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for
7 any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the
8 exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored the legend
9 “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information warrants
10 protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected
11 portion(s).
12 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent
13 failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive
14 the Designating Party’s right to secure protection under this Order for such material.
15 Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable
16 efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this
17 Order.
18 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
19 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a
20 designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the Court’s
21 Scheduling Order.
22 6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute
23 resolution process under Local Rule 37.1 et seq.
24 6.3 The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on
25 the Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose
26 (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may
27 expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived
1 material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing
2 Party’s designation until the Court rules on the challenge.
3 7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
4 7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is
5 disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this
6 Action only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this Action. Such
7 Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the
8 conditions described in this Order. When the Action has been terminated, a
9 Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of section 13 below (FINAL
10 DISPOSITION).
11 Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a
12 location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons
13 authorized under this Order.
14 7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless
15 otherwise ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a
16 Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated
17 “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:
18 (a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this Action, as well
19 as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary
20 to disclose the information for this Action;
21 (b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of the
22 Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action;
23 (c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom
24 disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have signed the
25 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
26 (d) the court and its personnel;
27 (e) court reporters and their staff;
1 Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have
2 signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
3 (g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a
4 custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information;
5 (h) during their depositions, witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in the
6 Action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary provided: (1) the deposing party
7 requests that the witness sign the form attached as Exhibit 1 hereto; and (2) they will
8 not be permitted to keep any confidential information unless they sign the
9 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise
10 agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed
11 deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material may
12 be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except
13 as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
14 (i) any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel,
15 mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.
16 8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED
17 IN OTHER LITIGATION
18 If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation
19 that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as
20 “CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party must:
21 (a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall
22 include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
23 (b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order
24 to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena
25 or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of
26 this Stipulated Protective Order; and
27 (c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued
1 If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served
2 with the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this
3 action as “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the
4 subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s
5 permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking
6 protection in that court of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions
7 should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action
8 to disobey a lawful directive from another court.
9 9. [RESERVED]
10 10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
11 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed
12 Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this
13 Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in
14 writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts
15 to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or
16 persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order,
17 and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and
18 Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
19 11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE
20 PROTECTED MATERIAL
21 When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain
22 inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection,
23 the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil
24 Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure
25 may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without prior
26 privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the
27 parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or
1 parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted
2 to the court.
3 12. MISCELLANEOUS
4 12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any
5 person to seek its modification by the Court in the future.
6 12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this
7 Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to
8 disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this
9 Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any
10 ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.
11 12.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any
12 Protected Material must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may
13 only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the
14 specific Protected Material at issue. If a Party's request to file Protected Material
15 under seal is denied by the court, then the Receiving Party may not file the
16 information in the public record unless otherwise instructed by the court.
17 13. [RESERVED]
18 14. Any violation of this Order may be punished by any and all appropriate
19 measures including, without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary
20 sanctions.

21
IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.
22

23
DATED: November 22, 2023 LAW OFFICES OF CAREE HARPER
24

25 By: /s/ Caree Harper
CAREE HARPER
26
Attorneys for Plaintiffs, Barsha Knox, Carlos
27 Towns and "CT2" by and through his
1 || DATED: November 22, 2023 MICHELE BEAL BAGNERIS
City Attorney
2 ARNOLD F. LEE
3 Assistant City Attorney
4 By: _/s/ Arnold Lee
5 ARNOLD F. LEE
Assistant City Attorney
6 Attorneys for Defendants,
7 City Of Pasadena, Chief Eugene Harris,
Officer Ralph Palacios, Sgt. Blanchard, and
8 Lt. Chris Kirby
9
|| DATED: November 22,2023. = BURKE, WILLIAMS & SORENSEN, LLP
11
12
By: _/s/ Nathan A. Oyster
13 Nathan A. Oyster
14 Caylin W. Jones
Attorneys for Defendants,
15 City Of Pasadena, Chief Eugene Harris,
16 Officer Ralph Palacios, Sgt. Blanchard, and
Lt. Chris Kirby
17
18
19 || FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.
20
21 |} DATED: November 29, 2023
22 □
A phates Lena koe
Hon. Patricia Donahue
United States Magistrate Judge
25
26
27
28
19

1 EXHIBIT A
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND
2

3
I, ________________________ [print or type full name], of
4
_________________ [print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury
5
that I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that
6
was issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California
7
on [date] in the case of Knox v. City of Pasadena, et al. USDC Case No. 2:23-
8
CV-04447-MEMF-PDx. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms
9
of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that failure
10
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 for
15
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 ________________________ [print or
18
type full name] of _________ [print or type full address and telephone number] as
19
my California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any
20
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: ________________________________

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9985196. Public record. Not legal advice.