ALLISON CLAIRE, Magistrate Judge.
Plaintiff, a state prisoner, is proceeding pro se with a civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Pending before the court are plaintiff's motion to compel further discovery (ECF No. 58) and defendants' amended request to file documents under seal (ECF No. 71), both of which are fully briefed. The parties have filed cross-motions for summary judgment which are not yet ripe for decision; briefing of defendants' motion has been deferred pending adjudication of the request to seal exhibits.
This action proceeds against defendants Clark, Davey, Gower, McDonald, Sanders and Van Leer, who are correctional officers and prison officials at High Desert State Prison (HDSP).
Plaintiff seeks further responses to his Requests for Production of Documents, Set One, Nos. 7, 9, 11 and Set Two, No. 24, and to his Interrogatories, Set Two, Nos. 4 and 5. The motion to compel was constructively filed on December 8, 2013, the date on plaintiff's signed certificate of service,
The motion to compel makes no reference to its untimeliness, and is not accompanied by any request for leave to file outside the discovery period. In reply to defendant's assertion of untimeliness, plaintiff concedes that "his motion was indeed tardy." He states that during the week his motion was due, "the library on the facility where plaintiff is housed was open [only] on the days of December 5-6, 2013." He argues that defendants "would not be prejudiced for the 3 day delay." ECF No. 62 at 1-2.
Plaintiff notes that the court granted defendants a one-week extension to respond to plaintiff's motion, and seeks the same courtesy. Defendants, however, made a timely request for an extension. Plaintiff does not explain why he failed to seek an extension when it became clear to him that his motion to compel would not be timely completed. The meet and confer letter that plaintiff submits in support of his motion, dated November 3, 2012, documents that he intended to file a motion to compel if he did not receive a response by November 14, 2013. ECF No. 58 at 13-15. Under these circumstances, it is unclear why plaintiff needed to rely on library access on December 5 and 6 in order to file his motion.
Plaintiff has not shown good cause for the court to overlook the untimeliness of his motion. According, the motion to compel will be denied as untimely.
Defendants seek to file under seal three exhibits, or portions of exhibits, offered in support of their motion for summary judgment.
The Ninth Circuit recognizes "a strong presumption in favor of access to court records." Foltz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 331 F.3d 1122, 1135 (9th Cir. 2003) (citing
Defendants seek to file under seal their Exhibit A in support of summary judgment, consisting of pages A1 though A13. Exhibit A is comprised of "confidential memoranda" accompanying Program Status Reports from the `"Two-Five' Modified Program" that was implemented at High Desert State Prison (HDSP) on September 18, 2009 in response to the September 17 incident of inmate-on-inmate violence. ECF No. 71 (Defendants' Amended Request to Seal) at 1.
The court has reviewed this document in camera and finds that it includes details regarding specific inmate and staff safety concerns, details of prison officials' investigative methods, information received by staff from inmate informants, and information identifying such informants. This information cannot be revealed without endangering informants and others. Moreover, according to the declaration of HDSP Acting Warden F. Foulk, confidential informants reveal information based on the presumption that confidentiality will be maintained, and disclosure of such information would impede the ability of correctional staff to use such informants in the future. ECF No. 71-1, ¶¶ 7-9. These considerations justify filing Exhibit A under seal, with the exception of pages A4 and A12. Those pages merely list the terms of modified programming that were imposed on inmates generally as the result of the confidential information. The modified program terms themselves are not confidential, do not present any security threat, and have been repeatedly disclosed elsewhere in the record.
Defendants argue that redaction of the confidential memoranda is insufficient to assure the safety of the inmates named. The warden declares that, in his experience, inmates have the ability to determine the inmate's identity based on information and dates in the documents and inmate movement that some security threat groups track.
Exhibit B consists of a three-page confidential memorandum (B14-16) documenting plaintiff's identification by an informant "as a member of the `Two-Five' disruptive group." The memorandum contains the name and CDCR number of the confidential informant who identified plaintiff and the detailed information he provided.
Defendants claim confidentiality under Title 15 Cal. Code Regs. § 3321(a)(1) and (a)(2), which provided as follows:
Plaintiff argues vehemently that he is entitled to this memorandum with the name and CDCR number of the informant redacted. He relies on Title 15 Cal. Code Regs. § 3321(b), which provides as follows:
This regulation does not require the disclosure of redacted investigative memoranda or any other particular document. The regulation requires that when adverse action is taken against an inmate, the inmate must be informed in general terms of the basis for the action. The question whether plaintiff was provided the information required by § 3321(b) at the time he was housed with other suspected "Two-Five" members may be relevant to his procedural due process claim, but it is not relevant to the court's decision whether Exhibit B itself must be publically filed.
"Due process does not require that an informant's identity be revealed to an inmate."
Exhibit N consists of what defendants characterize as the "confidential sections" (Section C) of two Program Status Reports. ECF No. 72 at 1. These are weekly status reports regarding the "Two-Five" Modified Program, which contain details of the September 17, 2009 incident and provide updates on the progress of the investigation. Defendants contend that the reports are confidential under Tit. 15 Cal. Code Regs. § 3321 and that their public release would jeopardize institutional security and safety. More specifically, defendants argue that Section C of a Program Status Reports provides details about investigative methods and protocols of investigative staff the disclosure of which might permit inmates to adjust their tactics to evade investigation. ECF No. 71-1, Foulk Dec., ¶¶ 5-6.
Defendant's argument is undercut by the fact that the information contained in Exhibit N is available elsewhere in the record.
Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that:
1. Plaintiff's motion to compel further discovery, ECF No. 58, is denied as untimely.
2. Defendants' amended motion to seal documents in support of their motion for summary judgment, ECF No. 71, is granted in part. Defendants shall provide to the Clerk of Court pursuant to Local Rule 141(e)(2)(1) an electronic copy of the following documents for filing under seal:
3. Defendants' amended motion to seal documents is denied as to Exhibit A, pages A4 and A12, and Exhibit N (pages N17 through N20). Counsel for the submitting party may contact Courtroom Deputy Valerie Callen,
4. Defendant shall file and serve within seven days either (1) the exhibits or portions of exhibits not approved for filing under seal, or (2) a second amended Statement of Undisputed Facts that omits reference to exhibits not in the record.
5. Plaintiff's opposition to defendants' motion for summary judgment is due within thirty thereafter; any reply thereto must be filed seven (7) days thereafter.