SHEILA K. OBERTO, Magistrate Judge.
This matter is before the Court on Plaintiff Alicia Arredondo's "Motion to Compel Further Responses and Documents/Data to Plaintiff's Request for Production of Documents/Data and Interrogatories, Set One," filed October 14, 2019 ("Motion to Compel"). (Doc. 28.) Plaintiff and Defendant Southwestern & Pacific Specialty Finance, Inc. ("Defendant" or "Southwestern") filed their "Joint Statement" directed to the Motion to Compel, as required by this Court's Local Rule 251, on October 30, 2019. (Doc. 31.) The Court reviewed the parties' papers and all supporting material and found the matter suitable for decision without oral argument pursuant to Local Rule 230(g). The hearing set for November 6, 2019, was therefore vacated. (Doc. 33.)
Having considered the parties' briefing, and for the reasons set forth below, the Motion to Compel will be granted in part and denied in part.
Plaintiff Alicia Arredondo brings this putative class action against Southwestern alleging claims for violations of California's Labor Code and Unfair Competition Laws and a claim under California's Private Attorney General Act ("PAGA").
Southwestern owns and operates "Check-N-Go" stores, which offer payday loans, installment loans, check cashing services, money orders, and other financial services to the public. (FAC ¶ 10.) It has at least thirty (30) stores within the State of California. (Id. ¶ 7.) Plaintiff worked as a Store Manager at several Check-N-Go stores in Modesto, Stockton, and Tracy. (Id. ¶¶ 6, 12.) Plaintiff claims that Southwestern violated overtime, meal, and rest period laws, and failed properly to report wage statements and to maintain payroll records. (Id. ¶¶ 31-34.) She further alleges that Southwestern required her to perform work "off-the-clock" before and after her shifts in order to open and close the stores. (Id. ¶ 15.) Plaintiff asserts that Southwestern's conduct constituted a "uniform policy and systematic scheme of wage abuse against [defendant's] hourly-paid or non-exempt employees within the State of California." (Id. ¶ 21.). Plaintiff seeks to assert claims as a representative PAGA on behalf of a proposed class defined as:
(FAC ¶ 37.)
Plaintiff moves to compel Southwestern to produce discovery related to members of the proposed class. (Docs. 28, 31.) Specifically, Plaintiff seeks to compel Southwestern to provide the full name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and fax numbers for putative class members (Interrogatory No. 1), and to produce arbitration agreements, timekeeping and computer systems data, payroll data, and itemized wage statements for the putative class members (Request for Production of Documents Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20, & 22, 52, 53, 54, & 56). (Id.) Southwestern asserts the discovery requests are "vague, ambiguous, overbroad, seek information protected by individual employees' rights to privacy, are not proportional to the needs of the case, and in some instances are simply irrelevant." (Doc. 31 at 24.) According to Southwestern, the requests also seek "information on a class-wide basis specific to damages" and therefore go beyond the scope of class certification discovery permitted by the Court. (Id.)
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) provides that parties:
Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1). "The party seeking to compel discovery has the burden of establishing that its request satisfies the relevancy requirements of Rule 26(b)(1). Thereafter, the party opposing discovery has the burden of showing that the discovery should be prohibited, and the burden of clarifying, explaining or supporting its objections." Bryant v. Ochoa, No. 07cv200 JM (PCL), 2009 WL 1390794, at *1 (S.D. Cal. May 14, 2009) (citations omitted).
As for discovery in the class certification context, "[w]hether or not discovery will be permitted . . . lies within the sound discretion of the trial court." Kamm v. Cal. City Dev. Co., 509 F.2d 205, 209 (9th Cir. 1975). See also Artis v. Deere & Co., 276 F.R.D. 348, 351 (N.D. Cal. 2011) (citing Vinole v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 571 F.3d 935, 942 (9th Cir. 2009)). The Ninth Circuit states that the "advisable practice" for district courts on pre-certification discovery, "is to afford the litigants an opportunity to present evidence as to whether a class action was maintainable. And, the necessary antecedent to the presentation of evidence is, in most cases, enough discovery to obtain the material, especially when the information is within the sole possession of the defendant." Doninger v. Pac. Northwest Bell, Inc., 564 F.2d 1304, 1313 (9th Cir. 1977); see also Artis, 276 F.R.D. at 351. Ninth Circuit case law therefore "stand[s] for the unremarkable proposition that often the pleadings alone will not resolve the question of class certification and that some discovery may be warranted." Vinole, 571 F.3d at 942. A court does not abuse its discretion in refusing to authorize pre-certification discovery when the plaintiff fails to advance a prima facie showing that the class requirements [i.e., numerosity, commonality, typicality and adequacy of representation] of Rule 23 are satisfied or that "discovery is likely to produce substantiation of class allegations." Mantolete v. Bolger, 767 F.2d 1416, 1424 (9th Cir. 1985). A court is not required, however, to find a prima facie showing under Rule 23 prior to authorizing pre-certification discovery. See Kaminske v. JP Chase Bank N.A., No. SACV 09-00918 JVS (RNBx), 2010 WL 5782995, at *2 (C.D. Cal. May 21, 2010) ("[T]here is nothing in Doninger and Mantolete that suggests that a prima facie showing is mandatory in all cases, and it very well may be the case that courts routinely do not require such a showing. However, it is clear that a court has discretion to decide whether to require the prima facie showing that was approved in Doninger and Mantolete."); Robinson v. The Chefs' Warehouse, Case No. 3:15-cv-05421-RS(KAW), 2017 WL 836943, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 3, 2017) ("Plaintiffs are not necessarily required to make a prima facie showing in order to obtain information for the putative class.").
Finally, "[t]he Supreme Court has recognized the importance of permitting class counsel to communicate with potential class members for the purpose of gathering information, even prior to class certification." Guzman v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., Case No. 17-cv-02606-HSG (KAW), 2018 WL 6092730, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 21, 2018) (citing Gulf Oil Co. v. Bernard, 452 U.S. 89, 102-03 (1981). See also Vinole, 571 F.3d at 942; Doninger, 564 F.2d at 1313. Concerning the contact information of the putative class members, district courts in this Circuit have often found that "[a]s a general rule, before class certification has taken place, all parties are entitled to equal access to persons who potentially have an interest in or relevant knowledge of the subject of the action, but who are not yet parties." Wiegele v. FedEx Ground Package Sys., No. 06-CV-01330-JM (POR), 2007 WL 628041, at *2 (S.D. Cal. Feb. 8, 2007) (quoting Koo v. Rubio's Restaurants, Inc., 109 Cal.App.4th 719, 729 (2003)). For that reason, discovery of the putative class members' contact information is routinely allowed. See, e.g., Artis, 276 F.R.D. at 352 ("The disclosure of names, addresses, and telephone numbers is a common practice in the class action context."); Putman v. Eli Lilly & Co., 508 F.Supp.2d 812, 814 (C.D. Cal. 2007) ("[I]t seems to the Court that contact with [class members] could well be useful to the plaintiff to determine, at minimum, the commonality and typically prongs of Rule 23.").
Interrogatory No. 1 seeks the full name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and fax numbers for putative class members. (Doc. 31 at 6-7.) The parties have met and conferred to narrow the scope of their disagreement with respect to disclosure of putative class member names and contact information. Plaintiff has agreed to utilize a Belaire-West opt-out notice procedure for class members who wish to opt-out of disclosure of their information.
As an initial matter, the Court finds that the information requested by Interrogatory No. 1. concerning the identity and contact information of the putative class members—even those who may have signed an arbitration agreement—is sufficiently relevant to be subject to discovery. See Urena v. Cent. California Almond Growers Assn., Case No. 1:18-cv-00517-LJO-EPG, 2019 WL 2390042, at *6 (E.D. Cal. June 6, 2019). See also Sansone v. Charter Commc'ns, Inc., Case No. 17-cv-01880-WQH-JLB, 2019 WL 460728, at *8-9 (S.D. Cal. Feb. 6, 2019) (finding contact information of putative class members that had signed arbitration agreement relevant because "[b]y communicating with putative class members, Plaintiffs will be able to gather information related to the enforceability of the arbitration agreement, which may be an issue during the certification stage") (citing Adamov v. Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, No. 2:13-cv-01222-TLN-AC, 2017 WL 6558133 at *4 (E.D. Cal. Dec. 22, 2017)). This holding comports with the general rule that before class certification has taken place, parties are entitled to equal access to persons who potentially have an interest in the subject of the action, but who are not yet parties.
Southwestern does not cite any legal authority to the contrary. Instead, it appears to contend that because Plaintiff will not be able to represent adequately under Rule 23 those putative class members who have signed arbitration agreements, she is not entitled to the contact information for each putative class member.
With respect to Southwestern's request to limit production of the information requested by Interrogatory No. 1 to a sample of the putative class members, the Court is not persuaded that a sampling is appropriate in this case. Here, the putative class—approximately 1,133 employees—is relatively small, particularly when compared to the class size in Harris v. Best Buy Stores, L.P., cited by Southwestern (see Doc. 31 at 25).
Southwestern does not contend that providing the name and contact information for all putative class members would be unreasonably burdensome. Moreover, any privacy concerns implicated in producing such information will be adequately addressed by the Belaire-West opt-out notice procedure, as agreed to by the parties. Accordingly, Southwestern shall be required to provide the information requested by Interrogatory No. 1 for approximately all 1,133 putative class members. See, e.g., Brum, 2018 WL 3861558, at *6 (rejecting the defendant's proposal that it produce contact information for 5 percent of approximately 7,400 putative class members for Belaire-West notice purposes and ordering production of that information for all members).
Finally, the Court finds that Plaintiff should pay the cost of the Belaire-West procedure, given the fact that the information sought by Interrogatory No. 1 would enable Plaintiff to contact putative class members by telephone.
Plaintiff also seeks an order compelling Southwestern to produce all arbitration agreements signed by any putative class member. (Doc. 31 at 20.) Plaintiff contends that because Southwestern has raised the existence of arbitration agreements between it and putative class members, any arbitration agreements between Southwestern and any putative class members are relevant to this affirmative defense. (Id. at 23.) Plaintiff relies on Adamov v. Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, 2017 WL 6558133, in support of its position. (See id.)
In response, Southwestern objects to the production of the individual arbitration agreements on privacy grounds and that the request is premature in the absence of a certified class. It further asserts that Plaintiff's reliance on Adamov is misplaced because "the court in Adamov did not order production of the actual signed arbitration agreements." (Doc. 31 at 26.) Southwestern, however, states that it has already produced the "form of arbitration agreements during the relevant period" and, in an effort to compromise, it will provide Plaintiff with information regarding "how many putative class members have arbitration agreements" and "how each arbitration agreement was presented[] and signed." (Doc. 31 at 27.)
Contrary to Southwestern's suggestion, the Adamov court did not refuse to order the production of individual arbitration agreements. In fact, that issue was not before it. Instead, Adamov concerned the discoverability of information concerning the employer's "arbitration program." 2017 WL 6558133, at *3. The plaintiff asserted that he was entitled to information in addition to the form arbitration agreement, including information concerning employees who had agreed or declined to participate in the arbitration program, information concerning employees who were subject to the arbitration program, and communications between the employer and employees about the arbitration program. Id. The Adamov court agreed, finding that the plaintiff was entitled to discovery at the precertification stage on issues surrounding the arbitration program. Id. In its reasoning, the Adamov court noted that preventing this discovery "would amount to a premature decision on the issue of the arbitration agreement's applicability, by limiting plaintiff's ability to include potentially-bound individuals in the class." Id. at *4.
The Court agrees with the reasoning articulated in Adamov and finds that Plaintiff is entitled to information concerning putative class members who are allegedly subject to arbitration agreements. By communicating with putative class members, Plaintiff will be able to gather information related to the enforceability of the arbitration agreements, which may be at issue during the class certification stage before the District Judge. See Sansone, 2019 WL 460728, at *9; Adamov, 2017 WL 6558133, at *4.
The undersigned is not convinced, however, that the production of every arbitration agreement signed by each putative class member is "proportional to the needs of the case." See Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1). Southwestern represents that it has already produced the "form of arbitration agreements during the relevant period" and has agreed to provide Plaintiff with information regarding "how many putative class members have arbitration agreements" and "how each arbitration agreement was presented[] and signed." Southwestern shall also provide the identities of those putative class members who are allegedly bound by an arbitration agreement with Southwestern, as determined above. Beyond that, Plaintiff has not met her burden of showing the individual arbitration agreements are discoverable under Rule 26(b)(1). She cites no legal authority in which such arbitration agreements were ordered to be produced, and district courts in the Ninth Circuit that have confronted the issue have found to the contrary. See, e.g., Murray v. DirecTV, Inc., SACV 13-0522 AG (ANx), 2013 WL 12139369, at *3 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 16, 2013) (concluding that the burden of producing arbitration agreements for all putative class members was outweighed by its likely benefit under Rule 26(b)); Laguna v. Coverall N. Am., Inc., Civil No. 09cv2131-JM (BGS), 2011 WL 3176469, at *8 (S.D. Cal. July 26, 2011) (finding "no basis" to require Defendants to produce written arbitration agreements for putative class members prior to certification of a class and denying motion to compel). Plaintiff's motion to compel production of the individual arbitration agreements sought by Request for Production No. 1 shall therefore be denied, but without prejudice to a later determination by the Court that production of the individual arbitration agreements is warranted.
Finally, the undersigned finds that any privacy concerns implicated in producing the identity of putative class members who are allegedly subject to an arbitration agreement with Southwestern (see Doc. 31 at 26) can be adequately addressed through the Belaire-West opt-out procedure, discussed above.
Plaintiff seeks production of time records and data, work schedules, payroll records and compensation information, and wage statements for all members of the putative class. Plaintiff alleges that this information" could indicate whether employees were at work under the control of [Southwestern] or taking a meal period" and that they "have the ability to demonstrate whether putative class members were paid for all hours worked or whether they received premium payments for breaks that were not authorized or permitted." (Doc. 31 at 20.) According to Plaintiff, these documents will be utilized to show that she meets the requirements for numerosity, commonality, typicality, and predominance under Rule 23. (Doc. 31 at 20-21.) Southwestern objects that the requests "have no bearing on class certification" and instead "go directly to damages." (Doc. 31 at 27-28.) Southwestern further objects that the discovery requests "violate third-party privacy rights and confidentiality" of the putative class members and that Plaintiff is not entitled to the information because she has not made a "prima facie showing of company-wide (or class-wide) violations." (Id. at 28.)
While Southwestern is correct that some district courts have required a plaintiff to make a prima facia showing of company-wide violations, they have done so in the context of considering whether to permit discovery related to locations where the plaintiff never worked. See Nguyen, 275 F.R.D. at 508 ("Because Plaintiff has failed to produce any evidence of company-wide violations, and Defendant admittedly has produced contrary evidence showing company-wide policies consistent with California law, there is no basis at this time to require discovery beyond the Irvine facility where Plaintiff worked.") (emphasis added); Coleman v. Jenny Craig, Inc., Civil No. 11-cv-1301-MMA (DHB), 2013 WL 2896884, at *8 (S.D. Cal. June 12, 2013) (limiting discovery to locations where plaintiff worked based on plaintiff's failure to provide evidence of companywide violations); Martinet v. Spherion Atl. Enters., LLC., Civil No. 07cv2178 W(AJB), 2008 WL 2557490 (S.D. Cal. June 20, 2008) (limiting discovery to offices where plaintiff worked until plaintiff provided evidence of companywide violations). Here, however, Southwestern does not propose limiting discovery of payroll, timekeeping, and wage information to only those putative class members who worked at Check-N-Go locations where Plaintiff worked. Instead, it resists discovery of this information for
The undersigned finds that the more appropriate course is to permit the requested class discovery. Plaintiff has shown that Requests for Production Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20, & 22 all seek information "likely to produce substantiation of class allegations." Mantolete, 767 F.2d at 1424. In particular, these requests seek timekeeping, payroll, and wage information relevant to numerosity, commonality, and typicality, which Plaintiff must establish to certify the proposed class. See Aldapa v. Fowler Packing Co. Inc., 310 F.R.D. 583, 590 (E.D. Cal. 2015) (finding information regarding when employees worked and itemized wage statements that provide details regarding employees' earnings is "relevant for class certification purposes, as it will provide Plaintiffs with insight as to the cause and scope of any violations"); Hill v. Eddie Bauer, 242 F.R.D. 556, 562 (C.D. Cal. 2007) (finding wage, time, and break records would "certainly" assist in showing numerosity and commonality in case for unpaid overtime and meal and rest break wages). Furthermore, Southwestern is the party in possession and control of the requested information, and absent an order compelling it to produce the requested discovery, Plaintiff will not be able to obtain evidence necessary for a class certification motion.
Accordingly, the Court finds that Plaintiff is entitled to the information called for by Requests for Production Nos. 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20, & 22.
Finally, Plaintiff seeks discovery of what the Court terms "computer systems data": information showing at what time the security alarms at Southwestern's locations were activated and deactivated (Request for Production No. 53), and information showing the time of each transaction logged into Southwestern's (1) "Stars Daily Transaction Journal" (Request for Production No. 52), (2) "Chexar computer-based system to cash checks" (Request for Production No. 54), and (3) "Western Union transaction journal" (Request for Production No. 56). About these requests Plaintiff makes the same argument: the information is relevant because it "could indicate" when employees were at work under the control of Southwestern. (Doc. 31 at 20.) As to the security alarm information, Plaintiff further explains that it is "particularly relevant given that [she] alleges that she performed work tasks prior to clocking in for which she was not paid, such as opening the location and deactivating the alarm code." (Id.)
The Court finds that Plaintiff has adequately demonstrated the relevance of security alarm information for class certification. Instances of unpaid time worked by class members prior to clocking in and following clock would, for example, help substantiate Plaintiff's contention that the class is numerous, as well as would bear on the issues of typicality and the predominance of Southwestern's alleged failure to compensate for time spent opening and closing the store locations while "off the clock." See Aldapa, 310 F.R.D. at 590; Hill, 242 F.R.D. at 562. Southwestern shall therefore produce information responsive to Request for Production No. 53.
However, Plaintiff has not shown how information showing the time of each transaction logged in the Stars Daily Transaction Journal, the Chexar computer-based system, and the Western Union transaction journal is likely to substantiate her class allegations. Plaintiff has not set forth any facts or evidence describing these computer systems, such as what information they record, how they are accessed, for what purpose they are used, etc. Without adequate information regarding these computer systems, the Court cannot find that Plaintiff has met her burden under Rule 26(b) and therefore cannot compel Southwestern to respond to Requests for Production Nos. 52, 54, & 56 during the period set for class certification discovery. (See Docs. 11, 30 (bifurcating merits from class discovery).) Accordingly, Plaintiff's motion to compel shall be denied as to those Requests.
Based on the foregoing, it is HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff's Motion to Compel (Doc. 28) is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART, as follows:
1. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel further response to Interrogatory No. 1 is GRANTED. Southwestern shall produce information responsive to Interrogatory No. 1 for all putative class members. A Belaire-West opt-out notice shall be sent to affected individuals before any information is disclosed, the cost of which shall be borne by Plaintiff;
2. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel further response to Request for Production No. 1 is GRANTED IN PART. Southwestern shall produce identifying information for all putative class members who are allegedly bound by an arbitration agreement with Southwestern. A Belaire-West opt-out notice shall be sent to affected individuals before any information is disclosed, the cost of which shall be borne by Plaintiff. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel the individual arbitration agreements of putative class members sought by Request for Production No. 1 is DENIED;
3. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel further responses to Request for Production Nos. 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 20, & 22 is GRANTED. Southwestern shall produce information responsive to these Requests. A Belaire-West opt-out notice shall be sent to affected individuals before any information is disclosed, the cost of which shall be borne by Plaintiff;
4. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel further response to Request for Production No. 5 is DENIED as MOOT. Southwestern shall supplement its response to indicate it has no information to responsive to this Request within seven (7) days of entry of this Order;
5. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel further response to Request for Production No. 53 is GRANTED. Southwestern shall produce information responsive to this Request; and
6. Plaintiff's Motion to Compel further responses to Request for Production Nos. 52, 54, & 56 is DENIED.
IT IS SO ORDERED.