JAY C. GANDHI, Magistrate Judge.
WHEREAS Defendant Hyundai Motor America ("HMA") and Plaintiff Lori Robbins ("Plaintiff") (together, the "Parties") anticipate that they may produce certain "CONFIDENTIAL or HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL Material," as defined below, in their responses to written discovery, during deposition testimony, during confidential settlement discussions, or in response to other requests in the matter captioned Lori Robbins v. Hyundai Motor America (Case No.: SACV14-00005 JLS (ANx)) (the "Action"), HMA and Plaintiff, through their undersigned counsel, hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to enter a Protective Order, as stipulated by the Parties (the "Agreement") and set forth below. The Parties acknowledge that this Order 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 information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles. The Parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5, the Court's Standing Order, and the Court's Pilot Program Instructions for Filing Under Seal Documents set forth the procedures that must be followed and the standards that will be applied when a Party seeks permission from the Court to file material under seal.
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and In-House Counsel (as well as their support staff).
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
2.10
2.11
2.12
2.13
2.14
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2.16
The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected Material, including from discussions by the Parties or their Counsel about Protected Material; (3) any testimony by Parties that reveal Protected Material; or (4) any Powerpoint or similar presentations given in the course of this litigation by the Parties or their Counsel that reveal Protected Material.
However, the protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order do not cover the following information: (a) any information that is in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving Party or becomes part of the public domain after its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of publication not involving a violation of this Order, including becoming part of the public record through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to the Receiving Party prior to the disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a source who represents to the Receiving Party that the source obtained the information lawfully and under no obligation of confidentiality to the Designating Party. Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or order.
Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this action, including the time limits for filing any motions or applications for extension of time pursuant to applicable law.
5.1
Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber or retard the case development process or to impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other Parties) expose the Designating Party to sanctions.
If it comes to a Designating Party's attention that information or items that it designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation.
5.2
Designation in conformity with this Order requires:
(a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), that the Producing Party affix the legend "CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" to each page that contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins). A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it would like copied and produced.
During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be deemed "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL." After the inspecting Party has identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the "CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" legend to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).
(b) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings, that the Designating Party identify on the record, before the close of the deposition, hearing, or other proceeding, all protected testimony, or by notifying counsel of record for all parties in writing within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the transcript that designated portions of the transcript are protected.
(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the exterior of the container or containers in which the information or item is stored the legend "CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER." If only a portion or portions of the information or item warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected portion(s).
5.3
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4 The burden of persuasion in any proceeding challenging a "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" designation shall be on the Designating Party. Any frivolous challenges made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other Parties) may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived the confidentiality designation, all Parties shall continue to afford the material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party's designation until the Court rules on the challenge.
7.1
Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this Order.
7.2
(a) The Court, persons employed by the Court who are necessary for the handling of the Action, and court reporters, and their staff, transcribing the testimony or argument at a hearing, trial or deposition in this litigation or any appeal therefrom;
(b) Counsel of record in this litigation, as well as attorneys employed by counsel of record in this litigation, paralegals, technical, administrative and clerical employees working under the direct supervision of such counsel. Counsel of record shall be responsible to ensure that the supervised personnel comply with the terms of this Order;
(c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation, who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A);
(d) Individual named plaintiffs who have a need to know such information for purposes of this litigation and who have signed the "Acknowledgement and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A);
(e) Professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A);
(f) During their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the Court. Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
(g) Any person indicated by a document marked as Confidential Material to be an author, addressee, or copy recipient of the Confidential Material, or as to whom there has been testimony, whether at deposition or trial, or by declaration or affidavit, that the person was the author or recipient of the Confidential Material.
7.3
(a) Counsel of record in this litigation, as well as attorneys employed by counsel of record in this litigation, paralegals, technical, administrative and clerical employees working under the direct supervision of such counsel. Counsel of record shall be responsible to ensure that the supervised personnel comply with the terms of this Order;
(b) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation, who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A);
(c) The Court, persons employed by the Court who are necessary for the handling of the litigation, and court reporters transcribing the testimony or argument at a hearing, trial or deposition in this litigation or any appeal therefrom;
(d) Court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A);
(e) During their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the Court. Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
(f) Any person indicated by a document marked as Highly Confidential Material to be an author, addressee, or copy recipient of the Highly Confidential Material, or as to whom there has been testimony, whether at deposition or trial, or by declaration or affidavit, that the person was the author or recipient of the Highly Confidential Material.
If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as "CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" that Party must:
(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
(b) promptly notify in writing the Party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to this Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and
(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.
If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information or item designated in this action as "CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" before a determination by the Court from which the subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party's permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this action to disobey a lawful directive from another court.
9.1 The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a Non-Party in this action and designated as "CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER." Such information 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 construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.
9.2 In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a Non-Party's confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party's confidential information, then the Party shall:
(1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-Party;
(2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated Protective Order in this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the information requested; and
(3) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-Party.
9.3 If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this Court within fourteen (14) days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may produce the Non-Party's confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its possession or control that is subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the Court. Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in this Court of its Protected Material.
If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) inform the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of the existence of this Stipulated Protective Order, and (c) use his/her/its best efforts to obtain written confirmation from the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made that he/she has destroyed any Protected Material received from the Receiving Party and has not transmitted, in whole or in part, any Protected Material to any other person or persons.
When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil 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 privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the Parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product protection, the Parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted to the Court.
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(b) & (e), the Parties hereby agree that any inadvertently produced document in a production in the litigation shall not result in the waiver of any privilege or protection associated with such document, nor result in a subject matter waiver of any kind. "Inadvertently Produced Document" is a document produced to a Party or Non-Party in this litigation that could have been withheld, in whole or in part, based on a legitimate claim of attorney-client privilege, work-product protection, or other applicable privilege. See FED. R. EVID. 502(g).
12.1
12.2
12.3
13.1 Within sixty (60) days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph 4, each Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this subsection, "all Protected Material" includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60-day deadline, or upon request by a Producing Party, whichever is later, that: (1) certifies all the Protected Material (which the Producing Party may, but is not obligated to, identify for the Receiving Party by bates-number and categories) was either returned to the Designating Party or destroyed, and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material.
Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in Section 4, "DURATION."
In compliance with C.D. Cal. L.R. 5-4.3.4, Michael L. Mallow, the ECF user whose identification and password are being used to file this document, hereby attests that all signatories have concurred in the filing of this document.
I, ____________________________________ [print or type full name], of __________________________________________________ [print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California on _________________ [date] in the above-captioned case.
I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, and I understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.
I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Central District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.
I hereby appoint ____________________________ [print or type full name] of __________________________________________________ [print or type full address], phone number __________________________ [print or type telephone number], as my California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.