Sandpiper Resorts Development Corporation, et al. v. Global Realty Investments, LLC et al

Filing 254

ORDER re 201 Motion to Compel. Plaintiffs' motion to compel at docket 201 is DENIED without prejudice to renewal if the parties are unable to resolve the dispute after personal consultation. It is ORDERED that the parties confer in person a t a mutually agreeable time and location within ten days from the date of this order. If the parties are unable to agree on a time or location, the parties shall meet at the office of plaintiffs counsel at 9:00 a.m. on June 15, 2012. Signed by Judge John W Sedwick on 6/5/12.(JWS)

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 10 11 12 13 SANDPIPER RESORTS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, et al., Plaintiffs, 14 15 16 vs. GLOBAL REALTY INVESTMENTS, LLC, et al., 17 Defendants. 18 ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) 2:08-cv-01360 JWS ORDER AND OPINION [Re: Motion at Docket 201] 19 I. MOTION PRESENTED 20 At docket 201, plaintiffs Sandpiper Resorts Development Corporation and 21 Dourian Foster Investments, Inc. (“plaintiffs”) move to compel production of certain 22 documents. Third-party defendant Mohr, Hackett, Pederson, Blakely & Randolph, P.C. 23 (“Mohr Hackett”) responds at docket 231. Plaintiffs’ reply is at docket 233. Oral 24 argument was not requested and would not assist the court. 25 26 27 28 -1- 1 2 II. DISCUSSION A. The Parties’ Obligation to Confer in Good Faith 3 Plaintiff moves to compel production of various documents from Mohr Hackett. 4 Mohr Hackett argues that the documents are privileged. Prior to being named a third- 5 party defendant, Mohr Hackett responded to a subpoena to produce documents. Mohr 6 Hackett provided approximately three thousand pages of documents and a privilege log. 7 Mohr Hackett provided a supplemental privilege log on January 10, 2012, and another 8 on April 16, 2012. Plaintiff filed the present motion on March 23, 2012. 9 Local Rule 7.2(j) provides that “[n]o discovery motion will be considered or 10 decided unless a statement of moving counsel is attached thereto certifying that after 11 personal consultation and sincere efforts to do so, counsel have been unable to 12 satisfactorily resolve the matter.”1 Plaintiffs’ counsel attached a declaration stating that 13 he conferred with representatives of Mohr Hackett via email.2 It is clear, however, from 14 the attached email exchange and representations of counsel that there was no personal 15 consultation.3 16 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(a)(1) states that a “motion [to compel] must 17 include a certification that the movant has in good faith conferred or attempted to confer 18 with the person or party failing to make disclosure or discovery in an effort to obtain it 19 without court action.”4 The email exchange indicates that plaintiffs’ counsel did attempt 20 to confer with Mohr Hackett in good faith.5 It also appears that Mohr Hackett was 21 22 23 1 24 25 LRCiv 7.2(j). 2 Doc. 201-2 at 3. 26 3 27 4 28 5 Id. at 4, 10. Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(1) Doc. 201-2 at 4–11. -2- 1 unresponsive to plaintiffs’ counsel’s efforts.6 However, plaintiffs’ counsel’s declaration 2 does not certify that he attempted to confer in good faith–it erroneously states that he 3 did confer. In any event, the parties have not met their obligation to confer in good faith, 4 and there has been no personal consultation in an effort to resolve this dispute. 5 6 III. CONCLUSION For the reasons above, plaintiffs’ motion to compel at docket 201 is DENIED 7 without prejudice to renewal if the parties are unable to resolve the dispute after 8 personal consultation. It is ORDERED that the parties confer in person at a mutually 9 agreeable time and location within ten days from the date of this order. If the parties are 10 unable to agree on a time or location, the parties shall meet at the office of plaintiff’s 11 counsel at 9:00 a.m. on June 15, 2012. 12 DATED this 5th day of June 2012. 13 /s/ JOHN W. SEDWICK UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 6 Id. at 4, 10. -3-

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