Andersen Hotels, Inc. v. E.W. Merritt Farms et al

Filing 28

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER by Magistrate Judge John D. Early re Stipulation for Protective Order #25 . (see document for details). (dro)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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3200 PARK CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 950
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA 92626
TELEPHONE [phone]
FACSIMILE [phone]

SONGSTAD RANDALL COFFEE & HUMPHREY LLP

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ANDERSEN HOTELS, INC. DBA
HOTEL LAGUNA, a California
corporation,

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Original Complaint Filed:
October 12, 2017

Plaintiff,

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Case No.: 8:17-cv-01785-JLS (JDEx)

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE
ORDER

v.
E.W. MERRITT FARMS, a California
partnership; EARL MERRITT, a
California resident; JOE HANAUER, a
California resident; GREG
MACGILLIVRAY, a California
resident; JAMES “WALKIE” RAY, a
California resident; KIMBARK
GROUP LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company; and DOES 1 through
25, inclusive,
Defendants.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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1.

A. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

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Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of confidential,

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proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public disclosure

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and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be warranted.

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Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to enter the following

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Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this Order does not confer

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blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and that the protection

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it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited information or items

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that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles. The

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parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this Stipulated

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Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Civil

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Local Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed and the standards that

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will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file material under seal.

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B. GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT

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This action is likely to involve confidential and proprietary information for which

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special protection from public disclosure and from use for any purpose other than

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prosecution of this action is warranted. Such confidential and proprietary materials and

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information consist of, among other things, confidential business or financial

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information, information regarding confidential business practices, or other confidential

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research, development, or commercial information (including information implicating

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privacy rights of third parties), information otherwise generally unavailable to the

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public, or which may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure under state

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or federal statutes, court rules, case decisions, or common law. Accordingly, to expedite

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the flow of information, to facilitate the prompt resolution of disputes over

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confidentiality of discovery materials, to adequately protect information the parties are

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entitled to keep confidential, to ensure that the parties are permitted reasonably

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necessary uses of such material in preparation for and in the conduct of trial, to address

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their handling at the end of the litigation, and serve the ends of justice, a protective order
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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for such information is justified in this matter. It is the intent of the parties that

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information will not be designated as confidential for tactical reasons and that nothing

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be so designated without a good faith belief that it has been maintained in a confidential,

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non-public manner, and there is good cause why it should not be part of the public

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record of this case.

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2.

DEFINITIONS

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2.1

Action: this pending federal law suit.

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2.2

Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of

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information or items under this Order.
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“CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of how

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it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection under

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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c), and as specified above in the Good Cause

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Statement.

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2.4

Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as their

support staff).
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Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or

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items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as

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“CONFIDENTIAL.”

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2.6

Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of

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the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among

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other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or generated

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in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.

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2.7

Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter

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pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an

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expert witness or as a consultant in this Action and who shall be required to sign the

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Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound (Exhibit “A”)

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2.8

House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this Action.

House Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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counsel.
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Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or

other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.

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2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party to

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this Action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this Action and have

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appeared in this Action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm which

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has appeared on behalf of that party, and includes support staff.

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2.11 Party: any party to this Action, including all of its officers, directors,

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employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their

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support staffs).
2.12 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or

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Discovery Material in this Action.

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2.13 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support

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services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or

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demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) and

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their employees and subcontractors.
2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is

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designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.”
2.15 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material

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from a Producing Party.

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3.

SCOPE

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The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected

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Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from

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Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected

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Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or presentations by Parties or their

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Counsel that might reveal Protected Material.

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Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the trial
judge. This Order does not govern the use of Protected Material at trial.
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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4.

DURATION

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Once a case proceeds to trial, all of the information that was designated as

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confidential or maintained pursuant to this protective order may become public and may

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be presumptively available to all members of the public, including the press, unless

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compelling reasons supported by specific factual findings to proceed otherwise are

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made to the trial judge in advance of the trial. See Kamakana v. City and County of

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Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1180-81 (9th Cir. 2006) (distinguishing “good cause”

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showing for sealing documents produced in discovery from “compelling reasons”

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standard when merits-related documents are part of court record). Accordingly, the

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terms of this protective order do not extend beyond the commencement of the trial.

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Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations

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imposed by this Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise

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in writing or a court order otherwise directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the

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later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this Action, with or without prejudice;

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and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and exhaustion of all appeals,

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rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this Action, including the time limits for filing

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any motions or applications for extension of time pursuant to applicable law.

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5.

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DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
5.1

Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection.

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Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under this

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Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies

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under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for protection

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only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written communications that

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qualify so that other portions of the material, documents, items, or communications for

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which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within the ambit of this

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Order.

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Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that

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are shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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(e.g., to unnecessarily encumber the case development process or to impose

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unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Designating Party

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to sanctions.

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If it comes to a Designating Party's attention that information or items that it

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designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must

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promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the inapplicable designation.

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5.2

Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this

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Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated

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or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection under this

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Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or produced.
Designation in conformity with this Order requires:

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(a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic

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documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial

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proceedings), that the Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend

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“CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that

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contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page

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qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected

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portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).

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A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents available for

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inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has

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indicated which documents it would like copied and produced. During the inspection

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and before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be

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deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has identified the documents it

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wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which documents, or

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portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before producing the

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specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the “CONFIDENTIAL legend” to

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each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of the material

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on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).
(b) for testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party identify

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the Disclosure or Discovery Material on the record, before the close of the deposition.

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(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for

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any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the

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exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored the legend

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“CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information warrants

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protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected

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portion(s).
5.3

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Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent

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failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the

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Designating Party's right to secure protection under this Order for such material. Upon

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timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable efforts to

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assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this Order.

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6.

CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
6.1

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Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a

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designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the Court's Scheduling

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Order.
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Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute

resolution process under Local Rule 37.1 et seq.
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The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the

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Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose (e.g.,

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to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the

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Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived or withdrawn

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the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford the material in

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question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party's

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designation until the Court rules on the challenge.

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7.

ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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7.1

Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is

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disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this Action

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only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this Action. Such Protected

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Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the conditions

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described in this Order. When the Action has been terminated, a Receiving Party must

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comply with the provisions of section 13 below (FINAL DISPOSITION).

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Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a

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location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons

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authorized under this Order.

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7.2

Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise

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ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party

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may disclose any information or item designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:

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(a) the Receiving Party's Outside Counsel of Record in this Action, as well

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as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to

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disclose the information for this Action;

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(b)

the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of

the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action;
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Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom

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disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have signed the

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“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

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(d)

the court and its personnel;

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(e)

court reporters and their staff;

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(f)

professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional

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Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have

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signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

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(g)

the author or recipient of a document containing the information or

a custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information;
(h)

during their depositions, witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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the Action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary provided: (1) the deposing party

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requests that the witness sign the form attached as Exhibit A hereto; and (2) they will

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not be permitted to keep any confidential information unless they sign the

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“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed

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by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed deposition

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testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material may be separately

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bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted

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under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
(i)

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any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel,

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mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions.

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8.

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OTHER LITIGATION

PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN

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If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that

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compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as

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“CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party must:

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(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

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order to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the

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subpoena or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a

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copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and

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(c)

cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be

pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.

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If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served

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with the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this

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action as “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the

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subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party's

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permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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protection in that court of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions

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should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action to

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disobey a lawful directive from another court.

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9.

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IN THIS LITIGATION

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A NON-PARTY'S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED

(a)

The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a

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Non-Party in this Action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information

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produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies

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and relief provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as

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prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.
(b)

In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to

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produce a Non-Party's confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject

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to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party's confidential

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information, then the Party shall:

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(1)

promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-

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Party that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality

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agreement with a Non-Party;

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(2)

promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated

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Protective Order in this Action, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably

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specific description of the information requested; and

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(3)

make the information requested available for inspection by

the Non-Party, if requested.

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(c) If the Non-Party fails to seek a protective order from this court within

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14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may

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produce the Non-Party's confidential information responsive to the discovery request.

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If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce

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any information in its possession or control that is subject to the confidentiality

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agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the court. Absent a court order
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection

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in this court of its Protected Material.

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10.

UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

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If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed

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Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this

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Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing

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the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve

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all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or persons to

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whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order, and (d) request

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such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound”

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that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.

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11.

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PROTECTED MATERIAL

INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE

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When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain

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inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection,

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the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil

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Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure

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may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without prior

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privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the

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parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or

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information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product protection, the

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parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted to

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the court.

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12.

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MISCELLANEOUS
12.1

Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any

person to seek its modification by the Court in the future.

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12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this

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Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this

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Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any

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ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.

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12.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any

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Protected Material must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may

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only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific

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Protected Material at issue. If a Party's request to file Protected Material under seal is

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denied by the court, then the Receiving Party may file the information in the public

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record unless otherwise instructed by the court.

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13.

FINAL DISPOSITION

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After the final disposition of this Action, as defined in paragraph 4, within 60

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days of a written request by the Designating Party, each Receiving Party must return all

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Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this

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subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations,

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summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected

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Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party

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must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person

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or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies (by

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category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material that was returned or destroyed

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and (2)affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts,

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compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the

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Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an

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archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts,

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legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney

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work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such materials contain

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Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or constitute Protected

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Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in Section 4.

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14.

Any violation of this Order may be punished by any and all appropriate measures
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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including, without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary sanctions.

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Dated: November 21,2017

RUTAN & TUCKER, LLP

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By_/s/ Proud Usahacharoenporn__
Stephen A. Ellis
Proud Usahacharoenporn
Attorneys for Plaintiff,
ANDERSEN HOTELS, INC.
DBA HOTEL LAGUNA

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Dated: November 21, 2017

SONGSTAD RANDALL
COFFEE & HUMPHREY LLP

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By_/s/ Janet E. Humphrey ____
Janet E. Humphrey
William D. Coffee
Attorneys for Defendants,
JOE HANAUER,
GREG MACGILLIVRAY,
JAMES “WALKIE” RAY and
KIMBARK GROUP, LLC

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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Dated: November 21, 2017

LANG,RICHERT & PATCH, P.C.

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By_/s/ Kimberly L. Mayhew____
Robert K. Hillison
Kimberly L. Mayhew
Attorneys for Defendants, E.W. MERRITT
FARMS and EARL MERRITT

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Dated: November 21, 2017

HALL HUGUENIN LLP

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By_/s/ Michael A. Erlinger____
Howard D. Hall
Markus D. Self
Michael A. Erlinger
Attorneys for Defendants, E.W. MERRITT
FARMS and EARL MERRITT

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FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.

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DATED: NOVEMBER 22, 2017
_______________________________
JOHN D. EARLY
United States Magistrate Judge

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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EXHIBIT A

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND

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I, ____________________ [print or type full name], of ___________________ [print

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or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and

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understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District

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Court for the Central District of California on November 22, 2017, in the case of

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Andersen Hotels, Inc. dba Hotel Laguna, a California corporation v. E. W. Merritt

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Farms, a California partnership; Earl Merritt, a California resident; Joe Hanauer, a

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California resident; Greg MacGillivray, a California resident; James “Walkie” Ray, a

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California resident; Kimbark Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; and

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Does 1 through 25, inclusive, case number 8:117-cv-01785-JLS-JDE. I agree to comply

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with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I

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understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and

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punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any

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manner any information or item that is subject to this Order to any person or entity

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except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.

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I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for

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the Central District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated

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Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this

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action. I hereby appoint

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________________________ [print or type full address and telephone number] as my

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California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any proceedings

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related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.

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Date:_________________________

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City and State where sworn and signed:________________________________

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Printed name:_____________________________

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Signature:______________________________

_____________________ [print or type full name] of

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER