Shantel Dang et al v. City of Westminster et al

Filing 20

PROTECTIVE ORDER by Magistrate Judge Autumn D. Spaeth re Stipulation for Protective Order 17 . (see document for details) (hr)

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ARNOLDO CASILLAS, ESQ., SBN 158519
DENISSE O. GASTÉLUM, ESQ., SBN 282771
CASILLAS & ASSOCIATES
3777 Long Beach Blvd., Third Floor
Long Beach, CA 90807
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
[e-mail]

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Attorneys for Plaintiffs, ESTATE OF THO XUAN NGO, by and through successors
in interest, Linh Dang, Shantel Dang, Kayla Dang, and Taylor Dang; LING DANG,
individually; SHANTEL DANG, individually; KAYLA DANG, individually; and
TAYLOR DANG, individually
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA – SOUTHERN DIVISION
ESTATE OF THO XUAN NGO, by and )
through successors in interest, Linh
)
Dang, Shantel Dang, Kayla Dang, and )
Taylor Dang; LINH DANG,
)
individually; SHANTEL DANG,
)
individually; KAYLA DANG,
)
individually; and TAYLOR DANG,
)
individually,
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)
Plaintiffs,
)
)
vs.
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CITY OF WESTMINSTER;
)
WESTMINSTER POLICE
)
DEPARTMENT; and DOES 1 to 10,
)
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Defendants.
)
________________________________ )

CASE NO. 8:21-cv-00707 JVS ADSx
[Assigned to the Hon. James V. Selna,
Crtrm. 10C ]
STIPULATED PROTECTIVE
ORDER

Complaint: April 16, 2021
Trial: None Set

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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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

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

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The 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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Good cause exists for entry of this order.

As Plaintiffs are seeking and

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Defendants may produce, among other things, third party private and confidential

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information; portions of the personnel files of the deputy personnel involved in the

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subject incident, which contains confidential information, and information the City of

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Westminster

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schedules/logs and rosters, and training records for the involved deputy personnel;

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administrative investigation files, including but not limited to Detective and Crime

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Scene Investigator(s) materials, Internal Affairs materials which contain incident

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reports, witness statements, and other sensitive materials which the City of

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Westminster believes need special protection from public disclosure.

regards as official information; performance evaluations, work

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The documents identified in this Protective Order, which Defendants believe in

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good faith constitute or embody confidential information which the City of

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Westminister

maintains as strictly confidential and are otherwise generally

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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unavailable to the public, or which may be privileged or otherwise protected from

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disclosure under state or federal statutes, court rules, case decisions, or common law,

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are therefore entitled to heightened protection from disclosure.

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expedite 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 reasonable

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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

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order 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

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

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the public record of this case.

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2.

Accordingly, to

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

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of 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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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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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.

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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
counsel.
2.9

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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board, departments, divisions, employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside

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Counsel of Record (and their support staffs).

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

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2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is
designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.”

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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.
Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the trial

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judge. This Order does not govern the use of Protected Material at trial.

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4.

DURATION

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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

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

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prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and exhaustion of all

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

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for filing 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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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations

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

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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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5.2

Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in

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

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stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection

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under this Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or

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produced.

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Designation in conformity with this Order requires:

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(a)

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

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but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), that the

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Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter

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“CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that contains protected material. The legend

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must not obstruct a Party’s ability to view the contents of that document. If only a

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portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing

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Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate

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markings in the margins).

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

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

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

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

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

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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”

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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

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material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly

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

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for testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party identify the

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

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protected testimony.
(c)

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for information produced in some form other than documentary and for

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any other tangible items, that, at a minimum, the Producing Party affix in a prominent

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place on the exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored

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

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

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protected 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

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

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6.

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CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
6.1

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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6.2

Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute

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

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be on the Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper

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purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties)

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may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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waived or withdrawn the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford

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the material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the

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Producing Party’s designation until the Court rules on the challenge.

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7.

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ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
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

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

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

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

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Party must 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

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

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Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated “CONFIDENTIAL”

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only to:

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

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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

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Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action;

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(c) 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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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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(f) professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional Vendors

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

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“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);
(g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a

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custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information;

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(h) during their depositions, witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in the Action

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

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that the witness sign the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” form

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attached as Exhibit A hereto; and (2) they will not be permitted to keep any confidential

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information unless they sign the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound”

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(Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court.

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Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal

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Protected Material may be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be

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disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and
(i) any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel, mutually

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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 order to

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issues in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or

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order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this

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Stipulated Protective Order; and

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

(c)

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cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures south 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 with

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

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

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or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The

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Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court

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of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions should be construed as

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authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action to disobey a lawful

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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 Non-

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

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

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

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a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.

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(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

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subject 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-Party

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

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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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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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(3)

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Non-Party, if requested.
(c)

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make the information requested available for inspection by the

If the Non-Party fails to seek a protective order from this court within 14

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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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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)

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

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Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.

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11.

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INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE
PROTECTED MATERIAL.

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When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently

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

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

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

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

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

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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

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

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incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted to the court.

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12.

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

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MISCELLANEOUS

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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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, or another period of time agreed

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upon by the parties, each Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the

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Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this subdivision, “all Protected

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Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other format

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reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material

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is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written certification to the

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Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the

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60 day or agreed upon deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where appropriate) all

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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the Protected Material that was returned or destroyed and (2)affirms that the Receiving

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Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other

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format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this

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provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion

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papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence,

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deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant and

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expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such

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archival copies that contain or constitute Protected Material remain subject to this

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Protective Order as set forth in Section 4 (DURATION).

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14.

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

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

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IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.

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Dated: July 2, 2021

CASILLAS & ASSOCIATES

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By: /s/ Arnoldo Casillas
ARNOLDO CASILLAS
Attorneys for Plaintiffs,
ESTATE OF THO XUAN NGO, LINH DANG,
SHANTEL DANG, KAYLA DANG, and
TAYLOR DANG

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DATED: July 2, 2021

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FERGUSON, PRAET & SHERMAN APC
By: /s/ Daniel S. Cha
DANIEL S. CHA
Attorneys for Defendants

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED.

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Dated: _______________
July 14, 2021

____________________________________
/s/ Autumn D. Spaeth
Hon. Autumn D. Spaeth
U.S. Magistrate Judge
United States District Court

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

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EXHIBIT A

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND
I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of

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_________________ [print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have

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read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the

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United States District Court for the Central District of California on ___________ in the

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case of Shantel Dang et al v. City of Westminster et al., Case No. 8:21-cv-00707 JVS ADSx.

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

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

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and 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 Stipulated Protective Order to any

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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

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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.

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I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of

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_______________________________________ [print or type full address and telephone

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number] as my California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any

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proceedings 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: __________________________________

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER