Trone et al v. Peanut Corporation of America

Filing 111

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Trone et al v. Peanut Corporation of America Doc. 111 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 JAMES J. BROSNAHAN (BAR NO. 34555) TONY WEST (BAR NO. 164151) MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP 425 Market Street San Francisco, California 94105-2482 Telephone: 415.268.7000 Facsimile: 415.268.7522 JBrosnahan@mofo.com ISMAIL RAMSEY (BAR NO. 189820) MILES EHRLICH (BAR NO. 237954) RAMSEY & EHLRICH LLP 803 Hearst Avenue Berkeley, CA 94710 Telephone: 510.548.3600 Facsimile: 510.548.3601 miles@ramsey-ehrlich.com Attorneys for MARK KLEIN UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION TASH HEPTING, GREGORY HICKS, CAROLYN JEWEL and ERIK KNUTZEN on Behalf of Themselves and All Others Similarly Situated,, Plaintiff, Case No. C-06-00672-VRW NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION OF MARK KLEIN FOR LEAVE TO FILE BRIEF AS AMICUS CURIAE Hearing Date: Time: Courtroom: Judge: N/A N/A 6 (17th floor) Hon. Vaughn Walker 18 v. 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION OF MARK KLEIN FOR LEAVE TO FILE BRIEF AS AMICUS CURIAE C-06-00672-VRW sf-2122878 AT&T CORP., AT&T INC. and DOES 120, inclusive, Defendant. 1 Dockets.Justia.com 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 TO ALL PARTIES AND THEIR COUNSEL OF RECORD: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that Mark Klein hereby moves the Court, pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7-11, for leave to appear and file the accompanying proposed Brief of Amicus Curiae. This Motion is based on this Notice of Motion and Motion, Mr. Klein's proposed amicus brief submitted herewith, the proposed order submitted herewith, the pleadings and papers on file herein, and such other argument and evidence as may be presented to the Court. Proposed amicus curiae is Mark Klein. This Court should consider Mr. Klein's submission, in short, "because of [his] involvement in the events leading to this case." Sonoma Falls Developers, LLC v. Nevada Gold & Casinos, Inc., 272 F. Supp. 2d 919, 925 (N.D. Cal. 2003). Mr. Klein was an employee of defendant AT&T Corp. ("AT&T") for 22 years. In 2003, Mr. Klein began witnessing what he believed to be AT&T's cooperation with the federal government in unlawfully intercepting the communications of countless AT&T customers. During the course of his employment, he came into possession of documents that detailed the nature and mechanism of the surveillance program. As part of his duties as a communications technician, Mr. Klein was required to connect fiber optic circuits carrying AT&T customers' private Internet-based data to a device that diverted that same data to a room controlled by the government. When reports of the government's extensive surveillance program surfaced in December 2005, Mr. Klein realized that he was a witness to (and an unwitting participant in) a massive effort that had the effect, if not the purpose, of violating the rights of millions of Americans. Looking only to shed light on AT&T's role in this program, Mr. Klein shared his observations and provided corroborating documents to plaintiffs' counsel and to select news organizations. It is not an overstatement to say that Mr. Klein is a central witness in this case, and that his testimony and documents are the key evidence supporting the plaintiffs' pending motion for a preliminary injunction. Mr. Klein has not sought, and he does not intend to seek, any monetary compensation for the harm caused by AT&T's conduct. Instead, his sole interest in this proceeding is seeing to it that the plaintiffs' grievances are heard by a court of law, and that the unlawful inception of Internet-based communications is halted. NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION OF MARK KLEIN FOR LEAVE TO FILE BRIEF AS AMICUS CURIAE C-06-00672-VRW sf-2122878 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 In sum, Mr. Klein has "unique information or [a] perspective that can help the court beyond the help that the lawyers for the parties are able to provide." Id. (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Mr. Klein believes that his submission will aid the Court in adjudicating various issues that have arisen in this case, such as the defendants' requests to seal certain papers and to compel the return of documents, and the United States' anticipated assertion of the state secrets privilege. His amicus brief "is at least relevant to the issues raised by the parties [and the government] for the court's consideration[.]" In re McKesson HBOC, Inc. ERISA Litigation, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7078, at *3 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 31, 2005). Mr. Klein respectfully submits that it would be patently unfair for the Court to rule on these potentially dispositive motions before hearing from him. As is set forth in the accompanying Declaration of James J. Brosnahan, Mr. Klein sought consent to file his papers from counsel for both the plaintiffs and the defendants. Counsel for the plaintiffs stipulated the Mr. Klein's participation; counsel for the defendants did not. See Decl. of James J. Brosnahan at ¶¶ 2-3. For the foregoing reasons, Mr. Klein respectfully requests that the Court grant this motion and accept the accompanying Brief of Amicus Curiae. Dated: May 4, 2006 JAMES J. BROSNAHAN TONY WEST MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP By: /s/ James J. Brosnahan Attorneys for MARK KLEIN ISMAIL RAMSEY MILES EHRLICH RAMSEY & EHLRICH LLP By: /s/ Ismail Ramsey Attorneys for MARK KLEIN NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION OF MARK KLEIN FOR LEAVE TO FILE BRIEF AS AMICUS CURIAE C-06-00672-VRW sf-2122878 3

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