Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. et al v. Lilith Games (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. et al
Filing
296
ORDER by Judge Breyer denying 292 motion for relief from denial of motion to compel. (crblc2S, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 7/12/2018)
1
2
3
4
5
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
6
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
7
8
9
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.,
et al.,
Plaintiffs,
10
v.
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
12
LILITH GAMES (SHANGHAI) CO.
LTD., et al.,
ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR
RELIEF FROM NONDISPOSITIVE
PRETRIAL ORDER OF
MAGISTRATE JUDGE
Defendants.
13
14
Case No. 15-cv-04084-CRB
Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(a), Plaintiffs move for relief from a magistrate
15
judge’s order denying their motion to compel a 30(b)(6) deposition of Lilith Games in
16
California, rather than Hong Kong. See Disc. Order (dkt. 291). When a party objects to
17
“purely legal determinations” in a non-dispositive discovery order, as here, the district
18
court can modify or set aside the order only if those determinations are “contrary to law.”
19
McAdam v. State Nat. Ins. Co., Inc., 15 F. Supp. 3d 1009, 1013 (S.D. Cal. 2014); Peters v.
20
Cox, 3:15–cv–00472–RCJ–VPC, 2018 WL 2323523, at *1 (D. Nev. May 22, 2018). Such
21
determinations are only contrary to law if the magistrate judge abused her discretion—that
22
is, if she “committed a clear error of judgment in reaching [her] conclusion after weighing
23
the relevant factors.” Id. (quoting United States v. BNS Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 464 (9th Cir.
24
1988)).
25
The Cadent factors are as follows: (1) “location of counsel for the parties in the
26
forum district”; (2) “the number of corporate representatives a party is seeking to depose”;
27
(3) “the likelihood of significant discovery disputes arising which would necessitate
28
resolution by the forum court”; (4) “whether the persons sought to be deposed often
1
engage in travel for business purposes”; and (5) “the equities with regard to the nature of
2
the claim and the parties’ relationship.” Cadent Ltd. v. 3M Unitek Corp., 232 F.R.D. 625,
3
629 (C.D. Cal. 2005). The first, second, and fourth factors regard the parties’ convenience,
4
and do not weigh particularly heavily here: a plane flight for a few people in one direction
5
or the other is not much of a burden on either side. The third factor regards the court’s
6
convenience, and also does not weigh in one direction or another. Plaintiffs have not
7
pointed to any reason taking the deposition in Hong Kong will inconvenience the Court or
8
make disputes any more difficult to resolve.
9
The only relevant factor, therefore, is the fifth. This is clearly the factor that the
magistrate judge had in mind when she pointed out that Plaintiffs initially noticed the
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
deposition in Hong Kong, writing, “The time for Plaintiffs to research the burden and
12
expense of taking depositions in Hong Kong was before they noticed depositions in Hong
13
Kong, not after.” Disc. Order. Given that the deposition was originally noticed in Hong
14
Kong, she found that the equities favored Defendants. There is no clear error of judgment
15
here. The motion is DENIED.
16
17
IT IS SO ORDERED.
18
Dated: July 12, 2018
CHARLES R. BREYER
United States District Judge
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
2
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?