Curtis Johnson et al v. City of Berkeley et al
Filing
88
ORDER RE: DEFENDANTS' ASSERTION OF DELIBERATIVE PROCESS PRIVILEGE AND DEPOSITION PROCEDURES. Signed by Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley on 12/13/2016.(ahm, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 12/13/2016)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
10
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
MONI LAW, et al.,
Plaintiffs,
12
13
14
15
Case No.15-cv-05343-JSC
v.
CITY OF BERKELEY, et al.,
Defendants.
ORDER RE: DEFENDANTS’
ASSERTION OF DELIBERATIVE
PROCESS PRIVILEGE AND
DEPOSITION PROCEDURES
Re: Dkt. Nos. 84, 85
16
17
This lawsuit arises out of a racial justice protest in Berkeley, California. Plaintiffs
18
challenge the City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Police Department’s response to the protest and
19
allege that, among other things, they were subjected to excessive force and violation of their First
20
Amendment rights. The parties have filed a joint discovery letter brief regarding Defendants’
21
assertion of the deliberative process privilege over documents contained in the investigation file
22
for the Berkeley Police Department’s Post-Incident Review of this and other protests which
23
occurred around the same date. (Dkt. Nos. 84 & 85.) Following the Court’s receipt of the letter
24
brief, the Court ordered Defendants to submit the documents for in camera review. (Dkt. No. 86.)
25
Having reviewed the documents and having considered the parties’ arguments and the relevant
26
legal authority, the Court DENIES Plaintiffs’ motion to compel production of the documents.
27
Further, given the upcoming depositions in this action, the Court orders the parties to follow
28
certain procedures in all depositions in this action.
DISCUSSION
1
2
A. The Deliberative Process Privilege
“The deliberative process privilege permits the government to withhold documents that
4
reflect advisory opinions, recommendations, and deliberations comprising part of a process by
5
which governmental decisions and polices are formulated.” Hongsermeier v. Commissioner of
6
Internal Revenue, 621 F.3d 890, 904 (9th Cir. 2010) (internal citations omitted). For the
7
deliberative process privilege to apply, a document must meet two requirements: (1) “the
8
document must be predecisional—it must have been generated before the adoption of an agency’s
9
policy or decision” and (2) “the document must be deliberative in nature, containing opinions,
10
recommendations, or advice about agency policies.” F.T.C. v. Warner Comms. Inc., 742 F.2d
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
3
1156, 1161 (9th Cir. 1984) (internal citations omitted). The deliberative process privilege is
12
qualified and may be overcome by a strong showing of relevance and an inability to obtain the
13
information from other sources. See Sanchez v. City of Santa Ana, 936 F.2d 1027, 1034 (9th
14
Cir.1990). Courts consider the following factors in making this determination: 1) the relevance of
15
the evidence, 2) the availability of other evidence, 3) the government’s role in the litigation, and 4)
16
the extent to which disclosure would hinder frank and independent discussion regarding
17
contemplated policies and decisions. See F.T.C., 742 F.2d at 1161.
Here, Defendants have withheld 11 documents which they identify as interview notes
18
19
contained in the Berkeley Police Department’s Post-Incident Review of the incident at issue in this
20
action, as well as other protests that occurred close in time (referred to by the parties as “the
21
report”).1 Although Defendants have listed these documents on a privilege log, these notes are
22
unlabeled, largely undated, and do not clearly indicate either the author or the individual being
23
interviewed. Some of this information is contained in the privilege log, but matching the
24
documents to the privilege log is complicated by Defendants’ failure to bates-stamp the
25
documents. Nonetheless, the Court has reviewed the documents and concludes that they are
26
properly subject to the deliberative process privilege. The documents are predecisional and
27
1
28
Defendants refer to 6 documents, but their in camera submission includes 11 documents and 11
documents are listed on the privilege log. (Dkt. No. 87-1.)
2
1
deliberative in that they reflect the officer’s reflections on what happened during the protests and
2
opinions regarding the strengths and deficiencies in the response of the Berkeley Police
3
Department (the “Department”). These notes were compiled as part of the Department’s
4
investigation into how it can improve, and according to Defendants’ representation, contains 32
5
separate policy recommendations. (Dkt. No. 84 at 5.)
6
While courts often reject an assertion of deliberative process privilege when asserted to
7
shield internal affairs investigations in civil rights actions, the documents here do not fit within
8
that category. See Nehad v. Browder, No. 15-CV-1386 WQH NLS, 2016 WL 2745411, at *6
9
(S.D. Cal. May 10, 2016) (collecting cases). Rather, these documents fit within a protected
category: “communications designed to directly contribute to the formulation of important public
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
policy.” See Soto v. City of Concord, 162 F.R.D. 603, 612 (N.D. Cal. 1995) (concluding that
12
deliberative process privilege does not protect information that police departments routinely
13
generate like internal affairs investigations and the records of witness/police officer statements).
14
Indeed, “[a]s originally developed, the deliberative process privilege was designed to help
15
preserve the vigor and creativity of the process by which government agencies formulate
16
important public policies.” Kelly v. City of San Jose, 114 F.R.D. 653, 658 (N.D. Cal. 1987). That
17
is the purpose for which these interviews were conducted. Knowledge that what the officers said
18
during the interviews could be disclosed would chill the very candor that is necessary to formulate
19
policies addressing any issues with the Department’s response. See Assembly of State of Cal. v.
20
U.S. Dep’t of Commerce, 968 F.2d 916, 920 (9th Cir. 1992), as amended on denial of reh’g (Sept.
21
17, 1992) (“A predecisional document is a part of the deliberative process if the disclosure of the
22
materials would expose an agency’s decisionmaking process in such a way to discourage candid
23
discussion within the agency and thereby undermine the agency’s ability to perform its
24
functions.”).
25
The Court also concludes that there is no basis to overcome the privilege. For this, the
26
Court looks to: 1) the relevance of the evidence, 2) the availability of other evidence, 3) the
27
government’s role in the litigation, and 4) the extent to which disclosure would hinder frank and
28
independent discussion regarding contemplated policies and decisions. See F.T.C., 742 F.2d at
3
1
1161. By Plaintiffs’ own admission, between the report and “the officer’s public comments at the
2
Police Review Commission hearing,” Plaintiffs have information regarding the “self criticism” of
3
the Department’s handling of the protests. (Dkt. No. 84 at 2.) Plaintiffs go on to describe the
4
report’s contents which detail what happened during the protest and as officers reflected on what
5
happened after the fact—both of which appear to be sources of the same information sought here.2
6
The first and second factors thus weigh against disclosure of these documents. The Court already
7
discussed the fourth factor—disclosure of these documents would hinder frank and independent
8
discussion. As for the third factor, that the government—here, the City of Berkeley—is a party to
9
the litigation, this is the only factor that weighs in favor of disclosure. This factor alone is
insufficient. The Court thus sustains the assertion of privilege and declines to order the documents
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
produced.
12
B.
Depositions
13
The parties are ordered to follow the following procedures with respect to all upcoming
14
depositions. All attorneys defending depositions in this litigation (1) shall state the basis for an
15
objection, and no more (e.g., “relevance,” “compound,” “asked and answered”); (2) shall not
16
engage in speaking objections or otherwise attempt to coach deponents; and (3) shall not direct a
17
deponent to refuse to answer a question unless the question seeks privileged information.
CONCLUSION
18
For the reasons stated above, Plaintiffs’ motion to compel production of the documents
19
20
withheld based on an assertion of deliberative process privilege is DENIED.
21
The parties shall follow the aforementioned procedures for all forthcoming depositions.
22
The parties are advised that the Court will be unavailable from December 26, 2016 through
23
January 13, 2017.
This Order disposes of Docket Nos. 84 & 85.
24
25
26
27
28
2
Plaintiffs cite to portions of the report, which were purportedly attached to the discovery letter
brief, but these exhibits were not electronically filed and no chambers copy of the discovery letter
brief was received.
4
1
2
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: December 13, 2016
3
4
JACQUELINE SCOTT CORLEY
United States Magistrate Judge
5
6
7
8
9
10
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
5
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?