Apple Computer, Inc. v. Podfitness, Inc.

Filing 77

Statement of Non-Opposition re 71 MOTION to Compel The Depositions of Jeff Hays and Teri Sundh filed byPodfitness, Inc.. (Related document(s) 71 ) (Wagstaffe, James) (Filed on 12/6/2007)

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W KERR ญญญญญ & ญญญญญ
LLP

JAMES M. WAGSTAFFE (95535) KERR & WAGSTAFFE LLP 100 Spear Street, Suite 1800 San Francisco, CA 94105ญ1528 Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone] JAMES E. MAGLEBY (pro hac vice application pending) JASON A. MCNEILL (pro hac vice application pending) MAGLEBY & GREENWOOD, P.C. 170 South Main Street, Suite 350 Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone] ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANT PODFITNESS, INC.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA OAKLAND DIVISION

APPLE, INC., Plaintiff, v. PODFITNESS, INC., and DOES 1-100, Inclusive Defendants.

Case No. 4:06-cv-05805 SBA STATEMENT OF NON-OPPOSITION TO MOTION TO COMPEL THE DEPOSITIONS OF JEFF HAYS AND TERI SUNDH

AGSTAFFE

CASE NO. C 06-5805 SBA

STATEMENT OF NON-OPPOSITION TO MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITIONS

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W KERR ญญญญญ & ญญญญญ
LLP

Pending before the Court is a motion filed by Plaintiff Apple Computer, Inc. (hereinafter, "Apple") to compel the depositions of two employees of Defendant Podfitness, Inc. (hereinafter, "Podfitness"). This motion was filed after Defendant's previous outside-counsel moved to withdraw from the case, after Defendant's in-house counsel had notified Apple of his termination of employment with Defendant, 1 and only one day 2 before the Court entered orders permitting such withdrawal, precluding further filings, and staying the proceedings for thirty (30) days to allow Podfitness to engage substitute counsel. As soon as it was retained by Podfitness as a substitute counsel, Magleby & Greenwood, P.C. began discussing the scheduling of the requested deposition dates with opposing counsel. While Podfitness is hopeful that the outcome of this discussion will moot the motion to compel, Podfitness nonetheless hereby files its statement of non-opposition to Plaintiff's motion to compel. The genesis of the motion to compel can be traced to certain procedural challenges in this case filed originally against Podfitness on September 21, 2006. After Podfitness answered the complaint on November 13, 2006, the Court entered a Case Management Scheduling Order on January 25, 2007. Under the original Protective Order, in-house counsel for Podfitness was not allowed access to documents designated "CONFIDENTIAL" or "ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY." A Stipulated Addendum was entered by the Court on April 16, 2007 whereby Plaintiff agreed not to serve any third party-discovery to Podfitness's business associates without first seeking the same documents from Podfitness. 3

1

Apple's opposition to Podfitness's motion to stay the case pending substitution of counsel was based in large part on the presumption that Podfitness's in-house counsel, Steve Hutchinson, was sufficient to carry on the representation. After receiving notice of Mr. Hutchinson no longer being employed by the Defendant, Apple filed its motion at issue here.

2

The Order permitting withdrawal as counsel and staying this action issued October 31, 2007. The day prior, October 30, 2007, Apple filed its motion to compel. This addendum was the result of Apple's interference with certain important Podfitness business relationships, which were lost as a result of, among other things, Apple's service of subpoenas without giving notice to Podfitness in contravention of Fed. R. Civ. P. 45. ญ1ญ
STATEMENT OF NON-OPPOSITION TO MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITIONS

3

AGSTAFFE

CASE NO. C 06-5805 SBA

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W KERR ญญญญญ & ญญญญญ
LLP

In a sense, this case has only just passed the pleading stage. Specifically, by stipulation between the parties, on August 1, 2007, Plaintiff filed an amended complaint adding causes of action for cybersquatting in violation of federal law and for breach of contract. Such amendments were based in part on a purported licensing agreement relating to Apple's iTunes, and diversion of internet traffic, theories wholly distinguishable from its then-existing causes of action. Podfitness answered the amended complaint on August 31, 2007, and counterclaimed on the basis of tortious intentional and negligent interference with contractual relations, tortious negligent interference with prospective economic advantage, and unlawful, unfair, and deceptive practices in violation of the California Business and Professions Code. Subsequent to the amendments, neither Apple nor Podfitness is believed to have yet propounded discovery on the subject matter raised by said amendments. On September 19, 2007, Podfitness's then outside-counsel Workman Nydegger and Collette Erickson Farmer & O'Neill moved to withdraw from the case and received the Court's approval for such withdrawal on November 1, 2007. In finding good cause for allowing withdrawal of counsel, the Court stated that "Podfitness has sufficient time to either engage substitute counsel or proceed through representation of its in-house counsel, Steven Hutchinson." On the same day, the Court entered an order staying the proceedings for thirty (30) days pending engagement of substitute counsel. However, at the time the Court entered the order permitting withdrawal of counsel, Podfitness's in-house counsel, Mr. Hutchinson was no longer employed by Podfitness. Plaintiff filed the current Motion to Compel the Depositions of Jeff Hays and Terry Sundh on October 30, 2007, after both in-house and outside-counsel had left Podfitness. A hearing on the motion to compel is currently set for December 7, 2005. On or about November 30, 2007, Podfitness retained the law firm of Magleby & Greenwood, P.C., which began the search for local counsel. On December 6, 2007, Kerr & Wagstaffe LLP was retained as substitute local counsel of record. On November 30, 2007, upon being retained, Magleby & Greenwood, P.C. contacted Plaintiff's counsel to discuss the scheduling of deposition dates for Jeff Hays and Teri Sundh. Defendant is hopeful that the parties will be able to agree on deposition and other discovery dates that allow for discovery to be conducted in a meaningful ญ2ญ
CASE NO. C 06-5805 SBA STATEMENT OF NON-OPPOSITION TO MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITIONS

AGSTAFFE