Powell v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company

Filing 32

PROTECTIVE ORDER entered by Magistrate Judge Craig B. Shaffer on 3/23/2017. The parties must nevertheless comply with Colorado Local Rule 7.2. (cbslc2)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO
Civil Action No.: 1:16-cv-00964-WJM-CBS
STEVEN POWELL
Plaintiff,
v.
ALLSTATE FIRE AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY
Defendant.

PROTECTIVE ORDER

Pursuant to the stipulation of the parties and in accordance with the provisions of
Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c),
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
1.

This Protective Order shall apply to all documents, materials, and information,

including without limitation, documents produced, answers to interrogatories, responses to
requests for admission, deposition testimony, and other information disclosed pursuant to the
disclosure or discovery duties created by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
2.

As used in this Protective Order, “document” is defined as provided in

Fed.R.Civ.P. 34(a). A draft or non-identical copy is a separate document within the meaning of
this term.
3.

Information designated “CONFIDENTIAL” shall be information that is

confidential and implicates common law and/or statutory privacy interests of employees and

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vendors. CONFIDENTIAL information shall not be disclosed or used for any purpose except the
preparation and trial of this case. Information that is designated by a party as CONFIDENTIAL
must first be reviewed by a lawyer and that designation as confidential must be “based on a good
faith belief that [the information] is confidential or otherwise entitled to protection under
Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c)(1)(G); see also Gillard v. Boulder Valley School Dist., 196 F.R.D. 382
(D.Colo. 2000).
4.

CONFIDENTIAL documents,

materials,

and/or information (collectively

“CONFIDENTIAL information”) shall not, without the consent of the party producing it or
further Order of the Court, be disclosed except that such information may be disclosed to:
(a)

attorneys actively working on this case;

(b)

persons regularly employed or associated with the attorneys actively working on
the case whose assistance is required by said attorneys in the preparation for trial,
at trial, or at other proceedings in this case;

(c)

the parties;

(d)

expert witnesses and consultants retained in connection with this proceeding, to
the extent such disclosure is necessary for preparation, trial or other proceedings
in this case;

(e)

stenographic reporters who are engaged in proceedings necessarily incident to the
conduct of this action;

(f)

deponents, witnesses, or potential witnesses; and

(g)

other persons by written agreement of the parties.

5.

Prior to disclosing any CONFIDENTIAL information to any person listed above
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(other than counsel, persons employed by counsel, and stenographic reporters), counsel shall
provide such person with a copy of this Protective Order and obtain from such person a written
acknowledgment stating that he or she has read this Protective Order and agrees to be bound by
its provisions. All such acknowledgments shall be retained by counsel and shall be subject to in
camera review by the Court if good cause for review is demonstrated by opposing counsel. The
acknowledgment form is attached as Appendix A.

Documents are designated as

CONFIDENTIAL by placing or affixing on them (in a manner that will not interfere with their
legibility) the following or other appropriate notice: “CONFIDENTIAL.”
6.

Whenever a deposition involves the disclosure of CONFIDENTIAL information,

the deposition or portions thereof shall be designated as CONFIDENTIAL and shall be subject to
the provisions of this Protective Order. Such designation shall be made on the record during the
deposition whenever possible, but a party may designate portions of depositions as
CONFIDENTIAL after transcription, provided written notice of the designation is promptly
given to all counsel of record within thirty (30) days after notice by the court reporter of the
completion of the transcript.
7.

A party may object to the designation of particular CONFIDENTIAL information

by giving written notice to the party designating the disputed information. The written notice
shall identify the information to which the objection is made. If the parties cannot resolve the
objection within ten (10) business days after the time the notice is received, it shall be the
obligation of the party designating the information as CONFIDENTIAL to file an appropriate
motion requesting that the Court determine whether the disputed information should be subject
to the terms of this Protective Order. If such a motion is timely filed, the disputed information
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shall be treated as CONFIDENTIAL under the terms of this Protective Order until the Court
rules on the motion. If the designating party fails to file such a motion within the prescribed
time, the disputed information shall lose its designation as CONFIDENTIAL and shall not
thereafter be treated as CONFIDENTIAL in accordance with this Protective Order.

In

connection with a motion filed under this provision, the party designating the information as
CONFIDENTIAL shall bear the burden of establishing that good cause exists for the disputed
information to be treated as CONFIDENTIAL.
8.

The parties agree that if any documents marked CONFIDENTIAL must be filed

with the Court, any CONFIDENTIAL information that is not critical for the Court to see will be
redacted. If any CONFIDENTIAL information must be seen by the Court, the party seeking to
restrict access to the material will file a Motion to Restrict pursuant to D.C.Colo.LCivR 7.2(c),
and make the required showing by:
(a)

identifying the document or the proceeding for which restriction is sought;

(b)

addressing the interest to be protected and why such interest outweighs the
presumption of public access;

(c)

identifying a clearly defined and serious injury that would result if access is not
restricted;

(d)

explaining why no alternative to restriction is practicable or why only restriction
will adequately protect the interest in question (e.g., redaction, summarization,
restricted access to exhibits or portions of exhibits); and

(e)

identifying the level of restriction sought.

9.

At the conclusion of this case, unless other arrangements are agreed upon, each
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document and all copies thereof which have been designated as CONFIDENTIAL shall be
returned to the party that designated it CONFIDENTIAL, or the parties may elect to destroy
CONFIDENTIAL documents.

With regard to attorney notes, memorandums, and written

comments made after receipt of and regarding the contents of those documents, materials and
information that are CONFIDENTIAL, the parties agree to destroy the same and further agree
not to maintain those notes, memorandums and comments for use in any future case or claim.
Where the parties agree to destroy CONFIDENTIAL documents, the destroying party shall
provide all parties with an affidavit confirming the destruction.
10.

This Protective Order may be modified by the Court at any time for good cause

shown following notice to all parties and an opportunity for them to be heard.
DONE this _____ day of _____________________, 2017.
23rd
March
BY THE COURT:
_________________________________
s/ Craig B. Shaffer
United States Magistrate Judge

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO
Civil Action No.: 1:16-cv-00964-WJM-CBS
STEVEN POWELL
Plaintiff,
v.
ALLSTATE FIRE AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY
Defendant.

APPENDIX A to PROTECTIVE ORDER

I,

, acknowledge that I have read the Stipulated Protective Order

(“Protective Order”) entered by the Court on ___________________________, 2017, in the
above-entitled action. I understand the terms of the Protective Order and agree to be bound by
those terms. I further agree to be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court
for the District of Colorado for this civil action.
Prior to signing this Acknowledgment, I have had an opportunity to consult with an
attorney of my choosing to discuss the terms of the Protective Order and my obligations
thereunder.
DATED: _______________________
By:

_______________________________

Name: _______________________________
(Please print)
_______________________________
Business Address
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