McGhee v. YRC, Inc.
Filing
9
PROTECTIVE ORDER. The parties shall abide by the terms of the order. Signed by Magistrate Judge K. Gary Sebelius on 9/15/2017.(wh)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
MARK McGHEE,
Plaintiff,
vs.
YRC, INC., D/B/A YRC FREIGHT,
Defendant.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Case No. 17-2332-DDC
PROTECTIVE ORDER
The parties agree that during the course of discovery it may be necessary to disclose
certain confidential information relating to the subject matter of this action. They agree that
certain categories of such information should be treated as confidential, protected from
disclosure outside this litigation, and used only for purposes of prosecuting or defending this
action and any appeals. The parties jointly request entry of this proposed Protective Order to
limit the disclosure, dissemination, and use of certain identified categories of confidential
information.
The parties assert in support of their request that protection of the identified categories of
confidential information is necessary because Plaintiff alleges he was discriminated against on
the basis of his age and retaliated against on the basis that he exercised his rights under the
Family Medical Leave Act. The parties anticipate that certain documents and information will
be requested in discovery to support Plaintiff’s claims including personnel records and other
confidential personnel and business documents. For example, Plaintiff may request documents
and information that are likely to be proprietary in nature. Plaintiff may also request information
and records regarding Defendant’s employees who are not, and are not expected to be, parties to
this action.
In support of its defenses, Defendant anticipates requesting documents and
1
information regarding Plaintiff’s finances, educational background, medical and mental
condition. Defendant considers its proprietary information and employment records to be private
and/or confidential.
Plaintiff considers her personal information to be private and/or
confidential. The purpose of this Protective Order is to prevent and/or limit the disclosure of
documents and information the parties appropriately deem private and/or confidential. For good
cause shown under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c), the court grants the parties’ joint request and hereby
enters the following Protective Order:
1.
Scope. All documents and materials produced in the course of discovery of this
case, including initial disclosures, responses to discovery requests, all deposition testimony and
exhibits, and information derived directly therefrom (hereinafter collectively “documents”), are
subject to this Order concerning Confidential Information as set forth below. As there is a
presumption in favor of open and public judicial proceedings in the federal courts, this Order will
be strictly construed in favor of public disclosure and open proceedings wherever possible.
2.
Definition of Confidential Information. As used in this Order, “Confidential
Information” is defined as information that the producing party designates in good faith has been
previously maintained in a confidential manner and should be protected from disclosure and use
outside the litigation because its disclosure and use is restricted by statute or could potentially
cause harm to the interests of disclosing party or nonparties. For purposes of this Order, the
parties will limit their designation of “Confidential Information” to the following categories of
information or documents: medical records, personnel records regarding Plaintiff and nonparties, proprietary and confidential economic and financial information, financial statements
and records, and such other similar information the parties deem to be confidential and/or
proprietary.
2
3.
Form and Timing of Designation.
The producing party may designate
documents as containing Confidential Information and therefore subject to protection under this
Order by marking or placing the words “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “the marking”) on the
document and on all copies in a manner that will not interfere with the legibility of the document.
As used in this Order, “copies” includes electronic images, duplicates, extracts, summaries or
descriptions that contain the Confidential Information. The marking will be applied prior to or at
the time the documents are produced or disclosed. Applying the marking to a document does not
mean that the document has any status or protection by statute or otherwise except to the extent
and for the purposes of this Order. Copies that are made of any designated documents must also
bear the marking, except that indices, electronic databases, or lists of documents that do not
contain substantial portions or images of the text of marked documents and do not otherwise
disclose the substance of the Confidential Information are not required to be marked. By
marking a designated document as confidential, the designating attorney thereby certifies that the
document contains Confidential Information as defined in this Order.
4.
Inadvertent Failure to Designate. Inadvertent failure to designate any document
or material as containing Confidential Information will not constitute a waiver of an otherwise
valid claim of confidentiality pursuant to this Order, so long as a claim of confidentiality is
asserted within twenty one (21) days after discovery of the inadvertent failure.
5.
Depositions. Deposition testimony will be deemed confidential only if designated
as such when the deposition is taken or within a reasonable time period after receipt of the
deposition transcript. Such designation must be specific as to the portions of the transcript
and/or any exhibits to be protected.
6.
Protection of Confidential Material.
3
(a)
General Protections. Designated Confidential Information must be used
or disclosed solely for purposes of prosecuting or defending this lawsuit, including any appeals.
(b)
Who May View Designated Confidential Information. Except with the
prior written consent of the designating party or prior order of the court, designated Confidential
Information may only be disclosed to the following persons:
(1)
The parties to this litigation, including any employees, agents, and
representatives of the parties;
(2)
Counsel for the parties, and all assistants and stenographic and
clerical employees working under the direct supervision of
counsel;
(3)
Any person not employed by a party who is expressly retained by a
party to this Order, or any attorney assisting in litigation of this
action, with disclosure of Confidential Information only to the
extent necessary to perform such work;
(4)
The court and court personnel, including any special master
appointed by the court, and members of the jury;
(5)
Court reporters, recorders, and videographers engaged for
depositions;
(6)
Any mediator appointed by the court or jointly selected by the
parties; and
(7)
The author or recipient of the document (not including a person
who received the document in the course of the litigation).
(c)
Control of Documents.
The parties must take reasonable efforts to
prevent unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure of documents designated as containing
Confidential Information pursuant to the terms of this Order. Counsel for the parties must
maintain a record of those persons, including employees of counsel, who have reviewed or been
given access to the documents along with the originals of the forms signed by those persons
acknowledging their obligations under this Order. Disclosure of Confidential Information may
only be made after the individual to whom the Confidential Information is to be disclosed
executes a written declaration in the form attached as Exhibit A.
4
7.
Filing of Confidential Information. In the event a party seeks to file any
document containing Confidential Information subject to protection under this Order with the
court, that party must take appropriate action to insure that the document receives proper
protection from public disclosure including: (a) filing a redacted document with the consent of
the party who designated the document as confidential; (b) where appropriate (e.g., in relation to
discovery and evidentiary motions), submitting the document solely for in camera review; or (c)
when the preceding measures are inadequate, seeking permission to file the document under seal
by filing a motion for leave to file under seal in accordance with D. Kan. Rule 5.4.6.
Nothing in this Order will be construed as a prior directive to allow any document to be
filed under seal. The parties understand that the requested documents may be filed under seal
only with the permission of the court after proper motion. If the motion is granted and the
requesting party permitted to file the requested documents under seal, only counsel of record and
unrepresented parties will have access to the sealed documents. Pro hac vice attorneys must
obtain sealed documents from local counsel.
8.
Challenges to a Confidential Designation. The designation of any material or
document as Confidential Information is subject to challenge by any party. Before filing any
motion or objection to a confidential designation, the objecting party must meet and confer in
good faith to resolve the objection informally without judicial intervention. A party that elects to
challenge a confidentiality designation may file and serve a motion that identifies the challenged
material and sets forth in detail the basis for the challenge. The burden of proving the necessity
of a confidentiality designation remains with the party asserting confidentiality. Until the court
rules on the challenge, all parties must continue to treat the materials as Confidential Information
under the terms of this Order.
5
9.
Use of Confidential Documents or Information at Trial or Hearing. Nothing
in this Order will be construed to affect the use of any document, material, or information at any
trial or hearing. A party that intends to present or that anticipates that another party may present
Confidential Information at a hearing or trial must bring that issue to the attention of the court
and the other parties without disclosing the Confidential Information. The court may thereafter
make such orders as are necessary to govern the use of such documents or information at the
hearing or trial.
10.
Obligations on Conclusion of Litigation.
(a)
Order Remains in Effect.
Unless otherwise agreed or ordered, all
provisions of this Order will remain in effect and continue to be binding after conclusion of the
litigation.
(b)
Return of Confidential Documents. Within sixty (60) days after this
litigation concludes by settlement, final judgment, or final order, including all appeals, all
documents designated as containing Confidential Information, including copies as defined above,
must be returned to the party who previously produced the document unless: (1) the document
has been offered into evidence or filed without restriction as to disclosure; (2) the parties agree to
destruction of the document to the extent practicable in lieu of return, and counsel for the party
receiving the Confidential Information shall sign and provide to counsel for the party producing
the Confidential Information a certification attesting to such destruction; or (3) as to documents
bearing the notations, summations, or other mental impressions of the receiving party, that party
elects to destroy the documents and certifies to the producing party that it has done so.
(c)
Retention of Work Product. Notwithstanding the above requirements to
return or destroy documents, counsel may retain attorney work product, including an index
which refers or relates to designated Confidential Information, so long as that work product does
6
not duplicate verbatim substantial portions of the text or images of designated documents. This
work product will continue to be confidential under this Order. An attorney may use his or her
own work product in subsequent litigation provided that its use does not disclose Confidential
Information.
11.
Order Subject to Modification. This Order is subject to modification by the
court on its own motion or on motion of any party or any other person with standing concerning
the subject matter. The Order must not, however, be modified until the parties have been given
notice and an opportunity to be heard on the proposed modification.
12.
No Prior Judicial Determination.
This Order is entered based on the
representations and agreements of the parties and for the purpose of facilitating discovery.
Nothing in this Order will be construed or presented as a judicial determination that any
document or material designated as Confidential Information by counsel or the parties is entitled
to protection under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c) or otherwise until such time as the court may rule on a
specific document or issue.
13.
Persons Bound by Protective Order. This Order will take effect when entered
and is binding upon all counsel of record and their law firms, the parties, and persons made
subject to this Order by its terms.
14.
Jurisdiction. The court’s jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of this Order will
terminate on the final disposition of this case. But a party may file a motion to seek leave to
reopen the case to enforce the provisions of this Order.
15.
Protections Extended to Third-Party’s Confidential Information. The parties
agree to extend the provisions of this Protective Order to Confidential Information produced in
this case by third parties, if timely requested by the third party.
7
16.
Inadvertent Disclosure of Confidential Information Covered by Attorney-
Client Privilege or Work Product.
The inadvertent disclosure or production of any
information or document that is subject to an objection on the basis of attorney-client privilege or
work-product protection, including, but not limited, to information or documents that may be
considered Confidential Information under the Protective Order, will not be deemed to waive a
party’s claim to its privileged or protected nature or estop that party or the privilege holder from
designating the information or document as attorney-client privileged or subject to the work
product doctrine at a later date. Any party receiving any such information or document must
return it upon request to the producing party. Upon receiving such a request as to specific
information or documents, the receiving party must return the information or documents to the
producing party within twenty-one (21) days, regardless of whether the receiving party agrees
with the claim of privilege and/or work-product protection. Disclosure of the information or
document by the other party prior to such later designation will not be deemed a violation of the
provisions of this Order. The provisions of this section constitute an order pursuant to Rules
502(d) and (e) of the Federal Rules of Evidence.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: September 15, 2017
s/ K. Gary Sebelius
U.S. Magistrate Judge
8
WE SO MOVE and
WE SO MOVE and
agree to abide by the
terms of this Order
agree to abide by the
terms of this Order
s/ Lewis M. Galloway
Lewis M. Galloway,
1600 Genessee St., Ste. 918
Kansas City, MO 64102
Tel: 816-442-7002
Fax: 816.326-0820
Email: lewis@lglawllc.com
s/ Nicholas J. Walker
Nicholas J. Walker
2600 Grand Blvd., Suite 750
Kansas City, MO 64108
Tel: 816.472.6400
Fax: 816.472.6401
Email: nwalker@constangy.com
#20172
ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF
#21975
ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANT
9
ATTACHMENT A
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
AND
AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND
The undersigned hereby acknowledges that he/she has read the Protective Order dated
_______________ in the case captioned, Mark McGhee v. YRC, Inc., d/b/a YRC Freight, Case
No. 2:17-cv-2332, and attached hereto, understands the terms thereof, and agrees to be bound by
its terms. The undersigned submits to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the
District of Kansas in matters relating to this Protective Order and understands that the terms of
the Protective Order obligate him/her to use materials designated as Confidential Information in
accordance with the order solely for the purposes of the above-captioned action, and not to
disclose any such Confidential Information to any other person, firm, or concern, except in
accordance with the provisions of the Protective Order.
The undersigned acknowledges that violation of the Protective Order may result in
penalties for contempt of court.
Name:
_______________________________________________
Job Title:
_______________________________________________
Employer:
_______________________________________________
Business Address:
_______________________________________________
Date: _______________
_______________________________________________
Signature
4620286v.1
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?