Taylor v. Holtmeyer et al

Filing 81

TEXT ORDER granting 79 Motion for Protective Order. Ordered by Magistrate Judge Cheryl R. Zwart. (BHC)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA

DE-VAUNTE TAYLOR,
Plaintiff,
v.
JAMES HOLTMEYER,
Defendant.

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Case No. 4:14CV3127

PROTECTIVE ORDER
This matter came before the Court upon the parties’ Stipulation for a Protective Order to
establish and maintain the confidentiality of certain documents and other things that may be
produced by either party during the course of this litigation (hereinafter, “items”), including, but not
limited to, items in the OPD Internal Affairs Unit records from its investigation and resolution of
complaints against the Defendant, and any documents maintained by the Internal Affairs Unit
pertaining to other reports or complaints concerning the Defendant.
This Court being advised in the premises, finds that the following Protective Order is
appropriate.
IT IS ORDERED, DECREED, AND ADJUDGED AS FOLLOWS:
1.

Counsel for the parties shall identify any other items proposed to be included in this

Protective Order and shall make a good faith effort to agree on which items shall be included. The
written consent of opposing counsel to the inclusion of specified items, whether by a document or
electronically, shall be sufficient to bring those items within the coverage of this Order. Until such
time as an agreement can be reached, all documents that are identified as confidential when
provided shall remain protected pursuant to this Order.
2.

If the parties cannot agree on the inclusion of additional items, they shall provide the

Court with a list of the items, described with sufficient particularity to enable the Court to
understand the nature of each item, together with a brief statement of the party’s reason(s) for or
against inclusion.

3.

The party producing the protected items shall mark them as confidential prior to

copying, or by agreement between counsel, the receiving party shall mark the copies as confidential
promptly after receipt.
4.

Neither the protected items, nor any written or electronic abstract or summary of the

contents, shall be disseminated, disclosed, revealed, or released to any person or entity. The
protected items, however, may be disclosed by receiving counsel in whole or in part to persons
regularly employed by receiving counsel or by written contract assisting counsel in the preparation
and presentation of this case, to parties to this litigation, and the Court and its personnel.
5.

Any person or entity to whom protected items are disclosed by receiving counsel

pursuant to Paragraph 4 shall not re-disclose all or any part of the protected items.
6.

Prior to any disclosure authorized by Paragraph 4 above, each person to whom

disclosure is to be made shall be provided with a copy of this Protective Order, and shall agree in
writing to be bound by its terms and conditions.
7.

All copies shall be made by employees of counsel for the parties without disclosing

the material to any outside firm or person unless approved by counsel for the disclosing party.
8.

All copies shall be considered to be protected items to the same extent as the original

material, and use of any copy shall be subject to the terms of this Protective Order to the same
extent as the original material.
9.

In the event a protected item needs to be used for purposes of a motion or other filing

with the Court, Local Rule 7.5 shall be followed.
10.

The use of knowledge of the contents or substance of any protected item for the

purpose of investigation, interviewing or questioning prospective witnesses, or the taking of
depositions shall not be deemed a violation of this Protective Order. In the event a protected item
consists of a statement made by any person, discussion by counsel of the contents of that statement
with the person making the statement shall not be deemed a violation of this Protective Order.
11.

Use of one or more protected items as an exhibit in a deposition of a party or witness

shall not be deemed a violation of this Protective Order, provided that counsel who marked and
used a protected item as a deposition exhibit shall retain each exhibit, and such exhibits shall not be
included with the transcript of the deposition unless otherwise ordered by the Court, or in

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compliance with Local Rule 7.5. The transcript may identify the item only in a manner that does
not disclose the content or substance.
12.

Any item which is or might be proposed for inclusion under this Protective Order,

but which has been publicly or otherwise disclosed, disseminated, revealed or released prior to the
signing of this Order shall not be covered by this Order. Any item which is, by operation of law, a
public record accessible for inspection, review and/or copying by a member of the general public,
shall not be covered by this Protective Order.
13.

Costs of copying the protected items shall be borne by the party requesting them, as

well as the costs of copying non-protected items.
14.

The provisions of this Protective Order shall not terminate upon the conclusion of

this action but shall continue until the further order of the Court or until the City of Omaha has
waived confidentiality in writing. Waiver of confidentiality by the City of Omaha shall be deemed
waiver of confidentiality by all Defendants.
15.

For any violation of this Protective Order the Court may impose such sanctions as

the Court deems appropriate, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, on a party, a party’s
attorney, or on any other person or entity who has had notice of this Protective Order.
16.

At the conclusion of this case, i.e., after the exhaustion of all appeals and the

issuance of the Court’s mandate, all protected items and all copies of protected items shall be
returned to the disclosing party. In the event the receiving party has made electronic copies of a
protected item, e.g., a PDF copy of a document, the original and all subsequent electronic copies
shall be deleted from all computers and electronic storage media, and the fact of that deletion shall
be certified in writing to the party originally disclosing the protected item(s).
DATED this 3rd day of March, 2016.

BY THE COURT

s/Cheryl R. Zwart
United States Magistrate Judge

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Approved as to form and content:

/s/Robert W. Futhey
ROBERT W. FUTHEY
Fraser Stryker PC LLO
500 Energy Plaza
409 S. 17th St.
Omaha, NE 68102
Telephone: [phone]
Attorney for Plaintiff

/s/William Acosta-Trejo
THOMAS O. MUMGAARD, No. 16004
Deputy City Attorney
WILLIAM ACOSTA-TREJO, No. 23302
Assistant City Attorney
804 Omaha/Douglas Civic Center
1819 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68183
Telephone: [phone]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
Attorneys for Defendants

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