Robinson v. Renown Regional Medical Center et al
Filing
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ORDER that Plaintiff's Objection to Denial of Rule 37(e) Sanctions ECF No. 67 is overruled. Signed by Judge Miranda M. Du on 3/23/2018. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - KW)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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***
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SHAUN ROBINSON
Case No. 3:16-cv-00372-MMD-WGC
Plaintiff,
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ORDER
v.
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RENOWN REGIONAL MEDICAL
CENTER, et al.,
Defendants.
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The Magistrate Judge denied Plaintiff’s motion for sanctions for spoliation of
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evidence. (ECF No. 66.) Before the Court is Plaintiff Shaun Robinson’s Objection to
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Denial of Rule 37(e) Sanctions (“Objection”). (ECF No. 67.) The Court has reviewed
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Defendant’s response. (ECF No. 72.) For the reasons discussed herein, the Court
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overrules Plaintiff’s Objection.
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Magistrate judges are authorized to resolve pretrial matters subject to district
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court review under a “clearly erroneous or contrary to law” standard. 28 U.S.C. §
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636(b)(1)(A); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(a); LR IB 3-1(a) (“A district judge may
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reconsider any pretrial matter referred to a magistrate judge in a civil or criminal case
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pursuant to LR IB 1-3, where it has been shown that the magistrate judge’s ruling is
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clearly erroneous or contrary to law.”). A magistrate judge’s order is “clearly erroneous” if
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the court has “a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.” See
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United States v. U.S. Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395 (1948); Burdick v. Comm’r IRS,
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979 F.2d 1369, 1370 (9th Cir. 1992). “An order is contrary to law when it fails to apply or
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misapplies relevant statutes, case law, or rules of procedure.” Jadwin v. Cty. of Kern,
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767 F. Supp. 2d 1069, 1110-11 (E.D. Cal. 2011) (quoting DeFazio v. Wallis, 459 F.
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Supp. 2d 159, 163 (E.D.N.Y. 2006)). When reviewing the order, however, the magistrate
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judge “is afforded broad discretion, which will be overruled only if abused.” Columbia
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Pictures, Inc. v. Bunnell, 245 F.R.D. 443, 446 (C.D. Cal. 2007). The district judge “may
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not simply substitute its judgment” for that of the magistrate judge. Grimes v. City and
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County of San Francisco, 951 F.2d 236, 241 (9th Cir. 1991) (citing United States v. BNS,
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Inc., 858 F.2d 456, 464 (9th Cir. 1988)).
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The Magistrate Judge found that Defendant has demonstrated that the data
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Plaintiff seeks—“’inbound/outbound’ calls made to and from Plaintiff, his coworkers, and
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Tahoe Tower Telemetry 8 staff for his schedules [sic] day at Renown” (ECF No. 54 at
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4)—which might have been maintained had ceased functioning as a data maintenance
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device before 2014. (ECF No. 66 at 4.) The Magistrate Judge also rejected Plaintiff’s
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contention that Defendant should have been put on notice that this information may be
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relevant to his claim of gender harassment as alleged in his charge of discrimination filed
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with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
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Commission. (Id. at 4-5.) Plaintiff has not demonstrated that the Magistrate Judge’s
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findings are clearly erroneous or contrary to law. In fact, this Court agrees with the
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Magistrate Judge’s findings.
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It is therefore ordered that Plaintiff’s Objection to Denial of Rule 37(e) Sanctions
(ECF No. 67) is overruled.
DATED THIS 23rd day of March 2018.
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MIRANDA M. DU
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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