de Souza v. Laureate International Universities et al
Filing
19
PROTECTIVE ORDER. Signed by Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers on April 26, 2021. (jlk)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
EASTERN DIVISION
LIONEL DESOUZA
Plaintiff,
v.
Case No: 2:20-cv-06294-ALM-EPD
LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. AND
WALDEN UNIVERSITY LLC
Defendants.
STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
Pursuant to the parties’ joint request that the Court enter this Order, and their agreement
that the following limitations and restrictions should apply to documents and information produced
for inspection and copying during the course of this litigation (the “Action”), the Court hereby
ORDERS that:
1.
Scope. This Protective Order (hereinafter “Protective Order” or “Order”) shall
apply to all documents or other information produced in the course of discovery in this Action that
the designating person or entity (the “Designating Party”) has designated as “CONFIDENTIAL –
SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” pursuant to this Order, including but not limited to, all
initial disclosures, all responses to discovery requests, all deposition testimony and exhibits, and
all materials (including documents or testimony) produced by non-parties in response to subpoenas
issued in connection with this matter, including all copies, excerpts, and summaries thereof
(collectively the “Confidential Information”).
2.
Purpose. The purpose of this Protective Order is to protect against the unnecessary
disclosure of Confidential Information.
3.
Disclosure Defined. As used herein, “disclosure” or “to disclose” means to
divulge, reveal, describe, summarize, paraphrase, quote, transmit, or otherwise communicate
Confidential Information, and the restrictions contained herein regarding disclosure of
Confidential Information also apply with equal force to any copies, excerpts, analyses, or
summaries of such materials or the information contained therein, as well as to any pleadings,
briefs, exhibits, transcripts or other documents which may be prepared in connection with this
litigation which contain or refer to the Confidential Information or information contained therein.
4.
Designating Material As Confidential. Any party, or any third party subpoenaed
by one of the parties, may designate as confidential and subject to this Protective Order any
documents, testimony, written responses, or other materials produced in this case if they contain
information that the Designating Party asserts in good faith is protected from disclosure by statute
or common law, including, but not limited to, confidential personal information, medical or
psychiatric information, trade secrets, personnel records, or such other sensitive commercial
information that is not publicly available. Information that is publicly available may not be
designated as confidential. The designation of materials as confidential pursuant to the terms of
this Protective Order does not mean that the document or other material has any status or protection
by statute or otherwise except to the extent and for the purposes of this Order.
5.
Form and Timing Of Designation.
a.
Documents And Written Materials. The Designating Party shall
designate any document or other written materials as confidential pursuant to this Order by
marking each page of the material with a stamp identifying it as “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT
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TO PROTECTIVE ORDER,” if practical to do so. The person or entity designating the material
shall place the stamp, to the extent possible, in such a manner that it will not interfere with the
legibility of the document. Materials shall be so-designated prior to, or at the time of, or promptly
upon receiving their production or disclosure.
b.
Electronically Stored Information (“ESI”): If a production response
includes ESI, the Designating Party shall make an effort to include within the electronic files
themselves the designation “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” to the
extent practicable. If that is not practicable, then the Designating Party shall designate in a
transmittal letter or email to the party to whom the materials are produced (the “Receiving Party”)
using a reasonable identifier (e.g., the Bates range) any portions of the ESI that should be treated
as “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER.”
c.
Deposition Testimony. Deposition testimony will be deemed confidential
only if designated as such when the deposition is taken or within 15 days 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, except that any exhibit that has previously been marked as
“CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” at the time of production, and
which still bears that mark at the time of its use in a deposition, shall be presumed to be confidential
under this Order without further designation.
6.
Limitation Of Use.
a.
General Protections. All information designated “Confidential” and
subject to this Protective Order, including all information derived therefrom, shall be used by the
Receiving Party solely for purposes of prosecuting or defending this Action. The Receiving Party
shall not use or disclose the Confidential Information for any other purpose, including but not
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limited to any business, commercial, or competitive purpose. Except as set forth in this Order, the
Receiving Party shall not disclose Confidential Information to any third party. This Order shall not
prevent the Designating Party from using or disclosing information it has designated as
Confidential Information, and that belongs to the Designating Party, for any purpose that the
Designating Party deems appropriate, except that the Designating Party’s voluntary disclosure of
Confidential Information outside the scope of this Action may impact the protection that this Order
would otherwise provide with regard to such information, once disclosed.
b.
Persons To Whom Confidential Information May Be Disclosed. Use of
any information, documents, or portions of documents marked “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT
TO PROTECTIVE ORDER,” including all information derived therefrom, shall be restricted
solely to the following persons who agree to be bound by the terms of this Protective Order, unless
additional persons are stipulated by counsel or authorized by the Court:
1.
outside counsel of record for the parties, and the administrative staff of outside
counsel's firms;
2.
in-house counsel for the parties, and the administrative staff for each in-house
counsel;
3.
any party to this action who is an individual;
4.
as to any party to this action who is not an individual, every employee, director,
officer, or manager of that party, but only to the extent necessary to further the
interest of the parties in this litigation;
5.
independent consultants or expert witnesses (including partners, associates and
employees of the firm which employs such consultant or expert) retained by a party
or its attorneys for purposes of this litigation, but only to the extent necessary to
further the interest of the parties in this litigation, and only after such persons have
completed the certification attached hereto as Attachment A, Acknowledgment of
Understanding and Agreement to be Bound;
6.
the Court and its personnel, including, but not limited to, stenographic reporters
regularly employed by the Court and stenographic reporters not regularly employed
by the Court who are engaged by the Court or the parties during the litigation of
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this action;
7.
the authors and the original recipients of the documents;
8.
any court reporter or videographer reporting a deposition;
9.
employees of copy services, microfilming or database services, trial support firms,
and/or translators who are engaged by the parties during the litigation of this action;
10.
interviewees, potential witnesses, deponents, hearing or trial witnesses, and any
other person, where counsel for a party to this action in good faith determines the
individual should be provided access to such information in order for counsel to
more effectively prosecute or defend this action (as long as the disclosure occurs in
the presence of counsel, and copies, duplicates, images, or the like are not removed
or retained by any interviewee, potential witness, deponent, or hearing or trial
witness), provided, however, that in all such cases the individual to whom
disclosure is to be made has been informed that the information contained in the
disclosed document(s) is confidential and protected by Court Order, that the
individual understands that he/she is prohibited from disclosing any information
contained in the document(s) to anyone; or
11.
any other person agreed to in writing by the parties.
Prior to being shown any documents produced by another party marked “CONFIDENTIAL –
SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER,” any person listed under paragraph 6(b)(3), 6(b)(4), or
6(b)(11) shall be advised that the confidential information is being disclosed pursuant to and
subject to the terms of this Protective Order.
7.
Inadvertent Production. Inadvertent production of any privileged document or
information, including but not limited to those with the designation of “CONFIDENTIAL –
SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” shall be governed by Fed. R. Evid. 502. Pursuant to
subsections (d) and (e) of that Rule, the parties agree to, and the Court orders, protection of
Protected Information against claims of waiver (including as against third parties and in other
Federal and State proceedings) in the event such information is produced during the course of the
Litigation, whether pursuant to a Court order, a parties’ discovery request, or informal production,
as follows:
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a.
the production of documents or electronically stored information (“ESI”)
(including, without limitation, metadata) subject to a legally recognized claim of
privilege or other protection from production or other disclosure (collectively,
“Protected Information”), including without limitation the attorney-client privilege
and work-product doctrine, shall in no way constitute the voluntary disclosure of
such Protected Information;
b.
the production of Protected Information shall not result in the waiver of any
privilege or protection associated with such Protected Information as to the
receiving party, or any third parties, and shall not result in any waiver of protection,
including subject matter waiver, of any kind;
c.
if any document or ESI (including, without limitation, metadata) received by a party
is on its face clearly subject to a legally recognizable privilege, immunity, or other
right not to produce such information, the Receiving Party will promptly notify the
Designating Party in writing that it has discovered Protected Information, identify
the Protected Information by Bates Number range, and return or sequester such
Protected Information until the Designating Party confirms whether it does indeed
assert any privilege protecting this information. Once the Designating Party asserts
privilege over such Protected Information (as described in Subparagraph (e)
below), the Receiving Party will return, sequester, or destroy all copies of such
Protected Information, along with any notes, abstracts or compilations of the
content thereof, within ten (10) business days of notice from the Designating Party;
d.
upon the request of the Designating Party, the Receiving Party will promptly
disclose the names of any individuals who have read or have had access to the
Protected Information;
e.
if the Designating Party intends to assert a claim of privilege or other protection
over Protected Information identified by the receiving party, the Designating Party
will, within ten (10) business days of receiving the Receiving Party’s written
notification, inform the Receiving Party of such intention in writing and shall
provide the Receiving Party with a log for such Protected Information that is
consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, setting
forth the basis for the claim of privilege, immunity or basis for non-disclosure, and
in the event, if any portion of the Protected Information does not contain privileged
or protected information, the Designating Party shall also provide to the Receiving
Party a redacted copy of the Protected Information that omits the information that
the Designating Party believes is subject to a claim of privilege, immunity or other
protection;
f.
if, during the course of the litigation, a party determines it has produced Protected
Information, the Designating Party may notify the Receiving Party of such
production in writing. The Designating Party’s written notice must identify the
Protected Information by Bates Number range, the privilege or protection claimed,
and the basis for the assertion of the privilege and shall provide the receiving party
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with a log for such Protected Information that is consistent with the requirements
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, setting forth the basis for the claim of
privilege, immunity or basis for non-disclosure, and in the event any portion of the
Protected Information does not contain privileged or protected information, the
Designating Party shall also provide to the receiving party a redacted copy of the
Protected Information that omits the information that the Designating Party
believes is subject to a claim of privilege, immunity or other protection. The
Designating Party must also demand the return of the Protected Information. After
receiving such written notification, the Receiving Party must, within ten (10)
business days of receiving the written notification, return, sequester, or destroy the
specified Protected Information and any copies, along with any notes, abstracts or
compilations of the content thereof;
g.
a Receiving Party’s return, sequestration, or destruction of such Protected
Information as provided in the Subparagraphs above will not act as a waiver of the
Receiving Party’s right to move for the production of the returned, sequestered, or
destroyed Protected Information on grounds that the Protected Information is not
in fact subject to a viable claim of privilege or other protection. However, the
Receiving Party is prohibited and estopped from arguing that the Designating
Party’s production of the Protected Information in this matter acts as a waiver of
applicable privileges or protections, that the disclosure of the Protected Information
by the Designating Party was not inadvertent, that the Designating Party did not
take reasonable steps to prevent the disclosure of the Protected Information, or that
the Designating Party did not take reasonable steps to rectify such disclosure; and
h.
nothing contained herein is intended to or shall limit a Designating Party’s right to
conduct a review of documents or ESI (including, without limitation, metadata), for
relevance, responsiveness, and/or the segregation of privileged and/or protected
information before such information is produced to the Receiving Party;
i.
prior to production to another party, all copies, electronic images, duplicates,
extracts, summaries, or descriptions (collectively “copies”) of documents marked
“CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” under this Order, or
in any individual portion of such a document, shall be affixed with the designation
“CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” if it does not already
appear on the copy. All such copies shall thereafter be entitled to the protection of
this Order. The term “copies” shall not include indices, electronic databases, or lists
of documents provided these indices, electronic databases, or lists do not contain
substantial portions or images of the text of confidential documents or otherwise
disclose the substance of the confidential information contained in those
documents.
8.
Filing Materials Containing Information Designated Confidential. In the event
a party seeks to file with the Court any confidential information subject to protection under this
Order, that party must take appropriate action to ensure that the document receives proper
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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.
Any motion to file a document subject to this Order under seal must meet the Sixth Circuit’s
standard set forth in Shane Group, Inc. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, 825 F.3d 299 (6th
Cir. 2016). The burden of demonstrating the need for and appropriateness of a sealing order is
borne by the moving party, and requires the moving party to analyze in detail, document by
document, the propriety of secrecy, providing reasons and legal citations. Regardless of whether
the parties agree, it remains the Court’s independent obligation to determine whether a seal is
appropriate for any given document or portion thereof. Any proposed sealing, even when
compelling reasons exist, must be narrowly tailored to serve the compelling reasons.
When a party to this Order seeks to file documents which it believes may warrant sealing,
but is not the party who may be prejudiced by the document or documents becoming part of the
public record, the filing party shall provide the potentially-prejudiced party or parties, or any
potentially-prejudiced third party or parties, with written notification of its intent to file such
documents at least (14) fourteen days before doing so. After being provided such notice, the
potentially harmed party or parties will then have (7) seven days to file with the Court a motion
for sealing. The Court will rule on the motion as promptly as possible.
9.
Attorneys Allowed To Provide Advice. Nothing in this Order shall bar or
otherwise restrict any attorney for any party from rendering advice to his or her client with respect
to this case or from doing anything necessary to prosecute or defend this case and furthering the
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interests of his or her client, except for the disclosure of the Confidential Information as proscribed
in this Order.
10.
Excluding Others From Access. Whenever information designated as
"Confidential" pursuant to this Protective Order is to be discussed at a deposition, the person or
entity that designated the information as “Confidential” may exclude from the room any person,
other than persons designated in Paragraph 6 of this Order, as appropriate, for that portion of the
deposition.
11.
No Voluntary Disclosure To Other Entities. The parties or anyone acting on their
behalf may not voluntarily disclose any Confidential Information to any state or federal law
enforcement or regulatory agency, or any employee thereof, except in this litigation as set forth in
Paragraph 6 of this Order or as otherwise commanded by law or provided in this Order. Nothing
in this Order shall prevent a party from providing information in its possession in response to a
valid order or subpoena from a law enforcement or regulatory agency requiring the production of
such information, except that, prior to such production, the party producing the information shall
provide as much advance notice as possible to the person or entity that designated the material as
confidential to facilitate that party’s efforts to preserve the confidentiality of the material, if
warranted.
12.
Disputes As To Designations. Each party has the right to dispute the confidential
status claimed by any other party or subpoenaed person or entity in accordance with this Protective
Order. If a party believes that any documents or materials have been inappropriately designated
by another party or subpoenaed party, that party shall confer with counsel for the person or entity
that designated the documents or materials. As part of that conferral, the designating person or
entity must assess whether redaction is a viable alternative to complete non-disclosure. If any party
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challenges the “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” designation of any
document or information, the burden to properly maintain the designation shall, at all times, remain
with the person or entity that made the designation to show that said document or information
should remain protected pursuant to Federal Civil Rule 26(c). In the event of disagreement, then
the designating person or entity shall file a motion pursuant to Federal Civil Rule 26(c). A party
who disagrees with the designation must nevertheless abide by that designation until the matter is
resolved by agreement of the parties or by order of the Court.
13.
Information Security Protections. Any person in possession of Confidential
Information received from another person or entity in connection with this Action shall maintain
an information security program that includes reasonable administrative, technical, and physical
safeguards designed to protect the security and confidentiality of such Confidential Information,
protect against any reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security of such Confidential
Information, and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such Confidential Information.
If the Receiving Party discovers a breach of security, including any actual or suspected
unauthorized access, to Confidential Information subject to this Order, they shall: (1) notify the
person or entity who designated the materials as confidential of such breach; (2) investigate and
take reasonable efforts to remediate the effects of the breach; and (3) provide sufficient
information about the breach that the Designating Party can reasonably ascertain the size and scope
of the breach. The Receiving Party agrees to cooperate with the Designating Party or law
enforcement in investigating any such security incident. In any event, the Receiving Party shall
promptly take all necessary and appropriate corrective action to terminate the unauthorized access.
14.
All Trials Open To Public. All trials, and certain pretrial proceedings and
hearings, are open to the public (collectively a “Public Hearing” or “Public Hearings”). Absent
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further order of the Court, there will be no restrictions on any Party’s ability to the use during a
Public Hearing any document or information that has been designated as “CONFIDENTIAL –
SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER,” or documents or information derived therefrom that
would disclose such confidential information. However, if a party intends to present at a Public
Hearing any document or information that has been so designated, the party intending to present
such document or information shall provide advance notice to the person or entity that designated
the material as Confidential at least (5) five days before the Public Hearing by identifying the
documents or information at issue as specifically as possible (i.e., by Bates Number, page range,
deposition transcript line, etc.) without divulging the actual documents or information. Any person
may then seek appropriate relief from the Court regarding restrictions on the use of such documents
or information at trial, or sealing of the courtroom, if appropriate.
15.
No Waiver Of Right To Object. This Order does not limit the right of any party
to object to the scope of discovery in the above-captioned action.
16.
No Determination Of Admissibility. This Order does not constitute a
determination of the admissibility or evidentiary foundation for the documents or a waiver of any
party’s objections thereto.
17.
No Admissions. Designation by either party of information or documents as
“CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER," or failure to so designate, will not
constitute an admission that information or documents are or are not confidential or trade secrets.
Neither party may introduce into evidence in any proceeding between the parties, other than a
motion to determine whether the Protective Order covers the information or documents in dispute,
the fact that the other party designated or failed to designate information or documents as
“CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER.”
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18.
No Prior Judicial Determination. This Order is based on the representations and
agreements of the parties and is entered for the purpose of facilitating discovery in this action.
Nothing in this Order shall be construed or presented as a judicial determination that any
documents or information designated as “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE
ORDER” by counsel or the parties is in fact subject to protection under Rule 26(c) of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure or otherwise until such time as the Court may rule on a specific document
or issue.
19.
Order Subject To Modification. This Order shall be subject to modification by
the Court on its own motion or on motion of a party or any other person with standing concerning
the subject matter.
20.
Parties May Consent To Disclosure. Nothing shall prevent disclosure beyond the
terms of this Order if all parties consent to such disclosure, or if the Court, after notice to all
affected parties, permits such disclosure. Specifically, if and to the extent any party wishes to
disclose any Confidential Information beyond the terms of this Order, that party shall provide all
other parties with reasonable notice in writing of its request to so disclose the materials. If the
parties cannot resolve their disagreement with respect to the disclosure of any Confidential
Information, then a party may petition the Court for a determination of these issues. In addition,
any interested member of the public may also challenge the designation of any material as
confidential, pursuant to the terms of this paragraph.
21.
Return Of Materials Upon Termination Of Litigation. Upon the written request
and expense of the Designating Party, within 30 days after the entry of a final judgment no longer
subject to appeal on the merits of this case, or the execution of any agreement between the parties
to resolve amicably and settle this case, the parties and any person authorized by this Protective
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Order to receive confidential information shall return to the Designating Party, or destroy, all
information and documents subject to this Protective Order, unless the specific document or
information has been offered into evidence or filed without restriction as to disclosure. The party
requesting the return of materials shall pay the reasonable costs of responding to its request. The
party returning or destroying the documents or other information shall certify that it has not
maintained any copies of confidential information, except as permitted by this Order.
22.
Counsel Allowed To Retain Copy Of Confidential Information. Nothing in this
Protective Order shall prevent outside counsel for a party from maintaining in its files a copy of
any Confidential Information in the Action, including any such documents or filings that
incorporate or attach information designated as “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO
PROTECTIVE ORDER.” Moreover, an attorney may use his or her work product in subsequent
litigation provided that such use does not disclose any information or documents designated in this
matter as “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER.”
SO ORDERED.
Dated: April 26, 2021
s/___Elizabeth A. Preston Deavers_______
ELIZABETH A. PRESTON DEAVERS
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO
EASTERN DIVISION
LIONEL DESOUZA
Plaintiff,
Case No: 2:20-cv-06294-ALM-EPD
v.
LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. AND
WALDEN UNIVERSITY LLC
Defendants.
FORM PROTECTIVE ORDER
ATTACHMENT A
The undersigned hereby acknowledges that [he/she] has read the Protective Order dated
[INSERT DATE OF OPERATIVE PROTECTIVE ORDER] in the above-captioned action 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 Southern District
of Ohio in matters relating to the Protective Order and understands that the terms of the Protective
Order obligate [him/her] to use documents designated “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO
PROTECTIVE ORDER” in accordance with the Order, solely for the purpose of the abovecaptioned action, and not to disclose any such documents or information derived directly therefrom
to any other person, firm, or concern.
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
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