Plascencia et al v. Collins Asset Group, LLC et al
Filing
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ORDER granting STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER. Signed by Judge Marsha J. Pechman. (TH)
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The Honorable Marsha J. Pechman
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
AT SEATTLE
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) Case No. 2:17-CV-01505-MJP
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) ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED
Plaintiff,
) PROTECTIVE ORDER
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v.
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COLLINS ASSET GROUP, LLC and
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DANIEL N. GORDON PC d/b/a GORDON, )
AYLWORTH & TAMI, P.C.,
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Defendants.
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1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS
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JAIME PLASCENCIA and CECELIA
PLASCENCIA,
Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of confidential, proprietary, or
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private information for which special protection may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties
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hereby stipulate to and petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The
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parties acknowledge that this agreement is consistent with LCR 26(c). It does not confer blanket
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protection on all disclosures or responses to discovery, the protection it affords from public
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disclosure and use extends only to the limited information or items that are entitled to
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confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles, and it does not presumptively entitle
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parties to file confidential information under seal.
ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
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2. “CONFIDENTIAL” MATERIAL
“Confidential” material shall include, but is not limited to, the following documents and
tangible things produced or otherwise exchanged:
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Proprietary or confidential collection policies, procedures or protocols; and
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Documents disclosing the terms and conditions related to defendants’ purchase of
plaintiffs’ debt.
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3. SCOPE
The protections conferred by this agreement cover not only confidential material (as
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defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from confidential material; (2)
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all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of confidential material; and (3) any testimony,
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conversations, or presentations by parties or their counsel that might reveal confidential material.
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However, the protections conferred by this agreement do not cover information that is in
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the public domain or becomes part of the public domain through trial or otherwise.
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4. ACCESS TO AND USE OF CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL
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4.1
Basic Principles. A receiving party may use confidential material that is disclosed
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or produced by another party or by a non-party in connection with this case only for prosecuting,
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defending, or attempting to settle this litigation. Confidential material may be disclosed only to
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the categories of persons and under the conditions described in this agreement. Confidential
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material must be stored and maintained by a receiving party at a location and in a secure manner
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that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this agreement.
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4.2
Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise
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ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the designating party, a receiving party may
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disclose any confidential material only to:
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(a)
the receiving party’s counsel of record in this action, as well as employees
of counsel to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this litigation;
(b)
the officers, directors, and employees (including in-house counsel) of the
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receiving party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation, unless the parties
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agree that a particular document or material produced is for “Attorney’s Eyes Only” and is so
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designated;
(c)
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experts and consultants to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for
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this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit
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A);
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(d)
the court, court personnel, and court reporters and their staff;
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(e)
copy or imaging services retained by counsel to assist in the duplication of
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confidential material, provided that counsel for the party retaining the copy or imaging service
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instructs the service not to disclose any confidential material to third-parties and to immediately
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return all originals and copies of any confidential material;
(f)
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during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is
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reasonably necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound”
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(Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the designating party or ordered by the court. Pages of
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transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal confidential material must
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be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted
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under this agreement;
(g)
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the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a
custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.
4.3
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Filing Confidential Material. Before filing confidential material or discussing or
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referencing such material in court filings, the filing party shall confer with the designating party
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to determine whether the designating party will remove the confidential designation, whether the
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document can be redacted, or whether a motion to seal or stipulation and proposed order is
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warranted. Local Civil Rule 5(g) sets forth the procedures that must be followed and the
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standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file material under
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seal.
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5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL
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Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each party
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or non-party that designates information or items for protection under this agreement must take
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care to limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate
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standards. The designating party must designate for protection only those parts of material,
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documents, items, or oral or written communications that qualify, so that other portions of the
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material, documents, items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not
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swept unjustifiably within the ambit of this agreement.
Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are
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shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to
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unnecessarily encumber or delay the case development process or to impose unnecessary
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expenses and burdens on other parties) expose the designating party to sanctions.
If it comes to a designating party’s attention that information or items that it designated
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for protection do not qualify for protection, the designating party must promptly notify all other
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parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation.
5.2
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Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this
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agreement (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or
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ordered, disclosure or discovery material that qualifies for protection under this agreement must
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be clearly so designated before or when the material is disclosed or produced.
(a)
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Information in documentary form: (e.g., paper or electronic documents
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and deposition exhibits, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial
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proceedings), the designating party must affix the word “CONFIDENTIAL” to each page that
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contains confidential material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for
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protection, the producing party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by
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making appropriate markings in the margins).
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
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(b)
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Testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial proceedings: the parties
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and any participating non-parties must identify on the record, during the deposition or other
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pretrial proceeding, all protected testimony, without prejudice to their right to so designate other
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testimony after reviewing the transcript. Any party or non-party may, within fifteen days after
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receiving the transcript of the deposition or other pretrial proceeding, designate portions of the
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transcript, or exhibits thereto, as confidential. If a party or non-party desires to protect
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confidential information at trial, the issue should be addressed during the pre-trial conference.
(c)
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Other tangible items: the producing party must affix in a prominent place
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on the exterior of the container or containers in which the information or item is stored the word
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“CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information or item warrant protection,
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the producing party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected portion(s).
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5.3
Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure to
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designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the designating party’s
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right to secure protection under this agreement for such material. Upon timely correction of a
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designation, the receiving party must make reasonable efforts to ensure that the material is
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treated in accordance with the provisions of this agreement.
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6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS
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6.1
Timing of Challenges. Any party or non-party may challenge a designation of
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confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a designating party’s confidentiality
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designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic
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burdens, or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a party does not waive its right to
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challenge a confidentiality designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the
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original designation is disclosed.
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6.2
Meet and Confer. The parties must make every attempt to resolve any dispute
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regarding confidential designations without court involvement. Any motion regarding
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confidential designations or for a protective order must include a certification, in the motion or in
a declaration or affidavit, that the movant has engaged in a good faith meet and confer
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conference with other affected parties in an effort to resolve the dispute without court action. The
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certification must list the date, manner, and participants to the conference. A good faith effort to
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confer requires a face-to-face meeting or a telephone conference.
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6.3
Judicial Intervention. If the parties cannot resolve a challenge without court
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intervention, the designating party may file and serve a motion to retain confidentiality under
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Local Civil Rule 7 (and in compliance with Local Civil Rule 5(g), if applicable). The burden of
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persuasion in any such motion shall be on the designating party. Frivolous challenges, and those
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made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on
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other parties) may expose the challenging party to sanctions. All parties shall continue to
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maintain the material in question as confidential until the court rules on the challenge.
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7. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER
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LITIGATION
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If a party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels
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disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL,” that
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party must:
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(a)
promptly notify the designating party in writing and include a copy of the
subpoena or court order;
(b)
promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to
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issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is
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subject to this agreement. Such notification shall include a copy of this agreement; and
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(c)
cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued
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by the designating party whose confidential material may be affected.
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8. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL
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If a receiving party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed confidential
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material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this agreement, the receiving
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party must immediately (a) notify in writing the designating party of the unauthorized
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Disclosures; (b) use its best efforts to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the protected material;
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(c) inform the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of
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this agreement; and (d) request that such person or persons execute the “Acknowledgment and
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Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
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9. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED
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MATERIAL
When a producing party gives notice to receiving parties that certain inadvertently
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produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of the
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receiving parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). The parties
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agree to the entry of a non-waiver order under Fed. R. Evid. 502(d) as set forth herein.
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10. NON TERMINATION AND RETURN OF DOCUMENTS
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Within sixty days after the termination of this action, including all appeals, each
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receiving party must return or destroy all confidential material to the producing party, including
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all copies, extracts and summaries thereof. Alternatively, the parties may agree upon appropriate
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methods of destruction.
Notwithstanding this provision, counsel are entitled to retain one archival copy of all
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documents filed with the court, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, correspondence,
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deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert
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work product, even if such materials contain confidential material.
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
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The confidentiality obligations imposed by this agreement shall remain in effect until a
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designating party agrees otherwise in writing or a court orders otherwise.
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IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.
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HENRY & DEGRAAFF, PS
KEATING JONES HUGHES, PC
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s/ Christina L. Henry
Christina L. Henry, WSBA No. 31273
chenry@hdm-legal.com
150 Nickerson St., Suite 311
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 330-0595
Fax: (206) 400-7609
Of Attorneys for Plaintiff
s/ Peter Eidenberg
Peter Eidenberg, WSBA No. 40923
peidenberg@keatingjones.com
One SW Columbia St., Suite 800
Portland, OR 97258
Phone: (503) 222-9955
Fax: (503) 796-0699
Of Attorneys for Defendant
Gordon Aylworth & Tami, PC
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BARRAZA LAW, PLLC
LEWIS BRISBOIS BISGAARD & SMITH, LLP
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s/ V. Omar Barraza
V. Omar Barraza, WSBA No. 43589
omar@barrazalaw.com
14245-F Ambaum Blvd SW
Burien, WA 98166
Phone: (206) 933-7861
Fax: (206) 933-7863
Of Attorneys for Plaintiff
s/ Kathleen A. Turner
Stephen H. Turner, pro hac vice
Stephen.Turner@lewisbrisbois.com
Kathleen A. Nelson, WSBA No. 22826
Kathleen.Nelson@lewisbrisbois.com
1111 Third Avenue, Suite 2700
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: (206) 436-2020
Fax: (206) 436.2030
Of Attorneys for Defendant
Collins Asset Group, LLC
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
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PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED.
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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that pursuant to Fed. R. Evid. 502(d), the production of any
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documents in this proceeding shall not, for the purposes of this proceeding or any other
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proceeding in any other court, constitute a waiver by the producing party of any privilege
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applicable to those documents, including the attorney-client privilege, attorney work-product
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protection, or any other privilege or protection recognized by law.
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DATED this 16th day of January, 2018.
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A
Marsha J. Pechman
United States District Judge
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
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EXHIBIT A
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND
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I, ________________________________________________ [print or type full name],
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of ________________________________________________________ [print or type full
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address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and understand the
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Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Western
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District of Washington on [_______________, 2018] in the case of Jamie Plascencia and
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Cecelia Plascencia v. Collins Asset Group, LLC and Daniel N. Gordon, PC dba Gordon
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Aylworth & Tami, PC, U.S.D.C. for the Western District of Washington, Seattle Division,
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Case No. 2:17-CV-01505-MJP. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this
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Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could
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expose me to sanctions and punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will
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not disclose in any manner any information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective
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Order to any person or entity except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.
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I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the
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Western District of Washington for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated
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Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.
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Date:
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City and State where sworn and signed:
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Printed name:
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Signature:
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ORDER GRANTING STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER
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