Amann v. Office of the Utah Attorney General

District Court, D. Utah·Decided November 11, 2022·No. 2:18-cv-00341·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH CENTRAL DIVISION

PAUL G. AMANN, MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S Plaintiff, MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER (DOC. NO. 274) v.

OFFICE OF THE UTAH ATTORNEY Case No. 2:18-cv-00341 GENERAL; SEAN REYES; BRIDGET ROMANO; and TYLER GREEN, District Judge Jill N. Parrish

Defendants. Magistrate Judge Daphne A. Oberg

Plaintiff Paul G. Amann moves for a protective order prohibiting Defendants from pursuing enforcement of certain subpoenas against Wanda Amann, Mr. Amann’s wife.1 Defendant Office of the Utah Attorney General (“AGO”) opposes the motion, arguing any challenge to the subpoenas must be brought in the District of Arizona, the district where compliance is required.2 Because any challenge to the subpoenas must be brought in the District of Arizona, and Mr. Amann has not demonstrated a protective order is warranted, the motion is denied.3

1 (Pl.’s Mot. for Protective Order (“Mot.”), Doc. No. 274; see also Errata Re: Pl.’s Mot. for Protective Order (“Errata”) 1, Doc. No. 276 (clarifying that two subpoenas are at issue).) As explained below, the AGO has issued at least four subpoenas addressed to Ms. Amann. Mr. Amann challenges the subpoena dated August 17, 2021, requiring compliance in Kingman, Arizona, which is the subject of an enforcement action in the District of Arizona, and another subpoena dated August 23, 2022. (See Errata 1, Doc. No. 276.) 2 (Def.’s Opp’n to Pl.’s Mot. for Protective Order (“Opp’n”), Doc. No. 277.) 3 This ruling is based on the parties’ written memoranda, as oral argument is unnecessary. See DUCivR 37-1(b)(5)(B). LEGAL STANDARDS Rule 45 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires a motion to enforce, quash, or modify a subpoena to be brought in “the court for the district where compliance is required.”4 For a subpoena to produce documents, the place of compliance must be “within 100 miles of where the person resides, is employed, or regularly transacts business in person.”5 This rule also

requires notice and a copy of the subpoena to be served on each party before it is served on the person to whom it is directed.6 Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides “[t]he court may, for good cause, issue an order to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense.”7 BACKGROUND The fact discovery period in this case closed on September 30, 2021.8 Defendants’ counsel issued two subpoenas for production of documents addressed to Ms. Amann on August

4 Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(d)(2)(B)(i) (motions to enforce); Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(d)(3)(A)–(B) (motions to quash or modify). 5 Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(c)(2)(A). 6 See Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(a)(4) (“If the subpoena commands the production of documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things or the inspection of premises before trial, then before it is served on the person to whom it is directed, a notice and a copy of the subpoena must be served on each party.”). 7 Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c)(1). 8 (See Order Granting Stipulated Mot. to Am. Scheduling Order, Doc. No. 171.) Fact discovery has since been reopened solely for purposes of a deposition and another subpoena not at issue here. (See Mem. Decision and Order Sustaining in Part and Overruling in Part Pl.’s Objs. 23, Doc. No. 224.) This reopened discovery period is currently stayed pending the outcome of Defendants’ petition to the Tenth Circuit regarding the deposition. (See Docket Text Order (July 11, 2022), Doc. No. 260.) 17, 2021.9 The subpoenas are identical except for the place of compliance: one subpoena requires compliance in Salt Lake City, Utah;10 the other requires compliance at an office in Kingman, Arizona, and also provides the option to send documents directly to Defendants’ counsel’s office in Salt Lake City, Utah.11 The AGO served notice of the subpoena requiring

compliance in Salt Lake City on Mr. Amann’s counsel, but Mr. Amann’s counsel declined to accept service on behalf of Ms. Amann.12 The AGO next attempted to personally serve the subpoena requiring compliance in Arizona on Ms. Amann at the Kingman, Arizona address she provided in her deposition, but the process server reported Ms. Amann did not reside there.13 The AGO then moved for and was granted leave to serve the subpoena requiring compliance in Arizona by email.14 The AGO served a version of this subpoena, dated October 26, 2021, on Ms. Amann by email in October 2021.15 Ms. Amann delivered an unfiled motion to quash the

9 (See Ex. 1 to Opp’n, Subpoena dated Aug. 17, 2021 (requiring compliance in Salt Lake City), Doc. No. 277-1 at 4–8; Ex. 2 to Def.’s Mot. to Compel Poduc. of Docs. or for Alternative Service, Subpoena dated Aug. 17, 2021 (requiring compliance in Kingman, Arizona), Doc. No. 182-2.) 10 (See Ex. 1 to Opp’n, Subpoena dated Aug. 17, 2021 (requiring compliance in Salt Lake City), Doc. No. 277-1 at 4.) 11 (Ex. 2 to Def.’s Mot. to Compel Poduc. of Docs. or for Alternative Service, Subpoena dated Aug. 17, 2021 (requiring compliance in Kingman, Arizona), Doc. No. 182-2 at 2.) 12 (See Opp’n 1–2, Doc. No. 277; Ex. 1 to Opp’n, Notice of Intent to Issue Subpoena Duces Tecum, Doc. No. 277-1.) 13 (See Opp’n 2, Doc. No. 277; see also Def.’s Mot. to Compel Produc. of Docs. or for Alternative Service 2, Doc. No. 182.) 14 (See Mem. Dec. and Order Granting in Part and Den. in Part Def.’s Mot. to Compel Prod. of Docs. or for Alternative Service, Doc. No. 193.) 15 (See Opp’n 2, Doc. No. 277; see also Ex. A to Def.’s Mot. to Compel Wanda Amann’s Produc. of Docs., Subpoena dated 10/26/2021 (requiring compliance in Kingman, Arizona), Doc. subpoena to the Kingman compliance office in November 2021, raising various objections—but she did not file the motion to quash or produce any documents.16 In April 2022, the AGO filed a motion to enforce the October 2021 subpoena in this court.17 The court denied the motion in August 2022, finding the AGO failed to demonstrate the motion was properly brought in the District of Utah.18 The court noted the subpoena listed

Kingman, Arizona as the place of compliance.19 And while the subpoena provided the option to send documents to Defendants’ counsel’s Salt Lake City office, the AGO failed to demonstrate Ms. Amann resided, was employed, or regularly transacted business in person within 100 miles of Salt Lake City.20 Accordingly, the court found Salt Lake City was not a permissible location to require compliance under Rule 45 and the motion to enforce the subpoena was not properly brought in this court.21 Thereafter, on August 24, 2022, the AGO filed a motion in the District of Arizona to enforce the August 2021 and October 2021 subpoenas requiring compliance in Arizona.22 The

No. 250-1.) Other than the date of issuance and deadline for compliance, the October 26, 2021 subpoena is identical to the August 2021 subpoena requiring compliance in Kingman, Arizona. 16 (See Opp’n 2, Doc. No. 277.) 17 (Def.’s Mot. to Compel Wanda Amann’s Produc. of Docs., Doc. No. 250.) 18 (Mem.

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Amann v. Office of the Utah Attorney General, (D. Utah 2022).

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