Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Department of Housing & Urban Development

241 F.R.D. 495, 63 ERC (BNA) 1084, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30029, 2006 WL 3234591
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedMay 12, 2006
DocketNo. CV 05-261-TUC-CKJ
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 241 F.R.D. 495 (Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Department of Housing & Urban Development) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Department of Housing & Urban Development, 241 F.R.D. 495, 63 ERC (BNA) 1084, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30029, 2006 WL 3234591 (D. Ariz. 2006).

Opinion

ORDER

JORGENSON, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is Defendants’ Partial Motion for Protective Order and Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings which were contemporaneously filed with the Court. The Motion for Protective Order is fully briefed as a response and reply brief were subsequently filed with the Court. However, as Plaintiffs argue that they are entitled to discovery in relation to the Partial Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, they have not filed a response. Rather, the parties have stipulated that only after the Court rules on the Motion for Protective Order, shall Plaintiffs be required to file a response to the Partial Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. However, as discussed below, the Court must rule on the issues in the Partial Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings in order to actually adjudicate the issues in the Motion for Protective Order. As the briefs of the parties reflect, the issues implicated in [497]*497the Motion for Protective Order and Partial Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings overlap; as such, these overlapping issues must be addressed in this Order.

I. STANDARDS OF REVIEW

A. Motion for Protective Order Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c)

Courts have the discretion to grant protective orders pursuant to FED.R.CIV.P. 26(c) (“Rule 26”), which states in relevant part: “Upon motion by a party or by the person from who discovery is sought ... the court ... may [for good cause shown] make any order which justice requires to protect a party from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense ...” Generally, courts have “broad latitude to grant protective orders to prevent disclosure of materials for many types of information ...” See Phillips ex rel. Estates of Byrd v. General Motors Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 1211— 1212 (9th Cir.2002); Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c)(a court may order that “certain matters not be inquired into, or that the scope of the disclosure or discovery be limited to certain matters.”). A court’s ruling on a motion for a protective order is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Id. at 1209. “For good cause to exist, the party seeking protection bears the burden of showing specific prejudice or harm will result if no protective order is granted.” Id. 1210-1211; See also Beckman Indus. Inc. v. Int’l Ins. Co., 966 F.2d 470, 476 (9th Cir. 1992)(“broad allegations of harm, unsubstantiated by specific examples or articulated reasoning, do not satisfy the Rule 26(c) test.”).

B. Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings Pursuant to Fed.R.CivP. 12(c)

Defendants’ Motion pursuant to FED.R.CIVP. 12(c) is reviewed under the same standard as a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim pursuant to FED. R.CIV.P. 12(b)(6). The dispositive issue raised by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion is whether the facts as pleaded, if established, support a valid claim for relief. See Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 328-329, 109 S.Ct. 1827,104 L.Ed.2d 338 (1989). In reviewing a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, this Court’s review is limited to the contents of the complaint. See Clegg v. Cult Awareness Network, 18 F.3d 752, 754 (9th Cir. 1994). All allegations of material fact in the complaint are taken as true and construed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Id. A complaint should not be dismissed unless it appears beyond doubt that a plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim that would entitle him to relief. Id. As a general matter, a “motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is viewed with disfavor and is rarely granted.” Gilligan v. Jamco Develop. Corp., 108 F.3d 246, 249 (9th Cir.1997). To the extent that matters outside the pleadings are presented and not excluded by the Court, a motion for judgment on the pleadings is converted into a motion for summary judgment. FED. R.CIV.P. 12(c).

II. BACKGROUND

A. Statutory and Regulatory Background

1. The National Environmental Policy Act

The National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) has two goals: “First, it places upon [a federal] agency the obligation to consider every significant aspect of the environmental impact of a proposed action. Second, it ensures that the agency will inform the public that it has indeed considered environmental concerns in its decision making process.” Kern v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 284 F.3d 1062, 1066-1067 (9th Cir.2002)(internal quotes and citations omitted). Pursuant to the NEPA, federal agencies must “prepare an [Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) ] prior to taking ‘major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality’ of the environment.” Id.; 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C). “Some proposed federal actions categorically require the preparation of an EIS. If the proposed action does not categorically require the preparation of an EIS, the agency must prepare an [Environmental Assessment (“EA”) ] to determine whether the action will have a significant effect on the environment ... If the EA reveals that the proposed action will signifi[498]*498cantly affect the environment, then the agency must prepare an EIS. If the EA reveals no significant effect, the agency may issue a Finding of No Significant Impact.” Id.; 40 C.F.R. §§ 1501.4, 1508.9 (regulations addressing NEPA).

2. The Endangered Species Act

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) requires each federal agency to ensure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out by that agency “is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification” of designated critical habitat. 16 U.S.C. § 1536(a)(2). “Jeopardize the continued existence of means to engage in an action that reasonably would be expected, directly or indirectly, to reduce appreciably the likelihood of both the survival and recovery of a listed species in the wild by reducing the reproduction, numbers, or distribution of that species.” 50 C.F.R. § 402.02. “Destruction or adverse modification’ means a direct or indirect alteration that appreciably diminishes the value of critical habitat for both the survival and recovery of a listed species.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
241 F.R.D. 495, 63 ERC (BNA) 1084, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30029, 2006 WL 3234591, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/center-for-biological-diversity-v-united-states-department-of-housing-azd-2006.