Fox v. California Sierra Financial Services

120 F.R.D. 520, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17193, 1988 WL 45843
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedApril 20, 1988
DocketNo. C-86-2712 RHS (FW)
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 120 F.R.D. 520 (Fox v. California Sierra Financial Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fox v. California Sierra Financial Services, 120 F.R.D. 520, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17193, 1988 WL 45843 (N.D. Cal. 1988).

Opinion

DISCOVERY ORDER

FREDERICK J. WOELFLEN, Chief United States Magistrate.

Pursuant to the plaintiffs’ motion to compel defendants Rick Stein (“Stein”) and Charles Baumer (“Baumer”) to respond to deposition questions, answer interrogatories, produce documents and for sanctions, the court orders as follows.

BACKGROUND

Foodsource, Inc. (“Foodsource”) is a corporation which sold interests in certain food transportation containers (“containers”) to the public. The sale of interests in the containers (“the offering”) was marketed as an investment opportunity by California Sierra Financial Services.

Stein is an attorney and one of the named principals in the law firm Sigelman & Stein (“S & S”). Stein represented Food-source and its president, David Dixon (“Dixon”), with regard to compliance with state and federal securities laws. Stein prepared two securities opinion letters in connection with the Foodsource offering, (“February 29, 1980 securities opinion letter and March 31, 1981 securities opinion letter”). Baumer is a tax attorney and a principal in the law firm of Pachter, Gold & Schaffer (“PG & S”). Baumer prepared two tax opinion letters for Foodsource and Dixon in connection with the offering (“April 1, 1981 tax opinion letter and August 17, 1981 tax opinion letter”).

The sale to the public of interests in the food transportation containers was not registered with state or federal agencies as a security. Subsequent to the initial offering, however, the California Department of Corporations inquired of Stein as to the status of the offering. Thereafter, in 1982, the SEC instituted an investigation into the status of the offering and issued a subpoena to Stein to submit documents for examination by the SEC and to appear to testify at a hearing.

Stein did appear at the hearing with an attorney, Mr. Kotoske, who at that time, represented both Stein and Dixon. Stein submitted the documents requested by the subpoena and testified voluntarily in response to questioning. Stein and Kotoske represented at the hearing that Stein’s testimony was voluntary and, with the exception of a very few instances, was without objection based on attorney-client privilege or attorney work-product. Plaintiffs obtained a transcript of Stein’s testimony to the SEC under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 and filed the transcript as an exhibit to their motion to compel. See, Transcript of Securities and Exchange Commission Testimony of Rick Stein—9/11/82 at pp. 7-10, 54 (“Transcript of SEC Testimony”).

In 1986, in a case pending in the Central District of California entitled Lippincott v. Foodsource, Inc., Baumer testified during deposition, without objection based on the attorney-client privilege, to communications relating to Baumer’s tax opinion letters. The deposition transcript was filed and is part of the public record in the case of Peter Lippincott v. Pachter, Gold, & Schaffer and Charles Baumer, Case No. C-531696, Superior Court Los Angeles County, California. The transcript of Baumer’s deposition testimony was obtained by [523]*523plaintiffs and filed as an exhibit to their motion to compel.

The present case was filed in 1986 by purchasers of interests in the Foodsource containers, and naming, among others, Stein and Baumer and their law firms as defendants. The complaint claims, inter alia, that defendants defrauded plaintiffs by promoting and marketing an illegal investment scheme in violation of state and federal securities laws. Foodsource, Inc. is in bankruptcy and is not a named defendant in this case.

In 1987 plaintiffs deposed Stein and Baumer. During the depositions I was telephoned by the parties to resolve disputed issues of attorney-client privilege and work product. Subsequent to completion of the Stein and Baumer depositions, plaintiffs filed their motion to compel responses to questions posed at depositions which Stein and Baumer refused to answer based on attorney-client privilege and attorney-work product and for further responses to interrogatories and production of documents. The motion was filed before the assigned Judge, United States District Court Judge Robert H. Schnacke. Judge Schnacke declined to reconsider any question which had been ruled on by me by telephone conference at the time of Stein’s and Baumer’s depositions. Judge Schnacke then referred the matter to me. In accordance with my Order setting out the briefing schedule for plaintiffs’ motion, I did not consider plaintiffs’ reply brief in ruling on the issues herein. To the extent that any rulings previously made by me pursuant to telephone conference are inconsistent with the rulings contained in this Order, I hereby amend my previous rulings sua sponte.

ISSUES

Plaintiffs submitted with their motion a “Designation of Portions of Testimony re: Motion to Compel” setting out deposition questions (numbered 1-43) which Stein and Baumer objected to primarily on the grounds of attorney-client privilege and attorney work-product. Plaintiffs argue that the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine were improperly asserted on the ground that:

A. Defendants have failed to meet their burden of proving the applicability of the attorney-client privilege or work-product doctrine;

B. Stein’s delivery of documents to the SEC and testimony at the SEC hearing constitute a waiver of the attorney-client privilege as to those matters testified to;

C. Baumer’s 1986 deposition testimony in the Lippincott v. Foodsource, Inc. case constitutes a waiver of the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine as to all matters on the same subject testified to;

D. Defendants’ assertion of the attorney-client privilege is barred by the fraud exception;

E. Stein’s communications with the California Department of Corporations is not subject to the attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine; and

F. Relevant information contained in Stein’s 1981, 1982 and 1983 income tax returns is discoverable. Plaintiffs also seek a ruling from the court:

1. overruling Stein’s objections to interrogatories 41-52;

2. overruling Stein’s objections to plaintiff’s second request for production of documents;

3. overruling Baumer’s objections to request for production of documents no. 13;

4. overruling Baumer’s objections to interrogatories 45-50.

PRIVILEGE LOGS

At the February 5,1988 hearing on plaintiff’s motion, I ordered that the matter be submitted and that defendants file a privilege log containing “a list of documents and communications, relating to all issues raised in this motion which defendants claim to be covered by either the attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine. The list shall specify the subject of the document or communication, whether the attorney-client privilege or the work-[524]*524product doctrine applies, and the basis for such claim. Order dated February 5, 1988.” I ordered that the privilege log be filed and served no later than March 11, 1988. After having had approximately one month to prepare the privilege log, defendants requested an extension of time in which to file and serve the privilege log. I granted defendants five additional days.

Privilege Log of Stein and Sigelman & Stein.

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120 F.R.D. 520, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17193, 1988 WL 45843, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fox-v-california-sierra-financial-services-cand-1988.