Hunt v. Enzo Biochem, Inc.

904 F. Supp. 2d 337, 2012 WL 5199247
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedOctober 22, 2012
DocketNos. 06 Civ. 170(SAS), 06 Civ. 213(SAS), 06 Civ. 6347(SAS)
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 904 F. Supp. 2d 337 (Hunt v. Enzo Biochem, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hunt v. Enzo Biochem, Inc., 904 F. Supp. 2d 337, 2012 WL 5199247 (S.D.N.Y. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

SHIRA A. SCHEINDLIN, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Dan Brecher, former counsel for plaintiff Paul Lewicki, brings this motion for an Order pursuant to Rule 71 directing non-party Lawrence Glaser to return confidential documents. On October 12, following an evidentiary hearing at which Brecher and Lewicki — but not Glaser — were present and testified, I granted a motion for sanctions brought by defendants Enzo Bio-chem, Inc., Heiman Gross, Barry Weiner, Elazar Rabbani, Sharim Rabbani, John Delucca, Dean Engelhardt, and John Does [340]*3401-50 (the “Enzo Defendants”);1 I found both Lewicki and Brecher in civil contempt under Rule 37 for violating this Court’s Order for the Protection and Exchange of Confidential Information (the “Protective Order”) by improperly giving Glaser confidential materials. Accordingly, I ordered Brecher to pay $33,780.86 to the Enzo Defendants and to “take all necessary steps to retrieve from Glaser any documents designated ‘Confidential,’ whether original or copies, previously produced by the Enzo Defendants.”2 In an effort to comply with this Court’s October 12 Order, Brecher now seeks an Order: (1) requiring Glaser to turn over all Confidential Documents and all materials derived therefrom; and (2) requiring Glaser to pay damages to Brecher. For the reasons set forth below, Brecher’s motion is granted in part and denied in part.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Undisputed Facts3

In 2001, Lewicki signed a retainer agreement with attorney Michael Rovell with a view towards filing a series of lawsuits against the Enzo Defendants.4 Lewicki, Glaser, and most of the other plaintiffs in this case planned to sue the Enzo Defendants for misrepresenting the preliminary success of its HIV and Hepatitis B therapies — including pre-clinical and clinical trials, its patent estate, and other commercial arrangements — in order to inflate the price of Enzo stock and reap a profit.5 The plan called for Glaser to win his case in Virginia first, and for the rest of the group to use that hoped-for success in a subsequent case in New York.6 At a deposition, Glaser admitted that he entered into a written agreement with Lewicki, Cavanagh, and Pope in 2001 — an agreement that required these individuals to contribute to Glaser’s legal expenses in return for a share of any recovery Glaser obtained in his lawsuit.7 In line with the plan, Glaser filed the Virginia case in 2002.8 After Glaser’s claims were dismissed, he appealed unsuccessfully to the Fourth Circuit, and then to the Supreme Court.9

In 2006, Lewicki and other plaintiffs commenced this action, making similar allegations against Enzo. Plaintiffs were initially represented by Rovell; when he died, plaintiffs replaced him with Brecher.10 Concerned that confidential docu[341]*341ments provided to plaintiffs might be misused by non-parties such as Glaser, Enzo’s counsel negotiated and stipulated the terms of the Protective Order with Brecher, which was entered on March 25, 2008.11 In April, 2009, Lewicki — who knew about the existence but perhaps not the details of the Protective Order — “requested that Brecher ‘ask [Judge Scheindlin] to make [the Protective Order] formally ... binding on’ Glaser, so that Glaser could have access to Enzo’s confidential documents.” 12 Brecher refused both Lewicki’s request and additional requests made by Glaser, and went so far as to threaten to withdraw as counsel if Lewicki petitioned the Court on his own.13 In June 2009, I granted Enzo’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing Lewicki’s case in its entirety.14

On October 2, 2009, Lewicki and Glaser removed boxes of files, some of which were confidential, from Breeher’s office in New York City.15 Brecher asserts that while he let Glaser assist Lewicki in removing the files, he only did so because: (1) Glaser had an automobile to carry the files (whereas Lewicki did not); and (2) “Lewicki and Glaser had both previously made written representations in communications with [Brecher] indicating that they understood that there was the Protection Order which provided that the Confidential Documents should not be reviewed by persons such as Glaser.”16 Glaser took the files to an attorney who he hoped would help Lewicki with his appeal, but who ultimately declined to take the case.17 Glaser then brought the files to a meeting with Lewicki at a New Jersey Turnpike rest stop at which they reviewed three files that were marked “confidential” and that were covered by the Protective Order.18

In January 2011, Glaser filed a motion pursuant to Rule 60 in the Virginia District Court seeking to reopen his original case. Attached to Glaser’s motion were the three confidential files reviewed at the rest stop.19 Glaser’s Rule 60 motion was denied by the Virginia District Court on April 1, 2011.20 After this denial was affirmed by the Fourth Circuit in October, 2011, Glaser again petitioned for a writ of certiorari in the United States Supreme Court and was again denied.21

Enzo moved in this Court for an Order directing Brecher and Lewicki to: (1) obtain the return of the Confidential Documents for Glaser; (2) pay Enzo for its litigation costs.22 I found that Brecher and Lewicki had violated the Protective Order and I granted Enzo’s motion in full. In attempting to comply with my Order, Brecher has made several written requests to Glaser for the return of the confidential documents; Glaser has thus far refused and expressed his belief that he has no [342]*342obligation to comply with Brecher’s requests.23 Brecher now moves for an Order compelling Glaser to return the documents to Enzo.

B. Glaser’s Assertions24

Glaser is not a party to this action, has never resided in New York, and has had no contact with New York other than to help Lewieki remove the case files from Brecher’s office.25 Glaser believes that the confidential documents at issue were responsive to subpoenas issued in connection with his bankruptcy case, and that they therefore should never have been covered by a confidentiality agreement or protective order.26 Glaser asserts that Brecher never showed him the Protective Order— and that although he knew of its existence, he never signed or agreed to be bound by it.27 Further, Glaser asserts that when he looked through the documents, there was no red weld folder marked confidential, nor was there any other way for him to identify which documents might be covered by the Protective Order.28 Indeed, Glaser asserts that when Brecher gave him the files, he knew Glaser would use them in an attempt to reopen his Virginia case.29

III. APPLICABLE LAW

A. Personal Jurisdiction and Due Process

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904 F. Supp. 2d 337, 2012 WL 5199247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hunt-v-enzo-biochem-inc-nysd-2012.