In re: Letter Request from The Netherlands

CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedNovember 12, 2024
Docket1:24-cv-00861
StatusUnknown

This text of In re: Letter Request from The Netherlands (In re: Letter Request from The Netherlands) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re: Letter Request from The Netherlands, (D. Del. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE ADOBE INC. AND ADOBE SYSTEMS SOFTWARE IRELAND LIMITED, Petitioner, Civil Action No. 24-861-GBW v. MARSH FUNDING LLC, Respondent.

MEMORANDUM ORDER Pending before the Court is Adobe Inc. and Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited’s (“Adobe” or “Petitioner”) Motion for Reargument Regarding Adobe’s Ex Parte Application for an Order Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782 to Obtain Discovery for Use in a Foreign Proceeding (D.I. 22) (‘Motion for Reargument”), which has been fully briefed (D.I. 23). For the reasons herein, the Court denies Adobe’s motion. Since the Court was able to resolve Adobe’s motion without oral argument, the Court also denies-as-moot Abode’s request (D.I. 24) for expedited oral argument. I. BACKGROUND Stichting Data Bescherming Nederland (“SDBN”) filed a “collective action” (pursuant to the Dutch Resolution of Mass Damage in Collective Action Act (““WAMCA”)) against Adobe in the Rotterdam District Court alleging violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the Dutch Telecommunications Act, and fundamental (privacy) rights. D.I. 5 ff 2, 5- 6. To bring a collective action under the GDPR and the WAMCA, SDBN must demonstrate that it meets certain “admissibility requirements.” D.I. 5 { 8. While SDBN contends that it satisfies these requirements, Adobe intends to assert the contrary in a hearing before the Rotterdam District

Court scheduled for December 17, 2024. D.I. 5 [§ 8, 28. To acquire evidence for this assertion, Adobe filed an ex parte application pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782 (“Application”) to obtain discovery from Marsh Funding LLC (“Marsh” or “Respondent”). D.I. 1. Marsh had “entered into a funding agreement with” SDBN and is incorporated in Delaware. D.I. 1 4 2; D.I. 597 The Application included a proposed subpoena, and the proposed subpoena included two attachments titled Schedule A and Schedule B. D.I. 4 Ex. 1.! Schedule A listed Adobe’s document requests, including for example, “[a]li agreements pursuant to which Marsh is providing funding for the Dutch Proceeding.” D.J. 4 Ex. 1. Schedule B listed deposition topics. D.I. 4 Ex. 1. The Application also included a declaration from M.G.A. Egeler (the “Egeler Declaration”), a Dutch attorney representing Adobe, stating that Article 22 of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (the “DCCP”) enables the Dutch court to “order either party at any time during the proceedings to submit documents to provide substance to its claims/defense.” D.I. 5 30. On July 29, 2024, the Court granted Adobe’s ex parte application. D.I. 9. In that Order, the Court granted “leave to serve a subpoena substantially similar to” the proposed subpoena on Marsh. D.I. 9 at 2. The Court also ordered that “[r]esponses and objections to the Subpoena, and any motion to quash, shall be served within 14 days of service of the Subpoena.” D.I. 9 at 2. Adobe purported to have served the subpoena to Marsh on August 1, 2024. D.I. 10 at 2. On August 13, 2024, however, Marsh responded to the subpoena contending that the subpoena was not properly served, since Schedule A was not included in the service copy of the subpoena. D.J. 14 Ex. 2 at 1. Adobe admitted as much. D.I. 15 at 1 n.1 (acknowledging that “the process server excluded Schedule A to the Subpoena”). On August 15, 2024, Adobe appears to have e-

4 included multiple exhibits titled “Exhibit 1.” Schedules A and B are titled “Exhibit 1” and form part of the same document as the Williams Declaration. D.I. 4. The proposed subpoena is also titled “Exhibit 1” and is attached to D.I. 4 as a separate document.

mailed the “entire application” to Marsh’s counsel and, on April 16, 2024, Adobe appears to have “formally re-served” the subpoena to Marsh. D.I. 15 at 1 n.1. Marsh states that Adobe properly served the subpoena on August 15, 2024. DI. 23 at 2. In the same August 13, 2024 letter to Adobe, Marsh also provided substantive objections to the subpoena, including that “there already are mechanisms for the Dutch court to request additional documents from the parties prior to the hearing.” D.I. 14 Ex. 2 at 3. On September 4, 2024 and September 9, 2024, the parties met and conferred on the subpoena and Marsh’s objections. D.I. 10 at 1. Hence, Marsh agreed to produce “a redacted version of the recently amended funding agreement,” which was also produced by SDBN “‘in the Dutch proceeding.” D.I. 15 at 1; see D.I. 14 at 1 (asserting that “only the dollar amounts of SDBN’s budgets and Marsh’s funding obligation [were] redacted”). On September 10, 2024, Adobe requested a discovery teleconference. D.J. 10. On September 30, 2024, the Court ordered letter briefing on the parties’ discovery disputes. D.I. 13. On October 2, 2024, both parties filed motions. Adobe filed a motion to compel, and Marsh filed a motion for a protective order. 14; D.I. 15. On October 4, 2024, the parties filed respective oppositions. D.I. 17; D.I. 18. In Adobe’s motion to compel, Adobe sought “documents in support of Adobe’s statement of defense in the Dutch proceeding.” DI. 15 at 1. Specifically, Adobe moved to compel documents in response to “Request Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12,-14 and 17 in Schedule A” of the subpoena. D.I. 15 at 1. Those requests state: 1. All agreements pursuant to which Marsh is providing funding for the Dutch Proceeding. 2. To the extent not produced in response to Request J, all other agreements relating to the Dutch Proceeding between (i) SDBN and Marsh and/or (ii) Marsh and any (purported) class member, or as to which Marsh and/or its investors is a third-party beneficiary.

4, All Documents and Communications between SDBN and Marsh regarding the profit and loss calculus of the Dutch Proceeding.

6. Documents sufficient to show all entities or individuals (including Scott+Scott) who received money from or through Marsh, or have or had any right, entitlement or expectation (actual, contingent or otherwise, and liquidated or unliquidated) to receive money from or through Marsh, arising from or generated in connection with the Dutch Proceeding, including but not limited to (a) returns on their investment with Marsh; (b) participation in profits generated by Marsh; (c) distributions; (d) dividends; or (e) any right to a portion of funds due, owed, or paid to Marsh.

8. Documents sufficient to show any right, entitlement or expectation (actual, contingent or otherwise, and liquidated or unliquidated) of SDBN or any other entity affiliated with SDBN to receive payment of any money or proceeds from Marsh in connection with the Dutch Proceeding, including for payment of costs incurred during prosecution of the Dutch Proceeding, and/or in connection with Marsh’s receipt of settlement proceeds, revenues, or other sums generated or received by Marsh in connection with the Dutch Proceeding.

11. Documents and Communications sufficient to show the strategy or method for identifying and/or locating specific individuals to include as claimants in the Dutch Proceeding and identifying Adobe as the defendant in the Dutch Proceeding, and when discussions or communications regarding this strategy or method commenced.

12. Documents sufficient to show which (and how many) specific class members have been identified or located before and since commencement of the Dutch Proceeding, the date on which they were identified or located, and how and by who they were identified or located.

14. Documents and Communications sufficient to show the initial conversations that Marsh or its affiliates had regarding the formation of SDBN as it relates to the Dutch Proceeding.

17.

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Bluebook (online)
In re: Letter Request from The Netherlands, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-letter-request-from-the-netherlands-ded-2024.