In re ML-Lee Acquisition Fund II, L.P.

151 F.R.D. 37, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13477, 1993 WL 375250
District Court, D. Delaware·Decided September 23, 1993·No. Civ. A. No. 92-60-JJF·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

FARNAN, District Judge.

1. Presently before the Court in this securities action are two motions (D.I. 85, 90) filed by plaintiffs to compel the production of documents in the possession of the defendants.1 The motions will be addressed contemporaneously. The same set of document requests were sent to both the Merrill Lynch and Independent General Partner (“IGP”) [39]*39defendants2 and to the Funds-Lee defendants.3 There are 23 particular document requests that are the subject of plaintiffs’ motion to compel production by the Merrill Lynch and IGP defendants, while there are 52 such requests with respect to the Funds-Lee defendants. Every document request from the Merrill Lynch and IGP defendants that is the subject of plaintiffs’ motion to compel, except Request 67, is also the subject of the plaintiffs’ motion to compel document production by the Funds-Lee defendants. Where possible, the Court shall consider the numerous document requests in a categorical fashion.

2. The defendants generally contend that the documents sought are irrelevant and that production of those documents would be unduly burdensome. Defendants particularly contend that plaintiffs’ requests for documents relating to investments that were contemplated, but not entered into by the Funds, is clearly a fishing expedition for new claims.

3. Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1), a party may obtain discovery of any nonprivileged matter relevant to or reasonably calculated to lead to evidence relevant to the pending action. As this Court stated in La Chemise Lacoste v. Alligator Company, Inc., 60 F.R.D. 164, 171 (D.Del.1973), “discovery should ordinarily be allowed under the concept of relevancy unless it is clear that the information sought can have no possible bearing upon the subject matter of the action.” “The party seeking discovery has the burden of demonstrating its merits.” McLaughlin v. Copeland, 455 F.Supp. 749, 753 (D.Del.1978).

4. The first category of documents relate generally to operation of the Funds and the defendants’ participation in operating the Funds. These include the following documents: documents concerning the investment criteria, guidelines, restrictions, and process or procedure for making investments with the Funds (Requests [“R”] 1 and 12); documents referring to communications or meetings amongst any of the Funds’ Designated General Partners (R 19); documents that refer to services rendered by Merrill, MLPF & S or Advisors II, as an investment advisor to any defendant (R 30); documents referring to the Funds’ accounting policies in evaluating Funds’ financial conditions (R 35); all documents or drafts referring to the Funds prepared by or on behalf of any defendant or to be distributed to holders of units of the funds, or any other public entity (R 33); documents referring to any management letters or other communications between the Funds and its independent auditor (R 38); documents used or referred to in preparation of the Prospectus (R 49); all documents referring to application for exemption from requirements of or registration under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (R 53); minutes of all meetings of the general partners of the funds, and all documents referred to in those minutes (R 61); all documents that confirm whether Advisors II or its affiliates made a simultaneous or contemporaneous co-investment in Hills or Petco (R 67). The Court will grant the plaintiffs’ motion to compel the production of all of these documents. While the Court is aware of the significant burden that will be imposed upon the defendants, the Court finds that information concerning the procedures to be utilized according to the Prospectus and the actual operation of the Funds is clearly at the heart of the litigation. Thus, the defendants must produce the requested documents as the Court finds that they are relevant or reasonably calculated to lead to relevant evidence.

5. The second category of documents relates to an agreement by Westinghouse Credit Corporation to make investments on behalf of the Funds. (R 7-9). The [40]*40Court finds this issue relevant to the litigation because Westinghouse invested in Hills. Therefore, the defendants must produce the requested documents as the Court finds that they are relevant or reasonably calculated to lead to relevant evidence.

6. The third category relates to documents concerning Hills or Petco. These documents include the following: documents concerning the financial status, debts, or restructuring of Hills or Petco (R 16, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 46, 47); documents referring to communications or relationships with regard to the Funds between any defendants and Hills or Petco (R 21, 22, 23, 39, 40); documents referring to the Fund I investment in Petco (R 6); all minutes, recordings, documents relating to meetings of board of directors or committees of the non-individual defendants relating to Hills, Petco, or the Funds (R 45); all documents that refer to any written or oral presentation to any third-party relative to Hills’ or Petco’s business prospects made by or on behalf of Hills or Petco or any member of their respective management (R 42, 43); documents of Hills referring to negotiations about its debt securities, credit agreements, agreements with Drexel Burnham Lambert (R 50, 51, 52); all documents that any defendant observed regarding negotiations between Hills and Kim-co concerning Kimco’s purchase of Hills’ debt (R 24); all documents or drafts referring to Hills or Petco prepared by or on behalf of any defendant or to be distributed to holders of units of the Funds, or any other public entity (R 34). The Court finds that these documents are relevant to the litigation and that, notwithstanding the burden to the defendants in producing the documents, defendants must produce these documents. The information held by any of the defendants with respect to Hills or Petco is material to the issues concerning the decision to invest in these companies and what impact any other investment on the part of the defendants in those companies may have had on that investment decision. To the extent that certain of the documents requested are not within the possession or control of the defendants, and the defendants are able to demonstrate such, those documents need not be produced. See La Chemise Lacoste, 60 F.R.D. at 171 (“On the showing ... that the documents sought for production are not within [the defendant’s] custody, control or possession, [the defendant] cannot be compelled to produce them.”)

7. The third category of documents relates to the relationships amongst the defendants, and the relationships of the defendants to the various companies in which the Funds were invested.

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In re ML-Lee Acquisition Fund II, L.P., 151 F.R.D. 37, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13477, 1993 WL 375250 (D. Del. 1993).

151 F.R.D. 37 (In re ML-Lee Acquisition Fund II, L.P.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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