In re Stratosphere Corp. Securities Litigation

182 F.R.D. 614, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14658, 1998 WL 640325
District Court, D. Nevada·Decided September 15, 1998·No. No. CV-S-96-708-PMP RLH·Published·Cited by 29 cases

Opinion

ORDER

HUNT, United States Magistrate Judge.

Before the Court is Plaintiffs’ Motion to Establish Deposition Protocol (# 206, filed August 1Í, 1998), together with the Declaration of Kevin P. Roddy with Exhibits in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion ... (# 207, filed August 11,1998). Defendants filed their Opposition to Plaintiffs’ Motion ... (# 213) on August 28, 1998 and Plaintiffs Reply ... (#215) was filed September 8, 1998. The Court has carefully considered each of the above.

Plaintiffs seek the establishment of a protocol to govern depositions in this matter to “avoid the wasted time and circus-like atmosphere they endured in [the bankruptcy claims estimation proceeding in] April 1997.” Motion, p. 2. While the Court was not convinced by the exhibits provided that a “circus-like atmosphere” existed in 1997, the Court recognizes the need to avoid the wasting of time and money that can occur when there are a multitude of parties and attorneys, or when attorneys, parties or witnesses engage in conduct which obstructs or interferes with the orderly progress of discovery. There also appears to be some disagreement in the interpretation of the rules governing depositions. In an attempt to avoid unnecessary conflict or dispute, a deposition protocol will be established.

Plaintiffs seek a protocol which would include the following: (1) All depositions shall be videotaped and recorded stenographically; (2) All depositions shall be conducted at the offices of Plaintiffs’ counsel or Defendants’ counsel; (3) Depositions shall be conducted from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch and one fifteen-minute break during the morning and afternoon; (4) All cellular telephones and pagers shall be turned off and smoking or firearms should not be allowed in the deposition; (5) No “speaking objections” are to be made; (6) Counsel shall not instruct a witness not to answer a question except to preserve a privilege, enforce a court order or adjourn a deposition; (7) Counsel may not coach or confer with a witness during a deposition and deposing counsel may inquire into whether any such conference has taken place and the substance of the communications with counsel; and (8) The deposition of Defendant Bob Stupak is to be taken when the magistrate judge can attend.

The Grand Casino Defendants agree with portions of the proposed protocol and disagree with others. (1) Defendants agree that all parties should have the “right” to take video depositions, but disagree that any party should be “required” to. (2) They have no objections to having all depositions taken at attorneys’ offices, assuming availability, but if not, the parties should be free to secure any reasonable facility that has sufficient size and accommodations for the procedure. (3) Defendants have no objections to the depositions being scheduled during normal business hours, but feel there should be flexibility in the number or timing of breaks to provide accommodation for the health and comfort of witnesses or attorneys. (4) They have no objections to a requirement that cellular telephones be turned off and that there be no smoking or firearms permitted in the deposition, but contend that pagers, turned on to the silent mode, are necessary and would not be disruptive. (5) Defendants contend that a proscription on “speaking objections” is vague since all objections are “spoken,” however, they have no objections to a requirement that the parties be required to comply with Fed.R.Civ.P. 30(d)(1). (6) They have no objections to the restrictions on instructions not to answer a question as provided in Rule 30(d)(1), but feel Plaintiffs’ proposal does not include all legitimate reasons provided in Rule 30(d)(1).1 (7) Defendants adamantly object to a blanket order [617]*617prohibiting a conference between a deponent and counsel during a deposition or inquiry by other counsel into the privileged communications which may take place. (8) They take no position to the suggestion that the magistrate judge be present during the deposition of Defendant Bob Stupak.

Based upon Plaintiffs’ Reply, it appears that the only significant issue of disagreement between Plaintiffs and Defendants is over the “right to confer with counsel during a deposition.” The parties did not provide, and the Court was unable to find, any Ninth Circuit decisions which speak directly to this point. There are also some attendant and additional issues that need clarification.

1. VIDEO DEPOSITIONS

Plaintiffs contend that the parties have the “right” to take video depositions, citing Rule 30(b)(2). Defendants do not question that contention, but it is not strictly accurate. That subsection states as follows:

The party taking the deposition shall state in the notice the method by which the testimony shall be recorded. Unless the court orders otherwise, it may be recorded by sound, sound-and-visual, or stenographic means, and the party taking the deposition shall bear the cost of the recording. Any party may arrange for a transcription to be made from the recording of a deposition taken by non-stenographic means, (emphasis added)

Similarly, rule 32(c) provides, in pertinent part:

... On request of any party in a case tried before a jury, deposition testimony offered other than for impeachment purposes shall be presented in nonstenographic form, if available, unless the court for good cause orders otherwise (emphasis added).

In the District of Nevada, the Court has “ordered otherwise” to the extent that, based upon what is interpreted as authority given in Rules 30 and 32, this District Court has determined that stenographically recorded deposition testimony shall be the norm and video depositions must be approved by the Court. Local Rule LR 32-1. However, it is the practice of the judges of the District of Nevada to liberally permit video depositions unless it appears that it is requested for the purpose of intimidating a witness or that it may be difficult to edit objectionable portions of a video deposition for presentation at trial. So long as there is a transcript of the deposition which can be used for cross-examination, in the event that use of the video may be disruptive to the orderly conduct of cross-examination, there appears to be no good cause why video depositions should not be permitted here in conjunction with stenographic transcripts.

2. DAILY DEPOSITION SCHEDULE

None of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require a specific schedule nor provide for an inflexible protocol mandating the timing or length of breaks. The obvious reason for flexibility is the need to give consideration to the health or other physical requirements of witnesses, parties and attorneys, not to mention the necessity of accommodation of travel arrangements and other schedules. However, the provisions of Rule 30(d)(3), which forbid a deposition to be “conducted in bad faith or in such a manner as unreasonably to annoy, embarrass, or oppress the deponent or party,” provide sufficient authority for the Court to establish guidelines which it considers reasonable, with sufficient flexibility to accommodate the personal needs of everyone involved.

3. OBJECTIONS DURING DEPOSITIONS

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In re Stratosphere Corp. Securities Litigation, 182 F.R.D. 614, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14658, 1998 WL 640325 (D. Nev. 1998).

182 F.R.D. 614 (In re Stratosphere Corp. Securities Litigation) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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