Jochims v. Isuzu Motors, Ltd.

145 F.R.D. 499, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21343, 1992 WL 354137
District Court, S.D. Iowa·Decided November 30, 1992·No. No. 3-89-CV-70109·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR MODIFICATION OF PROTECTIVE ORDER

BENNETT, United States Magistrate Judge.

This is a products liability suit in which Plaintiff Jeffrey T. Jochims (“Jochims”) alleges he was severely injured when the 1986 Isuzu Trooper II sport utility vehicle he was driving rolled over. The issue pres[500]*500ently before the court is whether the court should modify a stipulated protective order previously entered in this litigation. Jochims seeks modification of the protective order to share confidential documents produced by Isuzu Motors, Ltd. (“Isuzu”) with other plaintiffs’ counsel in other pending litigation against Isuzu.

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND.

This matter is before the court pursuant to Plaintiff’s Motion for Modification of Protective Order filed October 8, 1992. On October 22, 1992, an order was filed granting Defendant until November 2, 1992, in which to file its resistance to the motion, and setting hearing in this matter for a telephonic conference call on November 6, 1992. The telephonic conference was held on that date. Steven J. Crowley of the Crowley Law Firm appeared on behalf of Jochims. Mary Bolkcum of Bowman & Brooke of Minneapolis, Minnesota, appeared on behalf of Isuzu.

By stipulation of the parties, then United States Magistrate Judge Longstaff1 entered a protective order in this case on January 24, 1991.2 All discovery in this case since then has proceeded under the terms of the protective order.3 Jochims has now moved to “amend” the protective order by substituting a new protective order he proposes in its place.4 Jochims proposes the substitution in order to permit other plaintiffs’ counsel in litigation with Isuzu to obtain documents which under the current protective order they are foreclosed from providing to them.

The proposed protective order would significantly alter several provisions of the current protective order. First, the proposed protective order would only permit Isuzu from preventing the dissemination of what it believes are confidential documents it is able to demonstrate that: (1) the documents contains “a trade secret or other confidential technical information,” and (2) the documents's dissemination would “significantly damage IML’s competitive position.” 5 Proposed Protective Order at ¶[ 2. The January 24, 1991, protective order’s definition of what constitutes confidential materials is not as restrictive. Instead, it merely provides that “the terms of this Stipulation and Protective Order shall include information about defendant’s business, products, practices, or procedures which, in the ordinary course of business, is not voluntarily disclosed by defendant to the public or to third persons or entities who do not have a need to know. This description is intended to include trade secrets as well as any confidential research, development, or commercial information.” Protective Order at ¶ 8.

Second, the proposed protective order also changes which party has the burden of raising the issue of a document’s confidential designation with the court. The proposed protective order would require Isuzu to raise the issue within ten (10) days of being informed of a designation dispute. Proposed Protective Order at ¶ 3. The current protective order places that responsibility on Jochims. Protective Order at 5. The proposed protective order also permits Jochims’ counsel to permanently retain all confidential Isuzu documents obtained through discovery in this case and to use those documents in any subsequent lawsuits against Isuzu. Proposed Protective [501]*501Order at 11 6. The current protective order requires the return of Isuzu’s documents once this litigation is completed. Protective Order at ¶ 7. Finally, the proposed protective order permits Jochims’ counsel to disseminate the material to other counsel with litigation against Isuzu, their experts, and to members of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group.6 Proposed Protective Order at 114. The current protective order would not permit such disclosures. Protective Order II 6.

[500]*500orders, constitute Exhibit D which is attached to Defendant’s Memorandum. A copy of the January 24, 1991, protective order is attached to this order as Appendix A.

[501]*501II. APPLICABLE LEGAL STANDARDS AND ANALYSIS.

This court has discretion in determining whether or not to amend or modify a protective order. Iowa Beef Processors; Inc. v. Bagley, 601 F.2d 949, 955 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 441 U.S. 907, 99 S.Ct. 1997, 60 L.Ed.2d 376 (1979); American Tel. & Tel. Co. v. Grady, 594 F.2d 594, 596 (7th Cir. 1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 971, 99 S.Ct. 1533, 59 L.Ed.2d 787 (1979); Omega Homes, Inc. v. Citicorp Acceptance Co., 656 F.Supp. 393, 403 (W.D.Va.1987); In re “Agent Orange”Product Liability Litigation, 104 F.R.D. 559, 568 (E.D.N.Y.1985). Jochims contends that the burden is on Isuzu to demonstrate the need for maintaining the existing protective order. In support of this proposition, Jochims cites as authority two cases, In re “Agent Orange” Product Liability Litigation, 104 F.R.D. at 568, and In re Coordinated Pretrial Proceedings in Petroleum Products Antitrust Litigation, 101 F.R.D. 34, 40 (C.D.Cal.1984). Neither of these cases, however, deal with the situation before the court, namely the modification of a stipulated protective order by a party to that order. Rather both cases cited by Jochims pertain to modifications of court directed protective orders by intervening parties.7 In contrast, there is general unanimity among the courts that where a party to stipulated protective order seeks to modify that protective order, that party must demonstrate particular good cause in order to gain relief from the agreed to protective order. See Richard Wolf Medical Instruments Corp. v. Dory, 130 F.R.D. 389, 392 (N.D.Ill.1990), aff'd sub nom. Richard Wolf Medical Instruments Corp. v. EDAP, S.A., 928 F.2d 410 (Fed.Cir.1991); see also Omega Homes, Inc., 656 F.Supp. at 404; Ball v. Field, No. 90-C-4383, 1992 WL 57187, at *15-16 (N.D.Ill. Mar. 19, 1992); Viskase Corp. v. W.R. Grace & Co., No. 90-C-7515, 1992 WL 13679, at *5 (N.D.Ill. Jan. 24,1992); cf. Grady, 594 F.2d at 597 (intervenor seeking to modify a stipulated protective order held to “higher burden”). But see Kraszewski v. State Farm General Ins. Co., 139 F.R.D. 156, 159 (N.D.Cal.1991).8 The courts’ rationale for [502]*502this standard is that a party which in good faith negotiates a stipulated protective order and then proceeds to produce documents pursuant to that protective order is entitled to the benefit of its bargain; namely, to rely upon the terms of the stipulated protective order. See Omega Homes, Inc., 656 F.Supp. at 404; Dory, 130 F.R.D. at 392; cf.

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Jochims v. Isuzu Motors, Ltd., 145 F.R.D. 499, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21343, 1992 WL 354137 (S.D. Iowa 1992).

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