Johnson v. Big Lots Stores, Inc.

251 F.R.D. 213, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56983, 2008 WL 1977507
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedMay 6, 2008
DocketCivil Action Nos. 04-3201, 05-6627
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 251 F.R.D. 213 (Johnson v. Big Lots Stores, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Big Lots Stores, Inc., 251 F.R.D. 213, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56983, 2008 WL 1977507 (E.D. La. 2008).

Opinion

ORDER AND REASONS

SARAH S. VANCE, District Judge.

Before the Court is plaintiffs’ motion to quash defendant’s trial subpoenas that it has served and seeks to serve on opt-in plaintiffs who live outside the State of Louisiana. For the following reasons, the Court GRANTS plaintiffs’ motion.

[214]*214I. BACKGROUND

This case involves the overtime pay claims of current and former assistant store managers (ASMs) of defendant Big Lots Stores, Inc. Plaintiffs allege that Big Lots did not pay them for overtime work and that it misclassified them as executive employees exempt from overtime pay requirements, in violation of §§ 207(a)(1) and 213(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 207(a)(1), 213(a)(1). The Court certified this matter as a collective action under § 216(b) of the FLSA, 29 U.S.C. § 216(b). The group of plaintiffs consists of 936 current and former Big Lots ASMs who opted into this suit. A nonjury trial is set to begin on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Big Lots has issued subpoenas for 10 opt-in plaintiffs, commanding their appearance in court on the first day of trial. All of these plaintiffs were deposed by Big Lots in this ease. Big Lots issued its first trial subpoena for an opt-in plaintiff on April 17, 2008; it issued the other nine subpoenas on April 21, 2008. (See R. Docs. 357-3-357-12.) Big Lots has served some, but not all, of these 10 opt-in plaintiffs at their residences. All but one of the opt-in plaintiffs for whom Big Lots has issued trial subpoenas reside outside of the State of Louisiana and more than 100 miles from the courthouse. Elaine Zeringue lives in Plattenville, Louisiana, roughly 70 miles from New Orleans. Plaintiffs do not challenge Big Lots’ subpoena of Zeringue.

II. DISCUSSION

Plaintiffs now move to quash the nine trial subpoenas that Big Lots has issued for opt-in plaintiffs residing outside of Louisiana. They argue that this Court’s power to issue subpoenas is limited to the places specified in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 45(b)(2). Plaintiffs contend that all of the persons for whom Big Lots has issued trial subpoenas, except Zeringue, are beyond the reach of the Court’s subpoena power because they live outside of Louisiana and more than 100 miles from New Orleans. In response, Big Lots argues that Rule 45(c)(3)(A)(ii), as interpreted by another court in this district in In re Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, 438 F.Supp.2d 664 (E.D.La.2006), expands the subpoena power of courts of the United States over parties and party officers beyond the longstanding 100-mile territorial limit. In other words, Big Lots argues that Rule 45(c)(3)(A)(ii) effectively provides for nationwide service of subpoenas on parties and party officers. Regardless of where the nine out-of-state opt-in plaintiffs might be served, Big Lots maintains, Rule 45(e)(3)(A)(ii) gives this Court the authority to command their presence by subpoena because they are plaintiffs in this collective action. The Court determines, however, that neither the text of Rule 45 nor its history supports Big Lots’ interpretation and that the Court does not have the power to subpoena the nine out-of-state, opt-in plaintiffs whom Big Lots has served or is attempting to serve.

A. The Geographic Limitations on the Court’s Subpoena Power under Fed.R.Civ.P. 45

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 45 generally governs subpoenas issued by courts of the United States. Rule 45(b)(2) defines the places where a subpoena may be served. Recently amended on December 1, 2007, it provides:

(2) Service in the United States. Subject to Rule 45(c)(3)(A)(ii), a subpoena may be served at any place:
(A) within the district of the issuing court;
(B) outside that district but within 100 miles of the place specified for the deposition, hearing, trial, production, or inspection;
(C) within the state of the issuing court if a state statute or court rule allows service at that place of a subpoena issued by a state court of general jurisdiction sitting in the place specified for the deposition, hearing, trial production, or inspection; or
(D) that the court authorized on motion and for good cause, if a federal statute so provides.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 45(b)(2). As Rule 45(b)(2) states, a court’s subpoena power is subject to Rule 45(c)(3)(A)(ii), which is part of a broader [215]*215subdivision of Rule 45 that provides various protections for a person subject to a subpoena. Rule 45(c)(3)(A) sets forth conditions under which a court must quash a subpoena. It provides, in relevant part:

(3) Quashing or Modifying a Subpoena.
(A) When Required. On timely motion, the issuing court must quash or modify a subpoena that:
(i) fails to allow a reasonable time to comply;
(ii) requires a person who is neither a party nor a party’s officer to travel more than 100 miles from where that person resides, is employed, or regularly transacts business in person — except that, subject to Rule 45(c)(3)(B)(iii), the person may be commanded to attend a trial by traveling from any such place within the state where the trial is held; [ or]
(iv) subjects a person to undue burden.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 45(c)(3)(A). Rule 45(c)(3)(B)(iii) in turn provides:

(B) When Permitted. To protect a person subject to or affected by a subpoena, the issuing court may, on motion, quash or modify the subpoena if it requires:
(iii) a person who is neither a party nor a party’s officer to incur substantial expenses to travel more than 100 miles to attend trial.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 45(c)(B)(iii). As noted, Congress recently amended Rule 45. The 2007 amendments extensively revised the organization of Rule 45(b)(2), but they did not alter its substance. The stylistic revisions consisted of breaking up the pre-2007 rule from one large paragraph into component parts under separate subsection headings. See Wright and Miller, 9A Federal Practice and Procedure § 2451 at 383 (3d ed.2008) (describing the 2007 amendments as making “purely formal” changes). For purposes of this analysis, recently amended Rule 45(b)(2) is the same as the pre-2007 version that was analyzed in Vioxx and other cases discussed infra.

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Bluebook (online)
251 F.R.D. 213, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56983, 2008 WL 1977507, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-big-lots-stores-inc-laed-2008.