Liyila Marinova v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc.

• Court: District Court, C.D. California
• Decided: May 4, 2023
• Docket: 8:22-cv-01453
• Status: Unknown

Opinion

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8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 LIYILA MARINOVA, individually Case No. 8:22-cv-01453-FWS (JDEx) 11 and on behalf of all others similarly situated, 12 STIPULATED PROTECTIVE Plaintiff, ORDER 13

vs. 14

MAZDA MOTOR OF AMERICA, 15 INC, and DOES 1 through 10,

16 Defendants.

17 18 19 Pursuant to the parties’ Stipulation (Dkt. 39), and for good cause shown, the 20 Court finds and orders as follows. 21 1. A. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS 22 Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of confidential, 23 proprietary or private information for which special protection from public 24 disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may 25 be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to 26 enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this 27 Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to 1 only to the limited information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment 2 under the applicable legal principles. 3 B. GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT 4 This action is likely to involve trade secrets and other valuable research, 5 development, commercial, financial, technical and/or proprietary information for 6 which special protection from public disclosure and from use for any purpose other 7 than prosecution of this action is warranted. Such confidential and proprietary 8 materials and information consist of, among other things, confidential submissions to 9 the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) regarding regulatory compliance, and 10 other technical issues. The automotive industry is highly competitive, and these 11 submissions are routinely kept confidential by automotive companies and by CARB 12 (at the companies’ request) to prevent competitive disadvantage. Other examples of 13 confidential and proprietary information include confidential business or financial 14 information, information regarding confidential business practices, or other 15 confidential research, development, or commercial information (including 16 information implicating privacy rights of third parties), information otherwise 17 generally unavailable to the public, or which may be privileged or otherwise 18 protected from disclosure under state or federal statutes, court rules, case decisions, 19 or common law. Accordingly, to expedite the flow of information, to facilitate the 20 prompt resolution of disputes over confidentiality of discovery materials, to 21 adequately protect information the parties are entitled to keep confidential, to ensure 22 that the parties are permitted reasonable necessary uses of such material in 23 preparation for and in the conduct of trial, to address their handling at the end of the 24 litigation, and serve the ends of justice, a protective order for such information is 25 justified in this matter. The parties intend that information will not be designated as 26 confidential for tactical reasons and that nothing be so designated without a good 27 faith belief that it has been maintained in a confidential, non-public manner, and there 1 C. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROCEDURE FOR FILING UNDER SEAL 2 The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this 3 Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information 4 under seal; Local Civil Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed 5 and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court 6 to file material under seal. 7 There is a strong presumption that the public has a right of access to judicial 8 proceedings and records in civil cases. In connection with non-dispositive motions, 9 good cause must be shown to support a filing under seal. See Kamakana v. City and 10 County of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006), Phillips v. Gen. Motors 11 Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 1210-11 (9th Cir. 2002), Makar-Welbon v. Sony Electrics, 12 Inc., 187 F.R.D. 576, 577 (E.D. Wis. 1999) (even stipulated protective orders 13 require good cause showing), and a specific showing of good cause or compelling 14 reasons with proper evidentiary support and legal justification, must be made with 15 respect to Protected Material that a party seeks to file under seal. The parties’ mere 16 designation of Disclosure or Discovery Material as CONFIDENTIAL does not— 17 without the submission of competent evidence by declaration, establishing that the 18 material sought to be filed under seal qualifies as confidential, privileged, or 19 otherwise protectable—constitute good cause. 20 Further, if a party requests sealing related to a dispositive motion or trial, then 21 compelling reasons, not only good cause, for the sealing must be shown, and the 22 relief sought shall be narrowly tailored to serve the specific interest to be protected. 23 See Pintos v. Pacific Creditors Ass’n, 605 F.3d 665, 677-79 (9th Cir. 2010). For 24 each item or type of information, document, or thing sought to be filed or introduced 25 under seal in connection with a dispositive motion or trial, the party seeking 26 protection must articulate compelling reasons, supported by specific facts and legal 27 justification, for the requested sealing order. Again, competent evidence supporting 1 Any document that is not confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable in 2 its entirety will not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted. If 3 documents can be redacted, then a redacted version for public viewing, omitting 4 only the confidential, privileged, or otherwise protectable portions of the document, 5 shall be filed. Any application that seeks to file documents under seal in their 6 entirety should include an explanation of why redaction is not feasible. 7 2. DEFINITIONS 8 2.1 Action: this pending federal lawsuit. 9 2.2 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation 10 of information or items under this Order. 11 2.3 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of 12 how it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for 13 protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c), and as specified above in 14 the Good Cause Statement. 15 2.4 Counsel: Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as 16 their support staff). 17 2.5 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or 18 items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as 19 “CONFIDENTIAL.” 20 2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless 21 of the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, 22 among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or 23 generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter. 24 2.7 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter 25 pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as 26 an expert witness or as a consultant in this Action. 27 2.8 House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this Action. 1 2.9 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association or 2 other legal entity not named as a Party to this action. 3 2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party 4 to this Action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this Action and have 5 appeared in this Action on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm that 6 has appeared on behalf of that party, and includes support staff. 7 2.11 Party: any party to this Action, including all of its officers, directors, 8 employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their 9 support staffs). 10 2.12 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or 11 Discovery Material in this Action. 12 2.13 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support 13 services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or 14 demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) 15 and their employees and subcontractors. 16 2.14 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is 17 designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” 18 2.15 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material 19 from a Producing Party. 3. SCOPE 20 The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only 21 Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or 22 extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or 23 compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or 24 presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. 25 Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by the orders of the 26 trial judge. This Order does not govern the use of Protected Material at trial. 27 1 4. DURATION 2 FINAL DISPOSITION of the action is defined as the conclusion of any 3 appellate proceedings, or, if no appeal is taken, when the time for filing of an appeal 4 has run. Except as set forth below, the terms of this protective order apply through 5 FINAL DISPOSITION of the action. The parties may stipulate that the they will be 6 contractually bound by the terms of this agreement beyond FINAL DISPOSITION, 7 but will have to file a separate action for enforcement of the agreement once all 8 proceedings in this case are complete. 9 Once a case proceeds to trial, information that was designated as 10 CONFIDENTIAL or maintained pursuant to this protective order used or introduced 11 as an exhibit at trial becomes public and will be presumptively available to all 12 members of the public, including the press, unless compelling reasons supported by 13 specific factual findings to proceed otherwise are made to the trial judge in advance 14 of the trial. See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1180-81 (distinguishing “good cause” 15 showing for sealing documents produced in discovery from “compelling reasons” 16 standard when merits-related documents are part of court record). Accordingly, for 17 such materials, the terms of this protective order do not extend beyond the 18 commencement of the trial. 19 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL 20 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. 21 Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under 22 this Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that 23 qualifies under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for 24 protection only those parts of material that qualify so that other portions of the 25 material, documents, items or communications for which protection is not warranted 26 are not swept unjustifiably within the ambit of this Order. 27 Mass, indiscriminate or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations 1 purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber the case development process or to impose 2 unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Designating 3 Party to sanctions. 4 If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it 5 designated for protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must 6 promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing the inapplicable designation. 7 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise set forth 8 herein (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated 9 or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection under this 10 Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or produced. 11 Designation in conformity with this Order requires: 12 (a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic 13 documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial 14 proceedings), that the Producing Party affix at a minimum, the legend 15 “CONFIDENTIAL” (hereinafter “CONFIDENTIAL legend”), to each page that 16 contains protected material. If only a portion of the material on a page qualifies for 17 protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) 18 (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins). 19 A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents available for inspection 20 need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated 21 which documents it would like copied and produced. During the inspection and 22 before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be 23 deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has identified the 24 documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which 25 documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before 26 producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the 27 “CONFIDENTIAL legend” to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a 1 must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings 2 in the margins). 3 (b) for testimony given in depositions that the Designating Party identifies 4 the Disclosure or Discovery Material on the record, before the close of the 5 deposition all protected testimony. 6 (c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for 7 any other tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the 8 exterior of the container or containers in which the information is stored the legend 9 “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information warrants 10 protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected 11 portion(s). 12 (d) In the case of personally identifying information or information of a 13 uniquely personal nature, including but not limited to, Social Security Numbers; 14 driver’s license or other identification numbers; personal financial information such 15 as tax information, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers; insurance claim 16 numbers; insurance policy numbers; personal email addresses or other contact 17 information; and any other information protected by data privacy and other rules and 18 regulations, any Producing Party may redact or pseudonymize documents and things 19 it produces that it claims is protected personal information. 20 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent 21 failure to designate qualified information or items does not, by itself, waive the 22 Designating Party’s right to protection under this Order for such material. Upon 23 timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable efforts 24 to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this Order. 25 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS 26 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a 27 designation of confidentiality at any time that is consistent with the Court’s 1 6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute 2 resolution process under Local Rule 37.1 et seq. 3 6.3 Joint Stipulation. Any challenge submitted to the Court shall be via a 4 joint stipulation pursuant to Local Rule 37-2. 5 The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the 6 Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose 7 (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may 8 expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the Designating Party has waived 9 or withdrawn the confidentiality designation, all parties shall continue to afford the 10 material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the 11 Producing Party’s designation until the Court rules on the challenge. 12 7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL 13 7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is 14 disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this 15 Action only for prosecuting, defending or attempting to settle this Action. Such 16 Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the 17 conditions described in this Order. When the Action has been terminated, a 18 Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of section 13 below (FINAL 19 DISPOSITION). 20 Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a 21 location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons 22 authorized under this Order. 23 7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless 24 otherwise ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a 25 Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated 26 “CONFIDENTIAL” only to: 27 (a) Counsel retained or employed by the Parties, and their respective 1 engaged in the copying or organization or conversion of documents from or to 2 electronic media) retained by counsel; 3 (b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of the 4 Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action; 5 (c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom 6 disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have signed the 7 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A); 8 (d) the court and its personnel; 9 (e) court reporters and their staff; 10 (f) professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional 11 Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this Action and who have 12 signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A); 13 (g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a 14 custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information; 15 (h) during their depositions, witnesses, and attorneys for witnesses, in the 16 Action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary provided: (1) the deposing party 17 requests that the witness sign the form attached as Exhibit 1 hereto; and (2) they will 18 not be permitted to keep any confidential information unless they sign the 19 “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise 20 agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed 21 deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material may 22 be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except 23 as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and 24 (i) any mediator or settlement officer, and their supporting personnel, 25 mutually agreed upon by any of the parties engaged in settlement discussions. 26 8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED 27 IN OTHER LITIGATION 1 that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this Action as 2 “CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party must: 3 (a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification 4 shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order; 5 (b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order 6 to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the 7 subpoena or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include 8 a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and 9 (c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be 10 pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected. 11 If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with 12 the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this 13 action as “CONFIDENTIAL” before a determination by the court from which the 14 subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s 15 permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking 16 protection in that court of its confidential material and nothing in these provisions 17 should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this Action 18 to disobey a lawful directive from another court. 19 9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE 20 PRODUCED IN THIS LITIGATION 21 (a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a 22 Non-Party in this Action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information 23 produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the 24 remedies and relief provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be 25 construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections. 26 (b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to 27 produce a Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is 1 confidential information, then the Party shall: 2 (1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party 3 that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality 4 agreement with a Non-Party; 5 (2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated 6 Protective Order in this Action, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably 7 specific description of the information requested; and 8 (3) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non- 9 Party, if requested. 10 (c) If the Non-Party fails to seek a protective order from this court within 11 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party 12 may produce the Non-Party’s confidential information responsive to the discovery 13 request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall 14 not produce any information in its possession or control that is subject to the 15 confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the court. 16 Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and 17 expense of seeking protection in this court of its Protected Material. 18 10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL 19 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed 20 Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this 21 Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in 22 writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts 23 to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or 24 persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order, 25 and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and 26 Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A. 27 11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE 1 When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain 2 inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, 3 the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil 4 Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure 5 may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without 6 prior privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar 7 as the parties reach an agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or 8 information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product protection, the 9 parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted 10 to the court. 11 12. MISCELLANEOUS 12 12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any 13 person to seek its modification by the Court in the future. 14 12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this 15 Protective Order, no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to 16 disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this 17 Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any 18 ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order. 19 12.3 Filing Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any 20 Protected Material must comply with Local Civil Rule 79-5. Protected Material may 21 only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the 22 specific Protected Material at issue. If a Party’s request to file Protected Material 23 under seal is denied by the court, then the Receiving Party may file the information 24 in the public record unless otherwise instructed by the court. 25 13. FINAL DISPOSITION 26 After the final disposition of this Action, as defined in paragraph 4, within 60 27 days of a written request by the Designating Party, each Receiving Party must return 1 || this subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, 2 || summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected 3 || Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving 4 || Party must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same 5 || person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies 6 || (by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material that was returned or 7 || destroyed and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, 8 || abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any 9 || of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to 10 || retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing 11 || transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert 12 || reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such 13 || materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or 14 || constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in 15 || Section 4 (DURATION). 16 || 14. VIOLATION 17 Any violation of this Order may be punished by appropriate measures 18 || including, without limitation, contempt proceedings and/or monetary sanctions. 19 20 |} FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN, IT IS SO ORDERED. 21 i de 22 || DATED: May 04, 2023 Llp 2G 23 fred States Mavistrate ge 24 25 26 27 28

1 EXHIBIT A 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND 3 I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of 4 _________________ [print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury 5 that I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that 6 was issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California 7 on May 4, 2023, in the case of Liyila Marinova v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc, 8 No. 8:22-cv-01453-FWS-JDE. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the 9 terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that 10 failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment in the nature of 11 contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any information 12 or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity 13 except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order. 14 I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court 15 for the Central District of California for enforcing the terms of this Stipulated 16 Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of 17 this action. 18 I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of 19 _______________________________________ [print or type full address and 20 telephone number] as my California agent for service of process in connection with 21 this action or any proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective 22 Order. 23 Date: ______________________________________ 24 City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________ 25 Printed name: _______________________________ 26 Signature: __________________________________ 27