Nguyen v. Baxter Healthcare Corp.

275 F.R.D. 503, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64134, 2011 WL 2183993
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedJune 6, 2011
DocketNo. SACV 10-01436 CJC (SSx)
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 275 F.R.D. 503 (Nguyen v. Baxter Healthcare Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nguyen v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 275 F.R.D. 503, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64134, 2011 WL 2183993 (C.D. Cal. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S “MOTION FOR AN ORDER DIRECTING DEFENDANT TO PRODUCE FURTHER RESPONSES TO SPECIAL INTERROGATORIES, SET ONE, AND REQUESTS FOR PRODUCTION, SET ONE” (Docket No. 46)

SUZANNE H. SEGAL, United States Magistrate Judge.

I.

INTRODUCTION

On April 22, 2011, Plaintiff Anna Nguyen (“Plaintiff’) filed a “Motion for an Order Directing Defendant to Produce Further Responses to Special Interrogatories, Set One, and Requests for Production, Set One” (the “Motion”), seeking to compel further responses and documents from Defendant Baxter Healthcare Corporation (“Defendant” or “Baxter Healthcare”). The parties submitted a Joint Stipulation (the “Jt. Stip.”) reflecting their respective positions regarding the Motion. Plaintiffs also submitted the declaration of William S. Caldwell (the “Caldwell declaration” or “Caldwell Deck”) and certain exhibits in support of the Motion. Defendant submitted the declaration of Timothy M. Rusche (the “Rusche declaration” or “Rusche Deck”) and certain exhibits in Opposition to the Motion.

[504]*504On May 3, 2011, Plaintiff filed a Supplemental Memorandum in support of the Motion (the “Supplemental Memorandum” or “Supp. Memo.”). Also on May 3, 2011, Defendant filed a Supplemental Memorandum in Opposition to the Motion (the “Supplemental Opposition” or “Supp. Opp.”). On May 17, 2011, the Court held a hearing on the Motion. For the reasons stated below as well as those discussed at the hearing, the Motion is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

II.

FACTUAL & PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff alleges that Defendant has violated California Labor Code sections 512(a) and 226(a), as well as the applicable Industrial Welfare Commission Order. (Jt. Stip. at 2). Specifically, Plaintiff contends that she was denied adequate meal periods and that her pay check stubs did not reflect the hourly rate of pay for her shift differential pay. (Id. at 2-3). Plaintiff seeks to represent a class comprised of all non-exempt manufacturing employees of Baxter Healthcare who are employed or have been employed by Defendant in California and who have been denied adequate meal periods or have been provided pay check stubs that did not reflect the hourly rate of pay for shift differential pay. (Id. at 3).

Defendant agrees that Plaintiffs operative class definition is limited to non-exempt manufacturing employees who are employed or have been employed in California and who have been denied adequate meal periods or have been provided pay check stubs that did not reflect the hourly rate of pay for shift differential pay. (Jt. Stip. at 4, 6). However, Defendant contends that Plaintiffs discovery requests extend beyond the operative class definition by seeking information relating to all “non-exempt hourly employees” instead of only non-exempt “manufacturing employees.” (Id. at 4). Defendant further contends that even where Plaintiff has limited her discovery requests to “manufacturing employees,” she has failed to include the additional limitation of employees who were “not provided a lawful 30 minute meal period.” (Id. at 6).

On April 11, 2011, Plaintiff filed an “Ex Parte Application for an Order to Continue the Date for Filing Her Class Certification Motion,” seeking an extension of the deadline to file a motion for class certification. On April 19, 2011, the District Judge issued an Order Granting Plaintiffs Ex Parte Application (the “Order Granting”) extending the deadline to file a motion for class certification until July 25, 2011. The District Judge explained that he granted the extension of time to allow this Court to resolve the discovery dispute contained in the instant Motion. (Order Granting at 2-3). The District Judge noted Plaintiffs representation that she was not seeking any additional discovery beyond the previously noticed depositions and the supplemental responses that are the subject of the instant Motion. (Id. at 3).

On April 18, 2011, Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Second Amended Complaint (the “Motion to Dismiss”) contending that Plaintiff had failed to allege a prima facie case for class relief. On May 12, 2011, the District Judge issued an Order Denying Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (the “Order Denying”). Specifically, the District Judge found that Plaintiff had “adequately alleged the Rule 23 numerosity, commonality, typicality and adequacy requirements, as well as the rule 23(b)(3) predominance and superiority requirements.” (Order Denying at 3). The District Judge further found that Plaintiff had “alleged sufficient facts to state a plausible class-wide claim that [Defendant] failed to provide meal periods as required by California law.” (Id.). Finally, the District Judge found that Plaintiff had “alleged sufficient facts to state a plausible class-wide claim that [Defendant] failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements as required by California law.” (Id. at 4).

III.

DISCUSSION

A. Plaintiff Is Entitled To Reasonable Pre-Certification Class-Discovery

In the Motion, Plaintiff seeks “a sampling of records from Non-Exempt Manufac-[505]*505taring Employees other than Plaintiff in order to show Defendant’s policies, procedures and practices with respect to its meal periods for its Non-Exempt Manufacturing Employees and also seeks a sample of records in the form of pay stubs and wage statements from Defendant as to said Employees in order to show Defendant’s policies procedures and practices with respect to disclosing hourly rates of pay as required by ... Section 226(a) of the California Labor Code.” (Jt. Stip. at 3). In opposition to the Motion, Defendant’s primary argument is that Plaintiff is not entitled to class-wide discovery because she “has presented no evidence to demonstrate the likelihood of class violations.” (Jt. Stip. at 4). Defendant further contends that Plaintiffs discovery requests are “extremely burdensome and duplicative, seeking millions of documents regardless of whether the same information has been produced in other forms, and not limited to the operative class definition.” (Id. at 6) (emphasis in original).

In Gulf Oil Co. v. Bernard, 452 U.S. 89, 101 S.Ct. 2193, 68 L.Ed.2d 693 (1981), the Supreme Court found that class counsel in Rule 23 class actions must be permitted communications with potential class members for the purpose of notification and gathering information, even prior to class certification. Id. at 101-02, 101 S.Ct. 2193. The Supreme Court affirmed the Fifth Circuit’s decision invalidating a district court order that banned communications between class counsel and any actual or potential class members. Id. at 102-03, 101 S.Ct. 2193. Although the Supreme Court recognized the legitimacy of concerns regarding client solicitation, it found that the need of class counsel to communicate with potential plaintiffs, absent evidence of abuse, outweighed such concerns:

[A]n order limiting communications between parties and potential class members should be based on a clear record and specific findings that reflect a weighing of the need for a limitation and the potential interference with the rights of the parties.

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275 F.R.D. 503, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64134, 2011 WL 2183993, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nguyen-v-baxter-healthcare-corp-cacd-2011.