Pitney Bowes, Inc. v. Kern International, Inc.

239 F.R.D. 62, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87520, 2006 WL 3500898
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedNovember 30, 2006
DocketNo. 3:05 CV 1455(JBA)
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 239 F.R.D. 62 (Pitney Bowes, Inc. v. Kern International, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pitney Bowes, Inc. v. Kern International, Inc., 239 F.R.D. 62, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87520, 2006 WL 3500898 (D. Conn. 2006).

Opinion

RULING ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO COMPEL AND FOR SANCTIONS

MARGOLIS, United States Magistrate Judge.

Plaintiff Pitney Bowes, Inc. commenced this litigation on September 15, 2005 against defendant Kern International, Inc. [“KII”], alleging patent infringement of United States Letters Patent No. 5,083,769, entitled “Dual Collating Machine” [“'769 Patent”]. (Dkt.# 1). On April 28, 2006, defendant filed its Answer, Affirmative Defenses and Counterclaims (Dkt.# 41), to which plaintiff filed its Answer and Reply on May 18, 2006. (Dkts. #43-44).

On August 16, 2006, plaintiff filed the pending Motion to Compel Production of Certain Technical Drawings and for Sanctions and brief and affidavit in support.1 (Dkts.#53-55). Defendant filed its brief in opposition on September 11, 20062 (Dkt.# 57), and plaintiff filed its reply brief fourteen days later.3 (Dkt.# 58). On October 3, 2006, United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton referred this case to this Magistrate Judge for purposes of supervising discovery. (Dkt.# 59). On November 14, 2006, this Magistrate Judge filed an Order (Dkt.# 66), requiring certain documents designated as “confidential” by defendant be submitted to the Magistrate Judge for her in camera review; such documents were received on November 21, 2006 [“Confidential Documents”].

Under the latest scheduling order, all fact discovery is to be completed by November 30, 2006 and all expert discovery is to be completed by July 20, 2007. (Dkts.#63-64).4

[64]*64For the reasons stated below, plaintiffs Motion to Compel and for Sanctions (Dkt.# 53) is granted in limited part and denied in large part.

I. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

\^On March 1, 2006, plaintiff served its Second. Set of Production Requests on defendant.' (See Dkt. # 54, Exh. A). In Production Request No. 11, plaintiff seeks:

[a]ll documents and things concerning or otherwise relating to the design, development, construction and manufacture of any and all input modules or other document mail finishing equipment sold, distributed, leased, rented or offered for sale by Kern that includes or otherwise incorporates a double-deck collator or double-deck grouping station, including without limitation, the Kern 970 Single Sheet Feeder and/or the Kern 971 Single Sheet Feeder.

Defendant provided responsive documents but did not include a “complete set of design, construction and manufacturing drawings for the Kern 970 Single Sheet Feeder and the Kern 971 Single Sheet Feeder.” (Dkt. # 54, at 3-4). On July 27, 2006, pursuant to a request under Fed.R.Civ.P. 34, plaintiffs litigation counsel, its in-house counsel, and its expert witness inspected the K970 and K971 modules at defendant’s premises in Columbus, Ohio. (Dkt. # 54, at 4; Dkt. # 57, at 2). Defendant’s employees operated the modules and plaintiff was permitted to manipulate the machines so that a complete inspection could be made. (Dkt. # 57, at 2-3). Additionally, plaintiff digitally photographed and videotaped the entire inspection with the assistance of a professional photographer. (Id. at 3 & Exh. B). According to plaintiff, during this visit, plaintiffs counsel “reiterated [their] request to counsel for KII that KII produce a complete set of design, construction and manufacturing drawings for the accused devices.” (Dkt. # 54, at 4). Defense counsel informed plaintiff that the drawings were in the possession of Kern AG [“KAG”], KII’s foreign parent (Id. at 1, 4). In a letter dated August 2, 2006, plaintiffs counsel again renewed their request that KII supplement its response to Production Request No. 11 (see Dkt. #54, Exh. F), to which KII responded five days later that it does not have control over the technical drawings and KAG has not provided technical drawings that KII previously requested. (See id., Exh. G).

II. DISCUSSION

In this pending Motion, plaintiff seeks an order compelling defendant to comply with Production Request No. 11 of Plaintiffs Second Request for Production of Documents and Things (11-51), with respect to certain technical drawings. (Dkts.#53-54). Both parties agree that the “critical” issue before the Court is whether defendant KII has “control” over the documents sought, ■within the meaning of Rule 34, in that such documents are now in the possession of its foreign parent, KAG. (See Dkt. # 54, at 5; Dkt. # 57, at 2, 7-8).

Plaintiff contends that the term “control” is construed broadly under Rule 34 and it is the “nature of the relationship” between the party over which the court has jurisdiction and the non-party with possession of the documents that will determine whether production should be ordered. (Dkt. # 54, at 5-6). Plaintiff posits that there is a “close corporate relationship between KII and KAG” (id. at 7-8); KII is the exclusive U.S. distributor and a service agent for KAG’s products (id. at 8-9); and KAG is the true stakeholder of this lawsuit (id. at 10-11). Further, plaintiff argues that because KAG has been willing to provide documents to KII in support of its defense of this lawsuit, but is not willing to provide documents responsive to plaintiffs requests, KII should be precluded from using the documents provided by KAG in support of its defense. (Id. at 11). Finally, plaintiff seeks monetary sanctions against defendant. (Id. at 12).

Defendant objects to the production of these technical drawings on two grounds: first, the allegations in this lawsuit will be decided by comparing the claims of plaintiffs asserted patent against defendant’s K970 and K971 machines it inspected, and not against technical drawings; and second, defendant does not have “control” of the documents [65]*65plaintiff seeks because they are possessed by defendant’s parent corporation, KAG, and KAG refuses to provide them to defendant in the ordinary course of business. (Dkt. # 57, at 1-6). Specifically, defendant contends that the manufacturing and construction documents are not “crucial documents” necessary for resolving plaintiffs claims of infringement as infringement is determined by comparing a properly construed patent against the accused device. (Id. at 6-7). Moreover, whether a subsidiary has “control” over documents possessed by a parent or a related corporation is a very fact specific inquiry and defendant does not have “control” over the KAG technical documents that plaintiff seeks because it has no right or ability to access the documents in the ordinary course of business; defendant’s and KAG’s actual business structures and operations refute plaintiffs claim that KII and KAG have a “close corporate relationship”; the fact that KII is a sales and service agent subsidiary for its parent company does not automatically establish “control”; and whether KAG is the “true stakeholder of the lawsuit” does not establish control. (Id. at 8-15). Additionally, defendant counters that sanctions are not warranted as its objection is “substantially justified” in light of the factually specific issue of determining whether a subsidiary has “control” over documents. (Id. at 15).

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239 F.R.D. 62, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87520, 2006 WL 3500898, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pitney-bowes-inc-v-kern-international-inc-ctd-2006.