Samoff ex rel. National Labor Relations Board v. Williamsport Building & Construction Trades Council

313 F. Supp. 1105
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 25, 1970
DocketCiv. No. 70-140
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 313 F. Supp. 1105 (Samoff ex rel. National Labor Relations Board v. Williamsport Building & Construction Trades Council) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Samoff ex rel. National Labor Relations Board v. Williamsport Building & Construction Trades Council, 313 F. Supp. 1105 (M.D. Pa. 1970).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

HERMAN, District Judge.

The petitioner, Bernard Samoff, Regional Director of the Fourth Region of the National Labor Relations Board, for and on behalf of the National Labor Relations Board (hereinafter Board), seeks a preliminary injunction pursuant to Section 10 (i) of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended by 73 Stat. 544 (1959), 29 U.S.C. § 160(1). Petitioner alleges that' charges levied against respondents are pending before the Board claiming that the respondents have engaged in, and are engaging in acts and conduct in violation of § 8(b) (4) (i) and (ii), subparagraph (B) of the National Labor Relations Act, and that petitioner has reasonable cause to believe that the said charges are true.

It appears from the record that on October 22, 1969 and on the subsequent dates of December 8, 1969 and March 16, 1970, Sardec, Inc., filed charges with the Board alleging that the respondents have engaged in and are engaging in unfair labor practices within the meaning of § 8(b) (4) (i) and (ii), subparagraph (B) of the act. The applicable portions of said act read as follows:

“(b) It shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization or its agents * * * (4) (i) to engage in, or to induce or encourage any individual employed by any person engaged in commerce or in an industry affecting commerce to engage in, a strike or a refusal in the course of his employment to use, manufacture, process, transport, or otherwise handle or work on any goods, articles, materials or commodities or to perform any services; or (ii) to threaten, coerce, or restrain any person engaged in commerce or in an industry affecting commerce, where in either case an object thereof is: (B) forcing or requiring any person to cease using, selling, handling, transporting or otherwise dealing in the products of any other producer, processor or manu[1107]*1107facturer, or to cease doing business with any other person; * *

The petition seeking injunctive relief, was filed in this court on April 9, 1970 and the court ordered that a hearing be held on April 24, 1970.

On April 17, 1970 respondents filed a notice of taking of depositions of petitioner Bernard Samoff, pursuant to Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The notice set April 21, 1970 as the date for the taking of depositions and in addition provided, “You are hereby notified to produce the Petitioner, together with such documents in his file as he believes support the allegation of the petition that the Petitioner has reasonable cause to believe that Respondents have violated Section 8(b) (4) (i) and (ii), subparagraph (B) of the National Labor Relations Act as amended.”

Attendance had not been compelled by use of subpoena, nor had there been a subpoena issued to compel the production of documents as provided for under Rule 45(a) and (b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Petitioner, however, appeared as requested by respondents’ notice.

During the taking of depositions, petitioner, upon advice of his counsel, refused to answer a number of questions propounded to him by respondents’ counsel. Respondents, thereafter, on April 23, 1970 the day before the scheduled hearing on the petition, filed with the court a motion entitled, “Application For Order Under Rule 37(a) of F.R.C.P.” Therein respondents sought an order from the court compelling petitioner to answer certain questions, and additionally sought a stay of the preliminary injunction proceedings. The motion was argued orally before the court on April 24, and the court took the matter under advisement and reserved decision thereon.

The injunction hearing proceeded on Monday, April 27, when petitioner presented his entire side of the case. The matter was then continued to May 1 when respondents, having thus had three additional days to prepare their defense after having been fully advised of all of the matters they sought by deposition, presented their testimony.

The court will consider the procedural and privilege issues raised by the motion prior to a discussion of the merits of the § 10 (Z) relief sought by the petitioner.

The issues before the court arising out of the Rule 37(a) motion are whether or not the discovery provisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are applicable to § 10 (Z) proceedings of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended; if the discovery provisions are applicable whether or not the “Freedom of Information Act,” 5 U.S.C. § 552 and the National Labor Relations Board’s claim of executive privilege bar discovery of the NLRB’s investigations; and whether by notice of taking oral depositions without subpoena respondents may compel the production of documents sought in the notice.

The implementing Rule 1 of the Federal Rules provides that the rules govern the procedure in “all suits of a civil nature” except those exempted by Rule 81.

Rule 81(a) (5) provides: “These rules do not alter the practice in the United States district courts prescribed in the Act of July 5, 1935, c. 372, §§ 9 and 10 (49 Stat. 453), as amended, U.S.C., Title 29, §§ 159 and 160, for beginning and conducting proceedings to enforce orders of the National Labor Relations Board; and in respects not covered by those statutes, the practice in the district courts shall conform to these rules so far as applicable.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Section 10(Z) of the act, 29 U.S.C. § 160, the act under which these proceedings are brought, provides that, “Upon filing of any such petition the courts shall cause notice thereof to be served upon any person involved in the charge and such person, including the charging party, shall be given an opportunity to appear by counsel and present any relevant testimony.” The act further establishes, under 29 U.S.C. § 160 (i), that, “Petitions filed under this subchapter shall be heard expeditiously, and if pos[1108]*1108sible within ten days after they have been docketed.” 1

No express mandate is made either limiting or making applicable the discovery procedures of the Federal Rules in subsection (Z) of the act although a sense of urgency is expressed in that the hearing is to be held within ten days, or as soon as possible, and that cases filed under subsection (Z) are to be given priority over all other cases except those in the same class in the NLRB office where filed. 29 U.S.C. § 160 (m).

The court agrees with respondents that the discovery procedures of the Federal Rules are not absolutely precluded by reason of the preliminary, yet permanent nature of an injunctive proceeding, pursuant to 29 U.S.C.

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Bluebook (online)
313 F. Supp. 1105, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/samoff-ex-rel-national-labor-relations-board-v-williamsport-building-pamd-1970.