Securities & Exchange Commission v. McNaul

277 F.R.D. 439, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62932, 2011 WL 2433734
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJune 14, 2011
DocketNo. 08-1159-JTM
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 277 F.R.D. 439 (Securities & Exchange Commission v. McNaul) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Securities & Exchange Commission v. McNaul, 277 F.R.D. 439, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62932, 2011 WL 2433734 (D. Kan. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

J. THOMAS MARTEN, District Judge.

The matter before the court involves an issue of first impression in this District— whether a law firm may independently assert work product protection when the client has waived such protection. As a corollary, the court must also decide whether to adopt the “entire file approach” or “end product approach” when determining the extent to which Baker & McKenzie (Firm) must produce privileged or work product documents to the Receiver.

This issue comes to this court on review of Magistrate Judge Donald W. Bostwick’s Memorandum and Order (Dkt. No. 923). Defendants Michael J. McNaul, Dale Lucas, Lloyd Nunns, and Gregg Krause have filed a Motion to Review Order of Magistrate Judge (Doc. 923) and Application for Stay of Order Pending Review (Dkt. No. 925). Baker & McKenzie has filed a Motion for Review of the Magistrate Judge’s December 22, 2010, Memorandum and Order (Dkt. No. 926). The Receiver has filed a Response (Dkt. No. 934). For the following reasons, and those stated on the record at the June 6, 2011, scheduling conference, the court denies the motions.

I. Factual Background

The Magistrate Judge’s Memorandum and Order (Dkt. No. 923) sets out the relevant facts, so the court will provide only a brief overview of pertinent facts.

On January 26, 2009, the Receiver served Baker & McKenzie with a subpoena seeking production of the following information related to its representation of individual defendants and relief defendants: copies of firm invoices and information related to firm billing; communications between Baker & McKenzie and defendants relating to legal advice; documents related to the formation of the relief defendants and associated joint ventures. Several defendants and relief defendants 1 filed a Motion to Quash Subpoena [441]*441(Dkt. No. 340) on February 4, 2009, arguing attorney client privilege. Baker & McKenzie did not join the motion or file a separate motion. The Receiver filed a Motion to Strike Motion to Quash Subpoena (Dkt. No. 356) on February 17, arguing defendants failed to describe specifically which documents were privileged, and failed to meet and confer. On May 1, the Magistrate Judge issued an Order to Show Cause (Dkt. No. 467), giving defendants 20 days to show cause why the Motion to Quash should be denied for failure to comply with D. Kan. Rule 37.2 and Fed.R.Civ.P. 45(d)(2). The defendants did not respond, and the Magistrate Judge denied the Motion to Quash on September 18, 2009. The Magistrate Judge rejected defendants’ broad claim of privilege absent a discussion of the nature of the documents withheld.

Despite the Magistrate Judge’s denial of the Motion to Quash, Baker & McKenzie failed to produce documents responsive to the subpoena, or to create a privilege log. When the Receiver contacted the firm in May 2010, it stated it would not produce privileged documents without waivers from the individual defendants or a court order requiring production of the documents. As a result, the Receiver filed a Motion to Compel (Dkt. No. 825) on July 16, 2010. Defendants did not file a responsive pleading.2 Baker & McKenzie did, however, produce certain documents to the Receiver on July 30, together with a privilege log of redacted documents within the production. The Firm postponed its review of further documents pending the resolution of the Motion to Compel.

On December 22, 2010, the Magistrate Judge granted the Motion to Compel (Dkt. No. 923). The court held the individual defendants had waived their right to claim privilege by failing to comply with the court’s show cause order. Because the individual defendants had waived the privilege, the court found Baker & McKenzie had no independent ground on which to assert the privilege. The court further held Baker & McKenzie did not have an independent right to prevent production of its work product because the interests of defendants and the firm’s interest are not aligned. Thus, the court ordered the Firm “to produce any documents covered by the subpoena in this case even if the documents are considered to be subject to an attorney client privilege or be considered attorney opinion work product, and even if the documents are internal law firm documents for internal law office use and review.” Dkt. No. 923, pg. 16. The court gave Baker & McKenzie until January 14, 2011, to comply with the order. However, because defendants and the firm filed the present motions, compliance with the order has been stayed.

Both the individual defendants and Baker & McKenzie advance three arguments in their motions for review: (1) the Magistrate Judge incorrectly found the individual defendants had waived the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine; (2) the Magistrate Judge improperly adopted the “entire file approach”; and (3) the Magistrate Judge erroneously found that Baker & McKenzie had waived its right to assert exceptions to the entire file approach. In addition to arguing the Magistrate Judge did not err, the Receiver, in his Response, also argues defendants have waived the right to seek review of the order.

II. Legal Standard: Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(a)

Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(a), a party may file an objection to a magistrate’s nondispositive order. Upon review, the district judge “must consider timely objections and modify or set aside any part of the order that is clearly erroneous or is contrary to law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(a). The district court must affirm the magistrate’s order “unless it ‘on the entire evidence is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.’” Ocelot Oil Corp. v. Sparrow Indus., 847 F.2d 1458, 1464 (10th Cir.1988) (quoting United States v. United States Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395, 68 S.Ct. 525, 92 L.Ed. 746 (1948)). Because a magistrate has broad discretion in resolving discovery disputes, the court will overrule the magistrate’s [442]*442decision only on an abuse of discretion. Comean v. Rupp, 762 F.Supp. 1434, 1450 (D.Kan.1991).

III. Analysis

Before taking up the matters defendants and the Firm assert as error, the court addresses the Receiver’s arguments that the individual defendants have waived their right to seek review of the Order. Specifically, the Receiver argues (1) the defendants’ motion is untimely, (2) the defendants waived any right to object by failing to oppose the Motion to Compel, and (3) the motion fails to comply with D. Kan. Rule 7.1(a).

A. Waiver of Right to Seek Review of Magistrate’s Order
1. Timeliness of Defendants’ Motion

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Bluebook (online)
277 F.R.D. 439, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62932, 2011 WL 2433734, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/securities-exchange-commission-v-mcnaul-ksd-2011.