Travelers Property Casualty Company of America v. Rubenstein's Contract Carpet LLC

• Court: District Court, W.D. Washington
• Decided: June 30, 2020
• Docket: 2:19-cv-01175
• Status: Unknown

Opinion

6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE 7

8 TRAVELERS PROPERTY CASUALTY No. 2:19-cv-1175 MJP COMPANY OF AMERICA, a foreign 9 insurance company, STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

Plaintiffs, 10 v. 11 NORTH AMERICAN TERRAZZO, INC., a 12 Washington Corporation,

13 Defendants.

14 NORTH AMERICAN TERRAZZO, INC, a 15 Washington Corporation,

16 Third Party Plaintiff,

17 v.

18 TERRAZZO & MARBLE SUPPLY CO. OF ILLINOIS, a foreign corporation, 19 Third Party Defendant 20 \\ 21 \\ 22 23

24 1 1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS 2 This is an insurance coverage dispute arising out of a portion of the construction of the 3 13 Coins Restaurant located in Seattle Washington (hereinafter referred to as the “subject 4 project”). NAT entered into a written contract with the General Contractor, Sodo Builder, LLC 5 (“SODO”) to perform certain work on certain floor slabs. Following completion of NAT’s work, 6 13 Coins and SODO informed NAT that flooring materials were deteriorating and becoming non- 7 adhered. Discovery in this action is likely to involve production of documents plaintiff alleges is 8 confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special protection may be warranted. 9 Specifically, North American Terrazzo (“NAT”) has asked Travelers Property Casualty 10 Company of America (“Travelers”) to produce its claim manuals/guidelines/best practices 11 materials. 12 As such Travelers wishes to protect documents it claims contain proprietary and trade 13 secret information subject to an order of confidentiality.1 Accordingly, the parties hereby 14 stipulate to and petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties 15 acknowledge that this agreement is consistent with LCR 26(c). It does not confer blanket 16 protection on all disclosures or responses to discovery, the protection it affords from public 17 disclosure and use extends only to the limited information or items that are entitled to confidential 18 treatment under the applicable legal principles, and it does not presumptively entitle parties to file confidential information under seal. 19 2. “CONFIDENTIAL” MATERIAL 20 2.1 “Confidential” material shall collectively refer to Travelers’ proprietary and/or 21 trade secret information. 22

23 1 NAT denies that Travelers’ claim manuals are “trade secrets.” See, Woo v. Firemans Fund, 137 Wash. App. 480, 489 (2007). Travelers disagrees with NAT’s position. 24 1 2.2 Except as set forth below in this Paragraph 2.2, all Parties agree that to the extent 2 that they withhold from production any otherwise responsive documents as “Confidential” as 3 otherwise protected under the applicable rules, they will identify such documents on a privilege 4 log with sufficient specificity for the other Parties to determine the claimed protection and the 5 nature of the documents withheld. Thereafter, and to the extent that any Party contests the 6 withholding of a document listed on a privilege log, and after good faith conferral of the Parties 7 in an attempt to resolve the dispute, the withholding party agrees to submit the documents in question to the Court for an in camera review to determine whether they were properly withheld 8 under the terms and conditions of this Stipulated Protective Order. 9 3. SCOPE 10 The protections conferred by this agreement cover not only confidential material (as 11 defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from confidential material; (2) 12 all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of confidential material; and (3) any testimony, 13 conversations, or presentations by parties or their counsel that might reveal confidential material. 14 However, the protections conferred by this agreement do not cover information that is in the 15 public domain or becomes part of the public domain through trial or otherwise. 16 4. ACCESS TO AND USE OF CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL 17 4.1 Basic Principles. A receiving party may use confidential material that is disclosed 18 or produced by another party or by a non-party in connection with this case only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle this litigation. Confidential material may be disclosed only to 19 the categories of persons and under the conditions described in this agreement. Confidential 20 material must be stored and maintained by a receiving party at a location and in a secure manner 21 that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this agreement. 22 23 24 1 4.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise 2 ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the designating party, and subject to subsection 3 4.3 below, a receiving party may disclose any confidential material only to: 4 (a) the receiving party’s counsel of record in this action, as well as employees 5 of counsel to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this litigation; 6 (b) the officers, directors, and employees (including in house counsel) of the 7 receiving party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation, unless the parties agree that a particular document or material produced is for Attorney’s Eyes Only and is so 8 designated; 9 (c) experts and consultants to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for 10 this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit 11 A); 12 (d) the court, court personnel, and court reporters and their staff; 13 (e) copy or imaging services retained by counsel to assist in the duplication 14 of confidential material, provided that counsel for the party retaining the copy or imaging service 15 instructs the service not to disclose any confidential material to third parties and to immediately 16 return all originals and copies of any confidential material; 17 (f) during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is 18 reasonably necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless otherwise agreed by the designating party or ordered by the court. Pages of 19 transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal confidential material must 20 be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted 21 under this agreement; and 22 (g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a 23 custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information. 24 1 4.3 Non-Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. 2 (a) All parties hereto shall not disclose to nonparties any material produced in the 3 captioned litigation to the extent it is subject to an order of confidentiality by the court overseeing 4 this captioned litigation; and 5 (b) All parties hereto shall not disclose to nonparties Travelers alleged proprietary and/or 6 trade secret information; and 7 (c) Travelers and NAT shall not disclose to 13 Coins, Sodo or Terrazzo Marble & Supply its attorneys or representatives any Confidential material; and 8 4.4 Filing Confidential Material. Before filing confidential material or discussing or 9 referencing such material in court filings, the filing party shall confer with the designating party 10 to determine whether the designating party will remove the confidential designation, whether the 11 document can be redacted, or whether a motion to seal or stipulation and proposed order is 12 warranted. Local Civil Rule 5(g) sets forth the procedures that must be followed and the standards 13 that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file material under seal. 14 5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL 15 5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each party 16 or non-party that designates information or items for protection under this agreement must limit 17 any such designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate standards. The 18 designating party must designate for protection only those parts of material, documents, items, or oral or written communications that qualify, so that other portions of the material, documents, 19 items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within 20 the ambit of this agreement. 21 Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are 22 shown to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to 23 24 1 unnecessarily encumber or delay the case development process or to impose unnecessary 2 expenses and burdens on other parties) expose the designating party to sanctions. 3 If it comes to a designating party’s attention that information or items that it designated 4 for protection do not qualify for protection, the designating party must promptly notify all other 5 parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation. 6 5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this 7 agreement (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, disclosure or discovery material that qualifies for protection under this agreement must 8 be clearly so designated before or when the material is disclosed or produced. 9 (a) Information in documentary form: (e.g., paper or electronic documents and 10 deposition exhibits, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), 11 the designating party must affix the word “CONFIDENTIAL” to each page that contains 12 confidential material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for 13 protection, the producing party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making 14 appropriate markings in the margins). 15 (b) Testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial proceedings: the parties and any 16 participating non-parties must identify on the record, during the deposition or other pretrial 17 proceeding, all protected testimony, without prejudice to their right to so designate other 18 testimony after reviewing the transcript. Any party or non-party may, within fifteen days after receiving the transcript of the deposition or other pretrial proceeding, designate portions of the 19 transcript, or exhibits thereto, as confidential. If a party or non-party desires to protect 20 confidential information at trial, the issue should be addressed during the pre-trial conference. 21 (c) Other tangible items: the producing party must affix in a prominent place on the 22 exterior of the container or containers in which the information or item is stored the word 23 24 1 “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a portion or portions of the information or item warrant protection, 2 the producing party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected portion(s). 3 5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure to 4 designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the designating party’s 5 right to secure protection under this agreement for such material. Upon timely correction of a 6 designation, the receiving party must make reasonable efforts to ensure that the material is treated 7 in accordance with the provisions of this agreement. 6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS 8 6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any party or non-party may challenge a designation of 9 confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a designating party’s confidentiality 10 designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic 11 burdens, or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a party does not waive its right to 12 challenge a confidentiality designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the 13 original designation is disclosed. 14 6.2 Meet and Confer. The parties must make every attempt to resolve any dispute 15 regarding confidential designations without court involvement. Any motion regarding 16 confidential designations or for a protective order must include a certification, in the motion or 17 in a declaration or affidavit, that the movant has engaged in a good faith meet and confer 18 conference with other affected parties in an effort to resolve the dispute without court action. The certification must list the date, manner, and participants to the conference. A good faith effort to 19 confer requires a face-to-face meeting or a telephone conference. 20 6.3 Judicial Intervention. If the parties cannot resolve a challenge without court 21 intervention, the designating party may file and serve a motion to retain confidentiality under 22 Local Civil Rule 7 (and in compliance with Local Civil Rule 5(g), if applicable). The burden of 23 persuasion in any such motion shall be on the designating party. Frivolous challenges, and those 24 1 made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on 2 other parties) may expose the challenging party to sanctions. All parties shall continue to 3 maintain the material in question as confidential until the court rules on the challenge. 4 7. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER 5 LITIGATION 6 If a party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels 7 disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL,” that party must: 8 (a) promptly notify the designating party in writing and include a copy of the 9 subpoena or court order; 10 (b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in 11 the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to 12 this agreement. Such notification shall include a copy of this agreement; and 13 (c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the 14 designating party whose confidential material may be affected. 15 8. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL 16 If a receiving party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed confidential 17 material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this agreement, the receiving 18 party must immediately (a) notify in writing the designating party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the protected material, 19 (c) inform the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of 20 this agreement, and (d) request that such person or persons execute the “Acknowledgment and 21 Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A. 22 9. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED 23 MATERIAL 24 1 When a producing party gives notice to receiving parties that certain inadvertently 2 produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of the 3 receiving parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This 4 provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure may be established in an e-discovery 5 order or agreement that provides for production without prior privilege review. The parties agree 6 to the entry of a non-waiver order under Fed. R. Evid. 502(d) as set forth herein. 7 10. NON TERMINATION AND RETURN OF DOCUMENTS Within 60 days after the termination of this action, including all appeals, each receiving 8 party must return all confidential material to the producing party, including all copies, extracts 9 and summaries thereof. Alternatively, the parties may agree upon appropriate methods of 10 destruction. 11 Notwithstanding this provision, counsel are entitled to retain one archival copy of all 12 documents filed with the court, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, correspondence, 13 deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert 14 work product, even if such materials contain confidential material. 15 The confidentiality obligations imposed by this agreement shall remain in effect until a 16 designating party agrees otherwise in writing or a court orders otherwise.

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24 1 DATED this 29th day of June 2020. 2 LETHER LAW GROUP 3 s/ Thomas Lether 4 s/ Eric Neal Thomas Lether, WSBA #18089 5 Eric J. Neal, WSBA#31863 1848 Westlake Ave N., Suite 100 6 Seattle, WA 98109 P: 206-467-5444 / F: 206-467-5544 7 eneal@letherlaw.com tlether@letherlaw.com 8 Counsel for Travelers Property Casualty Company of America 9 ASHBAUGH BEAL 10 s/Robert S. Marconi__________________ 11 Robert S. Marconi, WSBA #16369 Ashbaugh Beal 12 701 5th Avenue, Suite 4400 Seattle, WA 98104 13 bmarconi@ashbaughbeal.com Counsel for North American Terrazzo 14 FALLON MCKINLEY, PLLC 15 s/ Rebecca Morris___________________ 16 R. Scott Fallon WSBA #2574 Rebecca Morris WSBA #46810 17 155 NE 100th Street, Suite 401 Seattle, WA 98125 18 TEL: (206) 682-7580 FAX: (206) 682-3437 19 bfallon@fallonmckinley.com Attorneys for Third Party Defendant Terrazo 20 & Marble Supply Co. of Illinois

21 22 23 24 1 PURSUANT TO THE STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED 2 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that pursuant to Fed. R. Evid. 502(d), the production of any 3 documents in this proceeding shall not, for the purpose of this proceeding or any other proceeding 4 in any other court, constitute a waiver by the producing party of any privilege applicable to those 5 documents, including the attorney-client privilege, attorney work-product protection, or any

6 other privilege or protection recognized by law. 7 DATED this 30 day of June 2020. 8 A 9

10 Marsha J. Pechman Senior United States District Judge

12 Presented By:

13 ASHBAUGH BEAL

14 s/Robert S. Marconi__________________ Robert S. Marconi, WSBA #16369 15 Ashbaugh Beal 701 5th Avenue, Suite 4400 16 Seattle, WA 98104 bmarconi@ashbaughbeal.com 17 Counsel for North American Terrazzo

18 FALLON MCKINLEY, PLLC

19 s/ Rebecca Morris___________________ R. Scott Fallon WSBA #2574 20 Rebecca Morris WSBA #46810 155 NE 100th Street, Suite 401 21 Seattle, WA 98125 TEL: (206) 682-7580 22 FAX: (206) 682-3437 bfallon@fallonmckinley.com 23 Attorneys for Third Party Defendant Terrazo & Marble Supply Co. of Illinois

24 1

3 LETHER LAW GROUP

4 s/ Thomas Lether____________ s/ Eric Neal_______________ 5 Thomas Lether, WSBA #18089 Eric J. Neal, WSBA#31863 6 1848 Westlake Ave N., Suite 100 Seattle, WA 98109 7 P: 206-467-5444 / F: 206-467-5544 eneal@letherlaw.com 8 tlether@letherlaw.com Counsel for Travelers Property Casualty Company of America 9

3 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

4 The undersigned hereby certifies under the penalty of perjury under the laws of the State 5 of Washington that on this date I caused to be served in the manner noted below a true and correct 6 copy of the foregoing on the parties mentioned below as indicated: 7 Richard T. Beal, Jr. 8 Robert S. Marconi Ashbaugh Beal LLP 9 701 5th Ave Ste 4400 Seattle, WA 98104 10 RBeal@ashbaughbeal.com Rmarconi@ashbaughbeal.com 11 Attorney for North American Terrazzo, Inc.

12 R. Scott Fallon Joseph Evans 13 Rebecca Morris Fallon McKinley, PLLC 14 155 NE 100th Street, Suite 401 Seattle, WA 98125 15 bfallon@fallonmckinley.com jevans@fallonmckinley.com 16 rmorris@fallonmckinley.com Attorneys for Third Party Defendant Terrazo & Marble Supple Co. of Illinois 17

18 By: ☐ First Class Mail ☒ ECF/ E-mail ☐ Legal Messenger

19 Dated this 29th day of June, 2020 at Seattle, Washington.

20 s/ Lina Wiese______________ 21 Lina Wiese | Paralegal 22 23 24