Trilegiant Corp. v. Sitel Corp.

272 F.R.D. 360, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121490, 2010 WL 4668950
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedNovember 15, 2010
DocketNo. 09 Civ. 6492 (BSJ)(JCF)
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 272 F.R.D. 360 (Trilegiant Corp. v. Sitel Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trilegiant Corp. v. Sitel Corp., 272 F.R.D. 360, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121490, 2010 WL 4668950 (S.D.N.Y. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JAMES C. FRANCIS IV, United States Magistrate Judge.

Trilegiant Corporation (“Trilegiant”), a company that operates membership-based service clubs and programs, brought the instant action against Sitel Corporation (“Si-tel”), a business that provides telephone-based marketing and customer relations services, for breach of contract and negligence because of Sitel’s failure to preserve audio recordings of telephonic sales as allegedly mandated by a contract between the parties. Sitel seeks to compel discovery from Trilegi-ant that relates, in principal part, to the contractual provision allegedly breached and [363]*363to the actual damages caused to Trilegiant by the failure to preserve the recordings for an adequate time period. For the reasons set forth below, Sitel’s motion is granted in part and denied in part.

Background

On September 12, 2005, Trilegiant entered into a contract with ClientLogic Operating Corporation (“ClientLogic”), Sitel’s predecessor in interest, in which ClientLogic agreed to provide telemarketing services for Trilegi-ant. (Complaint (“Compl.”), ¶¶ 8, 12). Pursuant to this contract, the parties executed several Statements of Work (“SOW”s), which governed the work to be performed by ClientLogic at its various call centers and the rates to be paid for such work by Trilegiant. (Answer Counterclaim ¶¶ 3, 9). The contract also allegedly incorporated a Vendor Standards Manual (the “Manual”), which set forth the protocol ClientLogic was to follow in soliciting Trilegiant customers and provided that ClientLogic would maintain audio recordings known as “proofs of enrollment” (“POE”s) of every sale for at least 48 months following the date the sale was made. (Compl., ¶¶ 8, 12, 13, 15). The Manual also provided that “[fjailure to produce a proof of enrollment recording will result in a $250.00 fine per incident.” (Compl., ¶ 15). On January 30, 2007, ClientLogic merged with Sitel, and Sitel became the responsible party under the contract with Trilegiant. (Compl., ¶ 9).

On January 4, 2008, Trilegiant requested that Sitel provide it with POEs for each sale made by Sitel from September 28, 2006, through September 1, 2007. (Compl., ¶ 20). Sitel was not able to produce any of these POEs. (Compl., ¶ 21). As a result, Trilegiant initiated this action on July 21, 2009, arguing that it is entitled to liquidated damages for breach of contract in the amount of $250 for each POE that Sitel was unable to produce, amounting or a total of $33,500,000; or, in the alternative, that it is entitled to actual damages for Sitel’s “gross negligence,” including “lost profits, damage to its reputation, loss of goodwill and costs of remediation.” (Compl., ¶¶40, 41, 46; Prayer for Relief). Sitel disputes whether the Manual was in fact incorporated into the contract and further argues that the “fine provision” of the Manual is not a liquidated damages clause but rather an unenforceable penalty. (Answer, ¶8; Memorandum in Support of Defendant’s Motion to Compel Discovery (“Def. Memo.”) at 6).

Sitel now seeks an order compelling discovery of (1) information concerning the Manual, including specific information on development of the POE policy; (2) information regarding actual lost customers, including any billing inquiries, customer complaints, or legal actions that implicate the POEs Sitel could not provide and Trilegiant’s internal policies for use of such POEs; and (3) miscellaneous additional information, including information about Trilegiant’s finances. I will address these requests in turn.1

Discussion

Generally, “[p]arties may obtain discovery regarding any nonprivileged matter that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense!;.]” Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1). “Although not unlimited, relevance, for purposes of discovery, is an extremely broad concept.” Condit v. Dunne, 225 F.R.D. 100, 105 (S.D.N.Y.2004); see also Oppenheimer Fund, Inc. v. Sanders, 437 U.S. 340, 351, 98 S.Ct. 2380, 57 L.Ed.2d 253 (1978); Convolve, Inc. v. Compaq Computer Corp., 223 F.R.D. 162, 167 (S.D.N.Y.2004). “Relevant information need not be admissible at the trial if the discovery appears reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1). The burden of demonstrating relevance is on the party seeking discovery. See, e.g., Mandell v. Maxon Co., No. 06 Civ. 460, 2007 WL 3022552, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 16, 2007).

Once relevance has been shown, it is up to the responding party to justify curtailing discovery. Condit, 225 F.R.D. at 106; Melendez v. Greiner, No. 01 Civ. 7888, 2003 WL 22434101, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 23, 2003). “[T]he court must limit the frequency or extent of discovery” when:

[364]*364(i) the discovery sought is unreasonably cumulative or duplicative, or can be obtained from some other source that is more convenient, less burdensome, or less expensive;
(ii) the party seeking discovery has had ample opportunity to obtain the information by discovery in the action; or
(iii) the burden or expense of the proposed discovery outweighs its likely benefit, considering the needs of the case, the amount in controversy, the parties’ resources, the importance of the issues at stake in the action, and the importance of the discovery in resolving the issues.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(2)(C). “General and con-clusory objections as to relevance, over-breadth, or burden are insufficient to exclude discovery of requested information.” Melendez, 2003 WL 22434101, at *1. Generally speaking, discovery is limited only when “sought in bad faith, to harass or oppress the party subject to it, when it is irrelevant, or when the examination is on matters protected by a recognized privilege,” In re Six Grand Jury Witnesses, 979 F.2d 939, 943 (2d Cir.1992), although “it is proper to deny discovery of matter that is relevant only to claims or defenses that have been stricken ... unless the information sought is otherwise relevant to issues in the case.” Oppenheimer Fund, Inc., 437 U.S. at 352-53, 98 S.Ct. 2380.

A. Liquidated Damages Provision

Sitel’s motion to compel includes eight requests for production of documents that bear on the interpretation of the liquidated damages provision in the Manual, as well as on the parties’ intentions with respect to the incorporation of that provision into the original contract and SOW at issue. These include requests for: any other contracts, agreements, SOWs, or manuals utilized by Trilegiant that contain the term “liquidated damages” or provide for a fine related to POEs; drafts, other copies, and metadata for the Manual at issue in this case; and communications related to the development of these documents, as well as identification of the individuals involved in production. (Trilegi-ant Corporation’s Response to Sitel Operating Corporation’s First Set of Request for Admissions, Interrogatories, and Requests for Production of Documents (“First Trilegi-ant Response”), attached as Exh. 1 to Def.

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272 F.R.D. 360, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121490, 2010 WL 4668950, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trilegiant-corp-v-sitel-corp-nysd-2010.