Pryor v. Costco Wholesale Corporation, Inc. ( 2024 )

UNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERNDIVISION ANGELAPRYOR, Plaintiff, CaseNumber23-11562 v. HonorableDavidM.Lawson COSTCOWHOLESALECORPORATION,INC., Defendant. ________________________________________/ PROTECTIVE ORDER Pursuanttothestipulationoftheparties(ECFNo.16)andFederalRuleofCivilProcedure 26(a), the following isORDERED: 1. The defendant will produce the following documents, information, and deposition testimony, to the extent they are requested and to the extent they exist, which shall include the identity of certain Costco employees, discovery requests that pertain to the Costco warehouse at issue,itsoperation,andtheallegedincident,photographstakenofthesceneoftheallegedincident, Costco’s surveillance video from the date of the alleged incident, warehouse inspection documents,discoveryregardinginformationregardingsimilarincidentsinthewarehouseatissue, witnessstatements,defendant’sMemberFirstReportofIncident,defendant’sinternalpoliciesand procedures, and the deposition testimony of various Costco employees. All documents and information included in the production that properly are designated as “Confidential and Proprietary”shallbesubject to thetermsof this protectiveorder. 2. The documents, information, and deposition testimony produced by the defendant andthecontentsthereof,whichareproperlydesignatedas“ConfidentialandProprietary,”shallbe maintained,including copies made of those documents, in confidence, by the plaintiff’s attorneys andhisconsultants. 3. Thedesignateddocuments,information,anddepositiontestimonyproducedbythe defendant and the contents thereof shall be used only in connection with the above-captioned action and shall not be used for any other purpose whatsoever, with the exceptions set forth in paragraph7. Thedocumentsproperlydesignatedas“attorney’seyesonly”shallnotbeviewedby orshared with anyother individual,subjecttotheexceptions setforthinparagraph7. 4. No person who examines the documents, information, and deposition testimony designatedasConfidentialandproducedpursuanttothisOrdershalldisseminateorally,inwriting, orbyanyothermeans,thosedocuments,information,anddepositiontestimony,ortheinformation contained therein, to any person notalso authorized to examine the documents under the terms of thisOrder. 5. Theplaintiff’sattorneysmaypermitaconsultantorexpertretainedbytheplaintiff to review the designated Confidential documents, information, and deposition testimony, subject tothisProtectiveOrder;buttheplaintiff’sattorneyfirstmustobtainfromsuchconsultantorexpert a written statement confirming the consultant’s or expert’s agreement to comply with each of the terms of this Protective Order. Each such consultant or expert shall agree in writing that such documents and the contents thereof shall not be disclosed to any other person or entity except for the purpose of this case. The documents, information, and deposition testimony provided to any suchconsultant,attorney,partyorexpertmustbereturnedtothedefendantwithinthirty(30)days of the conclusion of the above-referenced case pursuant to the terms of Paragraph 8 below. The defendant must make a demand for return of said documents, information, and deposition testimony at the conclusion of the matter whether said conclusion be by settlement, jury verdict, non-suit, dismissal, or other disposition, by judgment, order, or otherwise. If no demand is made by the defendant, the plaintiff shall certify that all designated Confidential materials, documents, information, and deposition testimony are destroyed 90 days after the conclusion of the above- referencedcase. 6. NotwithstandingthisOrder,anypartymaychallengetheproprietyofdiscoveryon anyappropriate grounds, including, but not limitedto,relevance, materiality, or privilege. 7. This Order shall not restrict in any manner the right of any party to offer or to use as evidence at the trial of this action and in litigation of this matter any of the documents, information, and deposition testimony subject to this Protective Order; nothing contained herein shall be construed as a waiver of any objection which might be raised by any party as to the admissibility into evidence of any document, information, and deposition testimony. This order doesnotrestrictorregulatetheCourtanditsstaffastofiling,use,ordisclosureofthedocuments, materials, orinformationdescribed inthis order. 8. At the conclusion of this action by settlement, jury verdict, non-suit, dismissal, or other disposition, by judgment, order, or otherwise, all of the documents, information, and depositiontestimonyproducedbythedefendantanddesignatedas“ConfidentialandProprietary” underthisProtectiveOrder,includinganyandallcopiesorrenditionsmadefromsuchdocuments and materials, shall be returned to the defendant’s counsel, within thirty (30) days following of receiptof demand for such return. 9. AnypartymayapplytotheCourtforappropriatesanctionsforabreachoftheterms of this Protective Order. 10. This order does not authorize the filing of any documents under seal. Documents may be sealed only if authorized by statute, rule, or order of the Court. A party seeking to have filed under seal any paper or other matter in this case must file and serve a motion that sets forth: (a)theauthorityforsealing;(b)anidentificationanddescriptionofeachitemproposedforsealing; (c) the reasonthatsealing eachitem is necessary;(d) the reasonthat ameansotherthan sealing is not available or unsatisfactory to preserve the interest advanced by the movant in support of the seal;and(e)amemorandumoflegalauthoritysupportingtheseal. SeeE.D.Mich.LR5.3;Shane Group, Inc. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, 825 F.3d 299 (6th Cir. 2016). With the exception of limited purpose filings allowed by Eastern District of Michigan Local Rule 5.3(b)(3)(A)(vi),no partyshallfileorotherwisetendertotheClerkanyitem proposedforsealing unless the Court has granted the motion required by this section. Whenever a motion to seal is filed, the movant shall submit a brief that states the particular reason the seal is required. If a motion to seal is granted, then the documents to be sealed may be separately electronically filed underseal. 11. Anyparty,otherthantheDesignatingParty,thatanticipatesfilinganymaterialthat hasbeendesignatedasConfidentialInformationmustprovidereasonablenoticetotheDesignating Partyoftheproposedfiling,sothattheDesignatingPartywillhaveampletime,ifitsodesires,to file a motion for leave to file the material in question under seal. The parties then shall meet and conferinconnectionwithanyanticipatedmotionforanorderauthorizingthefilingofConfidential Information under seal, in a good faith attempt to reach an agreement regarding whether the Confidential Information should be filed under seal. See E.D. Mich. LR 7.1(a). If an agreement isreached,thenthepartiesmayfileajointmotionforleavetofileunderseal,inconformancewith paragraph 10 and Eastern District of Michigan Local Rule 5.3. If an agreement is not reached, thentheDesignatingPartymayfileamotionincompliancewithparagraph10andLocalRule5.3. Ifthe motion isdenied,then the party separatelymayfilethematerial,but notunder seal. s/DavidM.Lawson DAVIDM. LAWSON United States District Judge Dated: January 17, 2024