Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_13-cv-00080/USCOURTS-azd-4_13-cv-00080-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 895
Nature of Suit: Freedom of Information Act of 1974
Cause of Action: 05:552 Right to Privacy Act

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY;

TONY DAVIS,

Plaintiffs, 

vs.

UNITED STATES FISH AND

WILDLIFE SERVICE; UNITED

STATES DEPARTMENT OF

THE INTERIOR,

Defendants. 

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No. CIV 13-080-TUC-CKJ 

ORDER

On February 7, 2014, Magistrate Judge D. Thomas Ferraro issued a Report and

Recommendation (Doc. 36) in which he recommended that the parties' Motions for Summary

Judgment (Docs. 22 and 24) be granted in part and denied in part. The magistrate judge

advised the parties that written objections to the Report and Recommendation were to be

filed within fourteen days of service of a copy of the Report and Recommendation pursuant

to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b). Plaintiffs and Defendants have each filed objections.

I. Report and Recommendation

The magistrate judge recommended Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment

should be granted as to the Memo contained in Document Three and as to Documents Four

and Six on the Vaughn Index, finding these documents were properly exempted from

disclosure under Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") Exemptions 6 and 7(C). See 5

U.S.C. §§ 552(b)(6) and (7)(C). The magistrate judge further recommended Defendants’

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Motion for Summary Judgment should be granted as to the Interview Transcript contained

in Document Three and as to Document Five to the extent that personal information should

not be disclosed. The magistrate judge also recommended Defendants’ Motion for Summary

Judgment should be denied as to the Interview Transcript contained in Document Three and

as to Document Five, finding these documents had been overly redacted under Exemptions

6 and 7(C). 

The magistrate judge recommended Plaintiffs’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment

should be granted as to the Interview Transcript contained in Document Three and as to

Document Five to the extent that Defendants should disclose less redacted versions of these

documents. The magistrate judge further recommended Plaintiffs’ Cross-Motion for

Summary Judgment should be denied (1) as to the Interview Transcript contained in

Document Three and as to Document Five to the extent that personal information should not

be disclosed, (2) as to the Memo contained in Document Three, and (3) as to Documents

Four and Six.

Lastly, the magistrate judge recommended the parties’ Motions for Summary

Judgment should be denied as moot as to Documents One and Two on the Vaughn Index.

This Court "may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings or

recommendations made by the magistrate." 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Further, under 28 U.S.C.

§ 636(b)(1), if a party makes a timely objection to a magistrate judge's recommendation, then

this Court is required to "make a de novo determination of those portions of the [report and

recommendation] to which objection is made." The statute does not "require [] some lesser

review by [this Court] when no objections are filed." Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 149-50,

106 S.Ct. 466, 88 L.Ed.2d 435 (1985). Rather, this Court is not required to conduct "any

review at all . . . of any issue that is not the subject of an objection." Id. at 149.

II. In Camera Review

The Court has reviewed the documents that are the subject of this litigation. These

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documents were provided to the magistrate judge by Defendants; the magistrate judge has

provided them to this Court. This Court will return the documents to the magistrate judge

at this time. Upon conclusion of this case, the Court will issue an order regarding the return

or the retention of these documents.

III. Privacy Interests – Names of Public Officials and Other Private Individuals

Plaintiffs argue the names of administrative employees of the United States Fish and

Wildlife Service ("Service") involved in the Macho B case, including Erin Fernandez

("Fernandez") and her supervisors, should be disclosed in all of the investigative records

produced to date by the Service, including Documents Three, Five and Six on the

Government’s Vaughn Index. Plaintiffs also argue that redaction of the names of Janay Brun

("Brun") and Emil McCain ("McCain") in the records advances no cognizable privacy

interest and serves only to obfuscate the public’s ability to interpret the Macho B records and

evaluate the Service’s handling of the case. 

Plaintiffs point out that Exemptions 6 and 7(C) of FOIA require a court “to balance

the privacy interests of the individuals protected against the public interest at stake.”

Rosenfeld v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 57 F.3d 803, 808 (9th Cir. 1995). Like all of FOIA’s

statutory exceptions, Exemptions 6 and 7(C) “must be narrowly construed[,]” and “the

burden is on the agency to sustain its action.” Lion Raisins Inc. v. U.S. Dep’t of Agriculture,

354 F.3d 1072, 1079 (9th Cir. 2004); 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B). Records that shed light on

government negligence, failure to perform duties, malfeasance in office or other official

misconduct satisfy the “public interest” standard. Lahr v. National Transp. Safety Bd., 569

F.3d 964 (9th Cir. 2009); Rosenfeld, 57 F.3d at 811. "Where the public interest advanced is

that officials were negligent or that they otherwise improperly performed their duties, the

requester must establish ‘more than a bare suspicion’ of wrongdoing, by ‘produc[ing]

evidence that would warrant a belief by a reasonable person that the alleged Government

impropriety might have occurred.’” Lahr, 569 F.3d at 974, citation omitted.

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The evidence of wrongdoing, as set forth by Plaintiffs, is as follows: information

already known to the public suggests that permits held by Arizona Game and Fish that would

have allowed it to capture an endangered jaguar under the ESA had expired; there is

significant evidence that the Service knew of the plan to capture Macho B and did nothing

to stop it based on alleged email correspondence; an Arizona Congressman criticized the

Service for attempts to manipulate and cover up actions; Service agents accuse an individual

of concealing or destroying records and making false statement; an Interior Department

Inspector General’s report exonerated all federal employees regarding the Macho B incident

and only two State of Arizona employees were prosecuted; the U.S. Attorney's Office

allegedly declined to prosecute an individual for criminal prosecution, and; and a witness has

admitted that he or she was negligent in failing to protect Macho B. 

Plaintiffs argue that the public deserves to know why Service officials were not held

accountable for their actions (i.e., why the Service’s ‘Jaguar Lead’ was not prosecuted).

Plaintiffs also assert the “[d]isclosure of the redacted names of public officials and witnesses

involved in the investigation would allow [Plaintiffs] to fully evaluate the Service’s

involvement in the Macho B investigation, from its oversight duties under the [Endangered

Species Act] to its decision not to prosecute employees for obstructing justice.” (Pls.’ MSJ

at 12). Plaintiffs argue this evaluation would allow them to determine whether employees

accused of wrongdoing still oversee the endangered species program, determine whether

employees received preferential treatment, and review what steps the Service has taken to

avoid similar problems in the future. 

Defendants, however, determined that the privacy interests of third parties, the

witnesses, and investigators were strong. These individuals have the right to be free from

unwarranted invasions of privacy and revealing names and identifying information could

expose them to unwanted harassment, annoyance, harm and derogatory publicity because of

their connection to the Macho B jaguar investigation. See e.g., Forest Serv. Employees for

Env. Ethics v. United States Forest Service, 524 F.3d 1021 (9th Cir. 2008). Additionally,

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Defendants considered that disclosure of the names and identifying information would shed

very little light on government operations. 

The Court recognizes that "the fact that ‘an event is not wholly “private” does not

mean that an individual has no interest in limiting disclosure or dissemination of the

information.’” Favish v. Office of Independent Counsel, 217 F.3d 1168, 1184 (9th Cir.

2000), citations omitted; see also Forest Serv. Employees, 524 F.3d at 1025 n. 3. Therefore,

simply because some information is already in the public realm, does not obviate the need

for balancing the privacy concerns against the public interest. Moreover, simply because

some individuals have provided public information does not mean that any formal waivers

of privacy concerns have been submitted to the Court. See e.g. Forest Serv. Employees, 524

F.3d at 1023 (where an individual waived any right to confidentiality, agency provided

disclosure with all references to that individual unredacted). Lastly, the Court considers that,

although privacy concerns may be somewhat diminished where the information sought would

likely disclose official misconduct, id. at 1025, it does not appear that any Service employees

have been accused of official misconduct based on the Interior Department Inspector

General’s report exonerating all federal employees regarding the Macho B incident. Id. at

1026 (disciplinary decisions did not strip employees of privacy interests).

IV. Document Three – Memo

Plaintiffs object to the magistrate judge's recommendation that names and identifying

information continue to be redacted from the Memo. However, the magistrate judge

recommended that Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment be granted as to the Memo

because it cannot be redacted sufficiently to protect the privacy interests of the individuals

named in the Memo. The Court's in camera review of the Memo reveals that the redaction

of names and identifying information would insufficiently protect the privacy interests of the

person identifiable in or by the Memo. Furthermore, the disclosure of the Memo would not

significantly advance the public interest. Indeed, its disclosure would not serve FOIA's

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central purpose of piercing "'the veil of administrative secrecy and [opening] agency action

to the light of public scrutiny.’” U.S. Dept. of State v. Ray, 502 U.S. 164, 173 (1991),

citation omitted. The Court agrees with the magistrate judge that this document is exempted

from disclosure as the disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy

under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6) and could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted

invasion of personal privacy under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(7).

V. Document Three – Transcript

The Court agrees with the magistrate judge in the balancing of the public interest

against the privacy concerns as to the transcript included within Document Three. The public

interest in the disclosure of the names and identifying information does not greatly advance

the public interest and the disclosure of names and identifying information will not

appreciably further the public's right to monitor Defendants' actions. Although Plaintiffs

argue the privacy interests are not weighty, the Court finds the interests are measurable,

Forest Serv. Employees, 524 F.3d at 1026-27, and the disclosure of names and identifying

information will not appreciably further the public's right to monitor Defendants' actions. Id.

at 1027. The disclosure of the names and identifying information would constitute a clearly

unwarranted invasion of privacy under 5 U.S.C. § 522(b)(6) and could reasonably be

expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under 5 U.S.C. §

552(b)(7).

VI. Document Five – Interview

The Court agrees with the magistrate judge in the balancing of the public interest

against the privacy concerns as to the April 2, 2009 interview conducted by the United States

Fish and Wildlife Service’s Law Enforcement Office. In weighing the evidence of

wrongdoing and public interest against the privacy interest, the Court finds the public interest

in the disclosure of the names and identifying information does not greatly advance the

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public interest. Additionally, the Court finds the interests are measurable, Forest Serv.

Employees, 524 F.3d at 1026-27, and the disclosure of names and identifying information

will not appreciably further the public's right to monitor Defendants' actions. Id. at 1027.

The disclosure of the names and identifying information would constitute a clearly

unwarranted invasion of privacy under 5 U.S.C. § 522(b)(6) and could reasonably be

expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under 5 U.S.C. §

552(b)(7).

VII. Document Six – Affidavits

The Court's in camera review of the affidavits and draft affidavits reveals that the

redaction of names and identifying information would insufficiently protect the privacy

interests of the person identifiable in or by the affidavits. The disclosure of the affidavits

would not significantly advance the public interest. The Court agrees with the magistrate

judge that these documents are exempted from disclosure as the disclosure would constitute

a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy under 5 U.S.C. § 522(b)(6) and could reasonably

be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under 5 U.S.C. §

552(b)(7).

VIII. In Camera Review of Less Redacted Interview Transcripts or Further Direction

Defendants do not object to the recommendations of the magistrate judge, but assert:

that certain specific information that was redacted from the interview

transcripts may, in the abstract, lead a third-party (including a Magistrate

Judge) to conclude that it does not implicate any individual’s privacy interest;

however, that same information to someone familiar with the underlying facts

would be significant. Defendants are able to prepare less-redacted versions of

the interview transcripts. However, without further direction or an opportunity

for explanation (in the form of an ex parte declaration or otherwise),

Defendants are concerned that revised redacted versions might not meet

judicial expectation and/or simply prolong this litigation.

Def.'s Obj. at 5. Plaintiffs assert, however, that Defendants should not be allowed to

"withhold pertinent information from public inspection based on the malleable standard of

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what 'someone familiar with the underlying facts' might find significant." Pl.'s Reply at 2.

The parties do not present any authority for their positions. However, the Supreme

Court has recognized that the courts may have to examine "records themselves and require

disclosure of portions to which the purposes of the exemption under which they are withheld

does not apply." Dept. of Air Force v. Rose, 425 U.S. 352, 374 (1976) (quoting S.Rep. No.

93–854, p. 32 (1974)). Additionally, another district court has utilized ongoing in camera

reviews to ensure compliance with FOIA. See Islamic Shura Council of Southern California

v. F.B.I., 278 F.R.D. 538 (C.D.Cal. 2011), rev'd on other grounds, — F.3d —, 2014 WL

1013324 (March 18, 2014). Moreover, the Court's in camera review indicates that conduct

described in the documents may provide identifying information that may not typically be

considered identifying information. Because the conduct described in the documents is

limited to a few individuals, disclosure of such conduct may subject such persons to

"undeserved embarrassment and attention." Hunt v. F.B.I., 972 F.2d 286, 289 (1992). 

Because Defendants' interpretation of "identifying information" may not ensure FOIA

compliance and in the interests of judicial economy, the Court will direct Defendants to

provide the less-redacted transcripts to the magistrate judge for further review. The Court

will leave to the discretion of the magistrate judge to determine what procedure to follow to

conduct this supplemental review (e.g., submission of less-redacted documents only,

submission of supplemental briefs, etc.).

Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED:

1. The Report and Recommendation (Doc. 36) is ADOPTED.

2. Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 22) is GRANTED IN PART

AND DENIED IN PART. The Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED as to the

Memo contained in Document Three and as to Documents Four and Six on the Vaughn Index

as these documents have been properly exempted from disclosure under Exemptions set forth

in 5 U.S.C. §§ 552(b)(6) and (7)(C). Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment is

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GRANTED as to the Interview Transcript contained in Document Three and as to Document

Five to the extent that personal information shall not be disclosed. Defendants’ Motion for

Summary Judgment is DENIED as to the Interview Transcript contained in Document Three

and as to Document Five as these documents have been overly redacted under Exemptions

set forth in 5 U.S.C. §§ 552(b)(6) and (7)(C) and Defendants shall disclose less redacted

versions of these documents.

3. Plaintiffs’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 24) is GRANTED IN

PART AND DENIED IN PART. The Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED

as to the Interview Transcript contained in Document Three and as to Document Five to the

extent that Defendants shall disclose less redacted versions of these documents. Plaintiffs’

Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED as to the Interview Transcript contained

in Document Three and as to Document Five to the extent that personal information shall not

be disclosed, as to the Memo contained in Document Three, and as to Documents Four and

Six.

4. The parties’ Motions for Summary Judgment (Docs. 22 and 24) are DENIED

AS MOOT as to Documents One and Two on the Vaughn Index.

5. This matter case is referred back to Magistrate Judge D. Thomas Ferraro for

further pretrial proceedings and report and recommendation in accordance with the

provisions of 28 U. S. C. § 636(b)(1) and L.R.Civ.P. 72.1 and 72.2. 

All future filings in this case shall be designated:

CIV-13-080-TUC-CKJ (DTF)

DATED this 22nd day of April, 2014.

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