Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_14-cv-02081/USCOURTS-caed-1_14-cv-02081-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

R. FELLEN, INC., a California corporation, 

dba SUNNYSIDE CONVALESCENT 

HOSPITAL, and DAKOTA MEDICAL, 

INC., a California corporation, dba 

GLENOAKS CONVALESCENT 

HOSPITAL, individually and on behalf of all 

others similarly situated,

 Plaintiff,

v.

REHABCARE GROUP, INC., a Delaware 

corporation, and CANNON & 

ASSOCIATES, LLC, a Delaware limited 

liability corporation, dba POLARIS GROUP,

 Defendants.

Case No. 1:14-cv-02081-GEB-SMS

 

CLASS ACTION

ORDER ON STIPULATION FOR 

PROTECTIVE ORDER

Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc. dba Sunnyside Convalescent Hospital and Dakota Medical, Inc. dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital (“Plaintiffs”) and Defendants RehabCare Group, Inc. and Cannon 

& Associates, LLC, dba Polaris Group (collectively “Defendants”), through their undersigned 

counsel, hereby stipulate to the following Protective Order. The Parties agree that due to the 

sensitive nature of the information which is expected to be disclosed, an Order from the Court 

adopting the Stipulation for Protective Order is necessary in order to provide the Parties with an 

efficient mechanism for addressing alleged violations of the Stipulation for Protective Order and 

other related issues given that the Parties are located in different parts of the nation.

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1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

Disclosure and discovery activity in this action are likely to involve production of 

confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public disclosure

and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be warranted. Accordingly, 

the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective 

Order. The parties acknowledge that this Stipulated Protective Order does not confer blanket 

protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and that the protection it affords from public 

disclosure and use extends only to the limited information or items that are entitled to confidential 

treatment under the applicable legal principles. The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in 

paragraph 12.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential 

information under seal. Eastern District of California Local Rule 141 sets forth the procedures that 

must be followed and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the 

court to file material under seal.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of 

information or items under this Protective Order.

2.2 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of how it is 

generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection under Federal Rule of 

Civil Procedure 26(c).

2.3 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well 

as their support staff).

2.4 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or items that it 

produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery in this matter as “CONFIDENTIAL.” 

2.5 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of the medium 

or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among other things, testimony, 

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transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or generated in disclosures or responses to 

discovery in this matter.

2.6 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter pertinent to 

the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an expert witness or as a 

consultant in this action.

2.7 House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a Party to this action. House 

Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside counsel.

2.8 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal 

entity not named as a Party to this action.

2.9 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a Party to this action 

but are retained to represent or advise a Party to this action and have appeared in this action on 

behalf of that Party or are affiliated with a law firm which has appeared on behalf of that Party.

2.10 Party: any party to this action, including all of its officers, directors, and employees.

2.11 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or Discovery 

Material in this action.

2.12 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support services 

(e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or demonstrations, and organizing, 

storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) and their employees and subcontractors.

2.13 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is designated by a 

Party or Non-Party as “CONFIDENTIAL.” 

2.14 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material from a 

Producing Party.

3. SCOPE

The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected Material (as 

defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from Protected Material; (2) all 

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copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, 

conversations, or presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. 

However, the protections conferred by this Stipulated Protective Order do not cover the following 

information: (a) any information that is in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving 

Party or becomes part of the public domain after its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of 

publication not involving a violation of this Stipulated Protective Order, including becoming part of 

the public record through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to the Receiving Party 

prior to the disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a source who 

obtained the information lawfully and under no obligation of confidentiality to the Designating 

Party. Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by Eastern District of California Local 

Rule 141.

4. DURATION

Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this 

Stipulated Protective Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise in 

writing or a court order otherwise directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) 

dismissal of all claims and defenses in this action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment 

herein after the completion and exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of 

this action, including the time limits for filing any motions or applications for extension of time 

pursuant to applicable law.

5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL

5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each Party or 

Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under this Protective Order must take 

care to limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate standards. 

The 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, 

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items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within 

the ambit of this Stipulated Protective Order.

Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are shown 

to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily 

encumber or retard the case development process or to impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on 

other parties) expose the Designating Party to sanctions.

If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it designated for 

protection do not qualify for protection, that Designating Party must promptly notify all other Parties 

that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation.

5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this Stipulated 

Protective Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of paragraph 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated 

or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection under this Stipulated 

Protective Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or produced.

Designation in conformity with this Stipulated Protective Order requires:

(a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic documents, but 

excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), that the Producing Party 

affix the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” to each page that contains protected material. If only a portion 

or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly 

identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).

A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection 

need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it 

would like copied and produced. During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material 

made available for inspection shall be deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has 

identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which 

documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Stipulated Protective Order. Then, 

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before producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the “CONFIDENTIAL” 

legend to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of the material on 

a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) 

(e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).

(b) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings, that the 

Designating Party identify on the record, before the close of the deposition, hearing, or other 

proceeding, all protected testimony. 

(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for any other 

tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the exterior of the container or 

containers in which the information or item is stored the legend “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a 

portion or portions of the information or item warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent 

practicable, shall identify the protected portion(s).

6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS

6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a designation of 

confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party’s confidentiality 

designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic burdens, 

or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a Party does not waive its right to challenge a 

confidentiality designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the original 

designation is disclosed.

6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute resolution process 

by providing written notice of each designation it is challenging and describing the basis for each 

challenge. To avoid ambiguity as to whether a challenge has been made, the written notice must 

recite that the challenge to confidentiality is being made in accordance with this specific paragraph 

of the Stipulated Protective Order. The parties shall attempt to resolve each challenge in good faith 

and must begin the process by conferring directly (in voice to voice dialogue; other forms of 

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communication are not sufficient) within 14 days of the date of service of notice. In conferring, the 

Challenging Party must explain the basis for its belief that the confidentiality designation was not 

proper and must give the Designating Party an opportunity to review the designated material, to 

reconsider the circumstances, and, if no change in designation is offered, to explain the basis for the 

chosen designation. A Challenging Party may proceed to the next stage of the challenge process only 

if it has engaged in this meet and confer process first or establishes that the Designating Party is 

unwilling to participate in the meet and confer process in a timely manner.

6.3 Judicial Intervention. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge without court 

intervention, the Designating Party shall file and serve a motion to retain confidentiality within 21 

days of the initial notice of challenge or within 14 days of the parties agreeing that the meet and 

confer process will not resolve their dispute, whichever is earlier. Each such motion must be 

accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and 

confer requirements imposed in the preceding paragraph. Failure by the Designating Party to make 

such a motion including the required declaration within 21 days (or 14 days, if applicable) shall 

automatically waive the confidentiality designation for each challenged designation. In addition, the 

Challenging Party may file a motion challenging a confidentiality designation at any time if there is 

good cause for doing so, including a challenge to the designation of a deposition transcript or any 

portions thereof. Any motion brought pursuant to this provision must be accompanied by a 

competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and confer 

requirements imposed by the preceding paragraph.

The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the Designating 

Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose 

unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. 

Unless the Designating Party has waived the confidentiality designation by failing to file a motion to 

retain confidentiality as described above, all parties shall continue to afford the material in question 

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the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party’s designation until the court 

rules on the challenge.

7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is disclosed 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. Such Protected Material may be disclosed only to 

the categories of persons and under the conditions described in this Stipulated Protective Order. 

When the litigation has been terminated, a Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of 

paragraph 13 below (FINAL DISPOSITION).

Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a location and in a 

secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this Protective 

Order.

7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by 

the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any 

information or item designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:

(a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees 

of said Outside Counsel of Record;

(b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of the Receiving 

Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation;

(c) A putative class member if the Confidential Information is about such putative class 

member;

(d) Experts of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this 

litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(e) the trial and appellate courts, any mediator appointed in this action or agreed to by 

each Party, and the respective personnel of each of the foregoing;

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(f) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and 

Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have 

signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(g) during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is 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 transcribed 

deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately 

bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this 

Stipulated Protective Order.

(h) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or 

other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.

7.3 If a party wishes to disclose any Confidential Information to any person not 

described in paragraph 7.2 (a)-(h) above, permission to so disclose must be requested from the 

Designating Party in writing. If the Designating Party objects to the proposed disclosure, no such 

disclosure shall be made unless, upon motion by the Party requesting such permission, the Court 

orders otherwise. However, each Party may disclose its own Confidential Information without 

regard to this Stipulated Protective Order, such disclosure not constituting a waiver.

7.4 A Receiving Party receiving Protected Material pursuant to this Stipulated 

Protective Order shall not disclose such Protected Material to any person to whom disclosure is 

not authorized by the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, and shall not make any other 

disclosure of such Protected Material for any purpose whatsoever, commercial or otherwise. 

Protected Material shall not be used by any Receiving Party except in connection with the conduct 

of this litigation. Use by any person of Protected Material for any purpose other than the conduct 

of this litigation shall be a violation of this Stipulated Protective Order.

7.5 A Receiving Party receiving Protected Material pursuant to this Stipulated 

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Protective Order shall maintain such Protected Material in a secure and safe area, and the 

Receiving Party shall exercise all reasonable standards of due and proper care with respect to the 

storage, custody, and use of such Protected Material so that this is not further disclosed or used, 

either intentionally or inadvertently, in any manner inconsistent with this Stipulated Protective 

Order. Counsel shall maintain the originals of the forms of Exhibit A signed by persons 

acknowledging their obligations under this Stipulated Protective Order for a period of one year 

after dismissal of the action, the entry of a final judgment and/or the conclusion of any appeals 

arising therefrom, whichever is later.

8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER 

LITIGATION 

If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels 

disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party 

must: 

(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall include a 

copy of the subpoena or court order; 

(b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in the 

other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to this 

Stipulated Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this Protective Order; and 

(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the 

Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.

If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the subpoena 

or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL” 

before a determination by the court from which the subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has 

obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and 

expense of seeking protection in that court of its confidential material – and nothing in these 

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provisions should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this action to 

disobey a lawful directive from another court.

9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED IN THIS 

LITIGATION

(a) The terms of this Stipulated Protective Order are applicable to information produced 

by a Non-Party in this action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information produced by 

Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief provided by this 

Stipulated Protective Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a NonParty from seeking additional protections. 

(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a NonParty’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement with the 

Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s confidential information, then the Party shall: 

(1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some or 

all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-Party;

(2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated Protective Order in 

this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the 

information requested; and 

(3) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-Party. 

(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this court within 14 

days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may produce the 

Non-Party’s confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely 

seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its possession or 

control that is subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by 

the court. Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of 

seeking protection in this court of its Protected Material. Nothing in these provisions should be 

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construed as authorizing or encouraging a Party or Non-Party to disobey a lawful directive from this 

court.

10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed Protected 

Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this Protective Order, the 

Receiving 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, (c) 

inform the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this 

Protective Order, and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and 

Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.

11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED 

MATERIAL

When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently produced 

material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of the Receiving Parties 

are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B), and as set forth herein. This 

provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure may be established in an e-discovery order 

that provides for production without prior privilege review. 

11.1 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure to 

designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the Designating Party’s 

right to secure protection under this Stipulated Protective Order for such material. Upon timely 

correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable efforts to assure that the 

material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this Stipulated Protective Order.

11.2 This Protective Order is entered, inter alia, pursuant to Rule 502(d) of the Federal 

Rules of Evidence. If a Designating Party inadvertently discloses information in connection with 

the pending litigation to another Party that the Designating Party thereafter claims to be privileged 

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or protected by the attorney-client privilege or attorney work product protection (“Disclosed 

Protected Information”), the disclosure of the Disclosed Protected Information shall not constitute 

or be deemed a waiver or forfeiture of any claim of privilege or work product protection that the 

Designating Party would otherwise be entitled to assert with respect to the Disclosed Protected 

Information and its subject matter in this proceeding or in any other federal or state proceeding.

 11.3 A Designating Party may assert in writing attorney-client privilege or work product 

protection with respect to Disclosed Protected Information. The Receiving Party must—unless it 

contests the claim of attorney-client privilege or work product protection in accordance with

paragraph 6, within 10 business days after the assertion of attorney-client privilege or work 

product protection with respect to the Disclosed Protected Information, (i) return or destroy all 

copies of the Disclosed Protected Information, and (ii) provide a certification of counsel that all of 

the Disclosed Protected Information has been returned or destroyed. Within 5 business days after 

assertion of attorney-client privilege or work product protection with respect to Disclosed 

Protected Information, the Designating Party must produce a privilege log with respect to the 

Disclosed Protected Information.

 11.4 The Parties may stipulate to extend the time periods set forth in sub-paragraph

11.3.

 11.5 Disclosed Protected Information that is sought to be reclaimed by a Designating 

Party pursuant to this Stipulation Protective Order shall not be used as grounds by any third party 

to argue that any waiver of privilege or protection has occurred by virtue of any production in this 

case.

 11.6 The Designating Party retains the burden of establishing the privileged or 

protected nature of the Disclosed Protected Information. 

 11.7 Nothing in this Stipulated Protective Order shall relieve counsel for any Receiving 

Party of any existing duty or obligation, whether established by case law, rule of court, regulation 

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or other source, to return, and not to review, any privileged or work product materials without 

being requested by the Designating Party to do so. 

12. MISCELLANEOUS

12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Stipulated Protective Order abridges the right 

of any person to seek its modification by the court in the future.

12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this Stipulated 

Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to disclosing or 

producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this Stipulated Protective Order. 

Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any ground to use in evidence of any of the material 

covered by this Stipulated Protective Order.

12.3 Filing Protected Material. Without written permission from the Designating Party or a 

court order secured after appropriate notice to all interested persons, a Party may not file in the 

public record in this action any Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected 

Material must comply with Eastern District of California Local Rule 141. Protected Material may 

only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected 

Material at issue. Pursuant to Eastern District of California Local Rule 141, a sealing order will issue 

only upon a request establishing that the Protected Material at issue is privileged, protectable as a 

trade secret, or otherwise entitled to protection under the law. If a Receiving Party's request to file 

Protected Material under seal pursuant to Eastern District of California Local Rule 141 is denied by 

the court, then the Receiving Party may file the information in the public record unless otherwise 

instructed by the court.

12.4 Nothing in this Stipulated Protective Order shall bar Counsel from rendering advice 

to their client(s) with respect to this litigation and, in the course thereof, relying upon any 

Protected Material, provided that the Protected Material itself shall not be disclosed except under 

to the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order.

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12.5 This Stipulated Protective Order shall be without prejudice to the right of any Party 

to oppose production of any information for lack of relevance or any other ground other than the 

mere presence of Confidential Information. The existence of this Stipulated Protective Order shall 

not be used by any Party as a basis for discovery that is otherwise not proper under the Federal 

Rules of Civil Procedure, or any applicable local rules or orders of the Court.

12.6 This Stipulated Protective Order has no effect upon, and its scope shall not extend 

to, any Party’s use of its own information.

12.7 The Parties and any other person subject to the terms of this Stipulated Protective 

Order agree that this Court has and retains jurisdiction during and after the termination of this 

action for the purpose of enforcing this Stipulated Protective Order. This Stipulated Protective 

Order shall, absent written permission of the pertinent party or parties or further order of this 

Court, survive the conclusion of this action, including without limitation any appeals therefrom. 

The Court may modify this Stipulated Protective Order on its own motion or upon motion by any 

party.

12.8 In the event that additional persons become Parties to this action, they shall not 

have access to Protected Material until the newly joined party or its Outside Counsel of Record 

confirms in writing that it agrees to be bound by the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order.

12.9 The Parties agree to be bound by the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order 

pending its entry by the Court, and any violation of its terms shall be subject to the same sanctions 

and penalties as if the Court had entered the Stipulated Protective Order. 

13. FINAL DISPOSITION

Within 60 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph 4, each 

Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. 

As used in this subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, 

summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether 

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the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written 

certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) 

by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material 

that was returned or destroyed and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, 

abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected 

Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an archival copy of all 

pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, 

correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant 

and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies 

that contain or constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in 

paragraph 4 above.

IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.

Dated: July 2, 2015 LAW OFFICES OF SCOTT Z. ZIMMERMANN

/s/ Scott Z. Zimmermann 

Scott Z. Zimmermann

Attorneys for Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside 

Convalescent Hospital, and Dakota Medical, Inc., dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital

Dated: July 2, 2015 PAYNE & FEARS LLP

/s/ C. Darryl Cordero

C. Darryl Cordero

Attorneys for Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside 

Convalescent Hospital, and Dakota Medical, Inc., dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital 

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Dated: July 2, 2015 PAYNE & FEARS LLP

/s/ Matthew K. Brown

Matthew K. Brown

Attorneys for Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside 

Convalescent Hospital, and Dakota Medical, Inc., dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital

Dated: July 2, 2015 PAYNE & FEARS LLP

/s/ Eric M. Kennedy

Eric M. Kennedy

Attorneys for Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside 

Convalescent Hospital, and Dakota Medical, Inc., dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital

Dated: July 2, 2015 DOWLING AARON INCORPORATED

/s/ Donald R. Fischbach 

Donald R. Fischbach

Attorneys for Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside 

Convalescent Hospital, and Dakota Medical, Inc., dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital

Dated: July 2, 2015 DOWLING AARON INCORPORATED

/s/ Mark D. Kruthers

Mark D. Kruthers

Attorneys for Plaintiffs R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside 

Convalescent Hospital, and Dakota Medical, Inc., dba 

Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital

Dated: July 2, 2015 BROAD AND CASSEL

/s/ Jon M. Wilson 

Jon M. Wilson

Attorneys for Defendant RehabCare Group, Inc.

Dated: July 2, 2015 BROAD AND CASSEL

/s/ Melissa J. Gomberg

Melissa J. Gomberg

Attorneys for Defendant RehabCare Group, Inc.

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Dated: July 2, 2015 WANGER JONES HELSEY PC

/s/ Oliver W. Wanger

Oliver W. Wanger

Attorneys for Defendant RehabCare Group, Inc.

Dated: July 2, 2015 CARLSON & MESSER LLP

 

/s/ Charles R. Messer 

Charles R. Messer

Attorneys for Defendant Cannon & Associates, LLC, dba 

Polaris Group

Dated: July 2, 2015 CARLSON & MESSER LLP

 

/s/ David J. Kaminski 

David J. Kaminski 

Attorneys for Defendant Cannon & Associates, LLC, dba 

Polaris Group

Dated: July 2, 2015 CARLSON & MESSER LLP

 

/s/Stephen A. Watkins 

Stephen A. Watkins 

Attorneys for Defendant Cannon & Associates, LLC, dba 

Polaris Group

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ORDER

Having read and considered the parties’ Stipulation For Protective Order, and for good 

cause therefore, the Court enters the Stipulation For Protective Order as an order of the Court with 

the following modification: The sentence beginning with the word “Pursuant” at page 14, line 16 

and ending with the word “law” on line 18 is stricken. Any issues with the filing of protected 

material will be addressed by the court accordingly under the appropriate rules. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: July 20, 2015 /s/ Sandra M. Snyder 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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EXHIBIT A

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND

I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of _________________ 

[print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and 

understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the 

Eastern District of California on [date] in the case of R. Fellen, Inc., dba Sunnyside Convalescent 

Hospital, et al. v. RehabCare Group, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:14-cv-02081-GEB-SMS. I agree to 

comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand 

and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment in the 

nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any information or 

item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity except in strict 

compliance with the provisions of this Stipulated Protective Order.

I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Eastern

District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, even 

if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.

Date: ______________________________________

City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________

Printed name: _______________________________

Signature: __________________________________

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