Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-01588/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-01588-8/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 820
Nature of Suit: Copyright
Cause of Action: 17:101 Copyright Infringement

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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 1

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

ANDREW W. STROUD (SBN 126475)

KELCIE M. GOSLING (SBN 142225)

STEPHEN LAU (SBN 221051)

MENNEMEIER, GLASSMAN & STROUD LLP

980 9th Street, Suite 1700

Sacramento, CA 95814

Telephone: 916-553-4000

Facsimile: 916-553-4011

Attorneys for Defendants American Grants & Affordable Housing

Institute, LLC, Best News Marketing, LLC, Best News Realty, LLC

Coast-To-Coast Media, LLC, John T. Polk, Patrick Farah, William Pappas, 

Kaleb Forrest, Rene Gonzalez, Michelle Harmon, Lewis Curry, Tiffany Barnes, 

Scott Voelkel, Steve Wyman, Gus Fernandez, Donald Harkema, Nancy DeVaughn, 

Jack Marlando, Dawn Lane, Bruce West, Jr. and Francis Lee Lauraine

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

PROVEN METHODS SEMINARS, LLC,

PROVEN METHODS CUSTOMER SERVICE,

LLC, doing business together as NATIONAL

GRANTS CONFERENCES, et al., 

Plaintiffs

v.

AMERICAN GRANTS & AFFORDABLE

HOUSING INSTITUTE, LLC, BEST NEWS

REALTY, LLC, BEST NEWS MARKETING,

LLC AND COAST-TO-COAST MEDIA, LLC,

Defendants. 

AMERICAN GRANTS & AFFORDABLE

HOUSING INSTITUTE, LLC, BEST NEWS

REALTY, LLC, BEST NEWS MARKETING,

LLC AND COAST-TO-COAST MEDIA, LLC,

Counterclaimants and Defendants

v.

PROVEN METHODS SEMINARS, LLC,

PROVEN METHODS CUSTOMER SERVICE,

LLC, doing business together as NATIONAL

GRANTS CONFERENCES, WORLDWIDE

MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, LLC, a

Nevada corporation, and MICHAEL MILIN, an

individual,

Counterdefendants. 

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Case No. 2:07-CV-01588 WBS-EFB

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY

STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 1 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 2

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

WHEREAS plaintiffs Proven Methods Seminars, LLC, Proven Methods Customer Service,

LLC, doing business together as National Grants Conferences, Worldwide Media Communications

Group, LLC, and Michael Milin (“Plaintiffs”) and defendants American Grants & Affordable Housing

Institute, LLC, Best News Marketing, LLC, Best News Realty, LLC, Coast-To-Coast Media, LLC,

John T. Polk, Patrick Farah, William Pappas, Kaleb Forrest, Rene Gonzalez, Michelle Harmon, Lewis

Curry, Tiffany Barnes, Scott Voelkel, Steve Wyman, Gus Fernandez, Donald Harkema, Nancy

DeVaughn, Jack Marlando, Dawn Lane, Bruce West, Jr. and Francis Lee Lauraine (“Defendants”) and

likely non-party witnesses possess highly sensitive and confidential information that may be disclosed

in responding to discovery requests or otherwise in this action and that must be protected in order to

preserve their legitimate business interests, and

WHEREAS documents or information containing confidential, proprietary business

information and/or trade secrets but bear significantly on the parties' claims or defenses are likely to be

disclosed or produced during the course of discovery in this litigation. Additionally, parties to this

litigation assert that public dissemination and disclosure of certain documents or information could

severely injure or damage the disclosing party’s competitive advantage. 

WHEREAS Plaintiffs and Defendants have, through counsel, stipulated to the entry of this

Protective Order, to prevent unnecessary dissemination or disclosure of such highly sensitive and

confidential information, during the course of discovery or otherwise.

STIPULATION

THEREFORE, THE PARTIES STIPULATE that the following may be entered as the Order of

the Court without further notice:

Definitions

1. The following definitions shall apply to this Stipulation and Protective Order:

(a) The term “Confidential Information” means documents or information

containing confidential proprietary business information and/or trade secrets. Confidential

Information may include documents or things produced in this action (during formal discovery or

otherwise), information produced by non-parties, responses to discovery requests, and information or

items disclosed during depositions, hearings or at trial. Information originally designated as

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 2 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 3

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

“Confidential Information” shall not retain that status after any ruling by the Court denying such status

to it.

(b) The term “designating party” means the party producing or designating

information as Confidential Information under this Stipulation and Protective Order.

(c) The term “receiving party” shall mean the party to whom Confidential

Information is produced.

Designation of Confidential Information

2. Each designating party who produces or discloses any material that it in good faith

believes constitutes Confidential Information shall designate it as such. In designating Confidential

Information, the designating party shall mark the item or each page of a document “Confidential” or

“Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only.” 

(a) Confidential Information may be designated as “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes

Only” when, in the reasonable judgment of the designating party, the information is Confidential

Information, but is too sensitive, valuable, or difficult to protect from misuse to allow a wider

circulation.

(b) When documents or things are produced for inspection, they must be designated

as “Confidential” or “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only” for purposes of the inspection, by marking

each document or thing “Confidential” or “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only.” 

(c) Portions of depositions may be designated “Confidential” if they are designated

as such at the time the deposition is taken or within 30 days after the deposition transcript is received

by the designating party or its counsel.

3. The parties recognize that during the course of this litigation, Confidential Information

that originated with or is maintained by a non-party may be produced. Such information may be

designated as “Confidential” or “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only” and shall be subject to the

restrictions contained in this Stipulation and Protective Order. If any Confidential Information is

produced by a non-party to this litigation, such a non-party shall be considered a “designating party”

within the meaning of that term as it is used in this Stipulation and Protective Order and the parties

will each be treated as a “receiving party.”

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 3 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 4

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

4. Except for testimony, documents and things disclosed in open court, in the event any

designating party produces Confidential Information that has not been correctly designated, the

designating party may redesignate the information to the same extent as it may have designated the

information before production, by a subsequent notice in writing specifically identifying the

redesignated information. The parties shall treat such information in accordance with this Stipulation

and Protective Order, and shall undertake reasonable efforts to correct any disclosure of such

information contrary to the redesignation. No receiving party shall have any obligation or liability due

to any disclosure of the information which occurred prior to the receipt of such notice; provided,

however, any subsequent disclosures shall be in accordance with such designation. No proof of error,

inadvertence, or excusable neglect shall be required for such redesignation. Nothing in this provision

shall be interpreted as waiving any objection the receiving party may have to the redesignation.

Disclosure of the Confidential Information

5. Information designated “Confidential” may be disclosed only to the following:

(a) In house counsel and the attorneys and staff of any law firm acting as outside

counsel for a party to this action, and those persons specifically engaged for the limited purpose to

provide litigation support for such counsel;

(b) Independent consultants or experts and their staff not employed by or affiliated

with a party who are retained either as consultants or expert witnesses for the purpose of this litigation;

(c) Employees of either party who provide actual assistance in the conduct of the

litigation in which the information is disclosed, but only to the extent necessary to allow them to

provide that assistance;

(d) The Court and Court personnel, and Official Court Reporters to the extent that

Confidential Information is disclosed at a deposition or court session which they are transcribing;

(e) Any person of whom testimony is taken, except that such person may only be

shown copies of confidential Information during his testimony, and may not retain any Confidential

Information.

(f) The list of persons to whom Confidential Information may be disclosed

identified in this Paragraph 5 may be expanded or modified by mutual agreement in writing by counsel

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 4 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 5

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

for the parties to this action without the necessity of modifying this Stipulation and Protective Order;

(g) Information designated as “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only” shall be

disclosed only to those persons described in Paragraphs 5(a), (b) or (d), or as agreed in accordance

with Paragraph 5(f).

Use and Control of the Confidential Information

6. All information designated “Confidential” or “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only” shall

be used by its recipient solely for the purposes of this litigation and not for any business, competitive

or other purpose.

7. If Confidential Information is contained in [trial] deposition testimony, the portion of

transcript containing such material may be designated as containing Confidential Information and shall

be treated in accordance with this Stipulation and Protective Order.

8. All Confidential Information that is filed with the Court, and any pleadings, motions or

other papers filed with the Court disclosing any Confidential Information, shall be filed and kept under

seal until further order of the Court. Where possible, only confidential portions of filings with the

Court shall be filed under seal. If the parties wish to file any document under seal, they must comply

with the procedures set forth in Local Rule 39-141. The court shall make an independent

determination as to the appropriateness of a sealing order, regardless of the parties’ designation of a

document as "confidential.”

9. No person designated in accordance with Paragraphs 5(b), (c) and (e) above shall be

provided with access to Confidential Information without first signing an Acknowledgment of

Stipulation and Protective Order in the form attached as Exhibit 1 (“Acknowledgment”). Counsel for

the party obtaining the Acknowledgments shall maintain a file of all signed, original

Acknowledgments.

10. Any party may disclose its own Confidential Information in any manner that it

considers appropriate. Confidential Information may be disclosed to any person no longer affiliated

with a party who either authored or received the Confidential Information prior to the initiation of the

litigation. Prior to any disclosure, such person must agree to be bound by this Stipulation and

Protective Order and execute the Acknowledgment as stated in paragraph 9 above.

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 5 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 6

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

11. No information may be withheld from discovery on the basis that the information

requires greater protection than that afforded by this Stipulation and Protective Order, unless the party

claiming the need for greater protection moves for and obtains an order for such special protection

from the Court.

12. Receiving parties shall keep all Confidential Information received from others in a

secure area to prevent disclosure of Confidential Information to persons not authorized under this

Stipulation and Protective Order.

Duration of Order, Objection, Modifications

13. This Stipulation and Protective Order shall remain in full force and effect until

modified, superseded or terminated by order of this Court, which may be entered pursuant to

agreement of the parties to this action. This Stipulation and Protective Order shall continue in effect

after termination of this action and continue to be binding upon all persons to whom Confidential

Information is disclosed.

14. Upon final termination of this action (including all appeals), the designating party may

demand that the receiving party either return to the designating party (at the designating party's

expense) or destroy all Confidential Information received from the designating party within 30 days of

the demand. However, outside counsel for the receiving party may retain one copy of the Confidential

Information, which shall remain subject to this Stipulation and Protective Order.

15. If the receiving party learns that Confidential Information produced to it is disclosed to

or comes into the possession of any person other than in the manner authorized by this Stipulation and

Protective Order, the receiving party responsible for the disclosure must immediately inform the

designating party of all pertinent facts relating to such disclosure and shall make reasonable efforts to

prevent disclosure by each unauthorized person who received such information.

16. Any receiving party may at any time request that the designating party cancel the

“Confidential” or “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only” designation on any information produced. 

Such request shall be served on counsel for the designating party, and shall particularly identify the

designated Confidential Information that the receiving party contends should not be designated as

confidential and the reasons supporting its contention. If the designating party does not agree to

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 6 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 7

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

remove the “Confidential” or “Confidential-Attorney's Eyes Only” designation, then the party

contending that such information should not be designated confidential may file a motion to be

relieved from the restrictions of this Stipulation and Protective Order with respect to the information in

question. On a motion to be relieved from the restrictions of this Stipulation and Protective Order, the

burden of demonstrating that the information is Confidential Information shall be on the designating

party. Subject to these procedures, any documents, testimony, evidence or other materials designated

as “Confidential” or “Confidential - Attorney’s Eyes Only,” shall not, in fact, be deemed by the Court

to be Confidential Information and shall not be subject to this Order, if the substance thereof:

(a) is, at the time of disclosure by the designating party, public knowledge by

publication or otherwise;

(b) has become, at any time, and through no act or failure to act on the part of the

receiving party and without breach of any obligation of confidence, public knowledge;

(c) is, at the time of disclosure by the designating party, already in possession of the

receiving party, and the receiving party acquired it neither directly nor indirectly from the designating

party; or

(d) has become available to the receiving party by a third person who obtained it by

legal means and without any obligation of confidence.

No Waiver of Privileges

17. Production of documents and things shall not constitute a waiver of confidentiality,

privilege or immunity from discovery as to such information.

Other Remedies

18. Nothing in this Stipulation and Protective Order shall prevent any party or non-party

from seeking additional relief from the Court.

DATED: February 13, 2008 RUSS, AUGUST & KABAT

By: /S/ Robert E. Satterthwaite 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs Proven Methods 

Seminars, LLC, Proven Methods Customer

Service, LLC, doing business together as 

National Grants Conferences, Worldwide Media

Communications Group, LLC, and Michael Milin

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 7 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 8

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

DATED: February 13, 2008 MENNEMEIER, GLASSMAN & STROUD LLP

By: /S/ Andrew W. Stroud 

ANDREW W. STROUD 

Attorney for Defendants American Grants &

Affordable Housing Institute, LLC, Best News

Marketing, LLC, Best News Realty, LLC, CoastTo-Coast Media, LLC, John T. Polk, 

Patrick Farah, William Pappas, Kaleb Forrest,

Rene Gonzalez, Michelle Harmon, Lewis Curry,

Tiffany Barnes, Scott Voelkel, Steve Wyman, 

Gus Fernandez, Donald Harkema, 

Nancy DeVaughn, Jack Marlando, Dawn Lane,

Bruce West, Jr. and Francis Lee Lauraine

ORDER

Based upon the above Stipulation of the parties, and good cause having been shown (as

described in that Stipulation),

IT IS ORDERED THAT the above Stipulation of the parties is approved, subject to the court’s

modifications set forth above. Nothing in this order shall be construed as precluding the court’s

independent review and determination of whether documents or other matters are privileged or

otherwise protected under governing law. Moreover, nothing in this order shall be construed as

approving preclusion of evidence from trial.

DATED: February 15, 2008.

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 8 of 9
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07cv1588.proto.0215.wpd 9

AGREED CONFIDENTIALITY STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE ORDER 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

 I acknowledge that I have read the attached Stipulation and Protective Order entered by the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of California in the case entitled Proven Methods

Seminars, LLC, et al. v. American Grants & Affordable Housing Institute, LLC, et al., Case No. 2:07-

CV-01588 WBS-EFB and understand that I am authorized to receive Confidential Information subject

to that Stipulation and Protective Order. I agree to abide by the obligations and conditions of that

Stipulation and Protective Order. I agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District

Court for the Eastern District of California for all disputes arising out of or relating to the Stipulation

and Protective Order and/or the disclosure or receipt of Confidential Information under that Stipulation

and Protective Order.

Dated this _____ day of ________________, 2008.

Signature:___________________________________

Printed Name:________________________________

Company:___________________________________

Title/Position:________________________________

Case 2:07-cv-01588-WBS-EFB Document 107 Filed 02/15/08 Page 9 of 9