Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-arwd-4_19-cv-04096/USCOURTS-arwd-4_19-cv-04096-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Other Contract

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

WESTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS

TEXARKANA DIVISION

MIDAMERICA, INC. PLAINTIFF

v. Case No. 4:19-cv-4096

BIERLEIN COMPANIES, INC. DEFENDANT

ORDER

Before the Court is the parties’ Joint Motion to Accept Stipulated Protective Order. (ECF 

No. 19). Plaintiff MidAmerica, Inc. and Defendant Bierlein Companies, Inc. acknowledge that 

the information, testimony, and documents exchanged (whether heretofore or hereafter) in this 

lawsuit (the “Litigation”) may contain competitively sensitive information such as financial 

documents, trade secrets, or other confidential information (collectively, the “Confidential 

Information”) of the Parties or non-parties. The parties have submitted a Joint Stipulated 

Protective Order for the Court’s approval governing the handling of certain documents and 

information containing or constituting Confidential Information disclosed in connection with the 

Litigation.

 Upon consideration, the Court finds good cause for the motion has been shown. 

Accordingly, the parties’ Joint Motion to Accept Stipulated Protective Order (ECF No. 19) is 

hereby GRANTED. The Court orders as follows:

1. “Confidential Information” is information of a type which a Party or non-party, in good faith, 

regards as confidential, proprietary, a trade secret, or other sensitive business or personal information 

including, but not limited to, financial and accounting records, appraisals, business and strategic 

plans, and/or personal information regarding current or former employees. 

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2. A party producing documents or other information in the Litigation may designate such 

documents or other information as Confidential Information and restricted from disclosure under this 

Order by placing or affixing the word “Confidential” on the document in a manner that will not 

interfere with the legibility of the document. All discovery material designated as “Confidential,” 

including, but not limited to, any copies, abstracts, digests, notes, and summaries thereof, shall be 

treated as Confidential Information under the provisions of this Order.

3. Confidential Information produced in the Litigation will be used solely in connection with the 

Litigation, and shall not be used for any other purpose, including, but not limited to, the preparation 

or trial of any other action involving these or any other parties. Confidential Information may only 

be disclosed to: (a) the Parties, and their officers, agents, employees, or representatives; (b) counsel 

for the Parties, and employees and agents of counsel who have responsibility for the preparation and 

trial of the Litigation; (c) consultants, appraisers or experts retained or consulted by the Parties or 

counsel for the Parties to assist preparing for or conducting the trial of the Litigation and who have 

agreed to be bound by this Order; (d) witnesses at, or in preparation for, their deposition or trial, in 

which event such witnesses shall only be shown the Confidential Information and shall not be allowed 

to retain copies; and, (e) stenographic reporters retained by the parties to transcribe depositions or 

other proceedings in the Litigation.

4. Persons to whom Confidential Information is shown or disclosed pursuant to paragraphs 3(c) 

and 3(d) above shall be advised that the Confidential Information is subject to this Order and may 

only be disclosed and used under the terms of this Order.

5. Any person or entity that has received Confidential Information, and that is thereafter 

compelled by any law or court order to disclose such Confidential Information in a manner contrary 

to the terms of this Order, will use all reasonable efforts to immediately notify the producing Party of 

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the obligation to disclose. Any such person or entity shall also disclose only the particular 

Confidential Information required to be disclosed and shall make all reasonable efforts to protect any 

remaining Confidential Information from disclosure in accordance with the terms of this Order. Once 

notice of a request or order to produce has been given to the producing Party, it shall solely be the 

obligations of the producing Party to challenge any such disclosure.

6. Confidential Information may be used during testimony in discovery depositions and at any 

hearing(s) conducted in the Litigation, subject to applicable rulings of the Court, and may be used by 

the persons designated in Paragraph 3 to prepare for any hearings or depositions held in the Litigation, 

under the terms of this Order. Any party who has received Confidential Information shall, before 

including such Confidential Information in any publicly filed pleading, motion, or exhibit, first notify 

and confer in good faith with opposing counsel for the purpose of protecting, to the extent possible, 

the confidential nature such Confidential Information. 

7. The inadvertent or unintentional disclosure of Confidential Information shall not be deemed 

a waiver, in whole or in part, of the confidential nature of the material disclosed. In the event that 

one party or its counsel makes an inadvertent or unintentional disclosure of Confidential Information 

that has been produced by the other party, such individual shall immediately notify the producing 

party of the disclosure and make every effort to retain control of the Confidential Information so 

disclosed.

8. Nothing in this Order shall limit or enlarge any legal or contractual obligations the Parties 

may have undertaken concerning the treatment of a non-party’s Confidential Information in the 

possession of a Party nor restrict a Party’s or non-party’s use of its own Confidential Information.

9. Within 30 days after entry of a final, non-appealable judgment in the Litigation, counsel shall 

collect all Confidential Information or copies of Confidential Information and return them to the 

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producing Party. Alternatively, counsel may shred all Confidential Information and copies of 

Confidential Information and provide a certificate of such shredding to opposing counsel. Counsel 

shall also collect any documents or materials that reference, summarize, or otherwise refer to 

Confidential Information (“Work Product”). Work Product may be retained by counsel only, and it 

shall remain subject to the provisions of this Confidentiality Order except upon agreement of 

opposing counsel. In addition, counsel may retain a set of any pleadings and correspondence prepared 

in the Litigation as part of their files, even if such materials contain Confidential Information, so long 

as the pleadings and correspondence remain protected in the manner set forth in this Confidentiality 

Order.

10. The Parties may modify or amend this Order by unanimous written agreement of Counsel 

for the Parties, or this Order may be modified by further order of the Court. Nothing herein shall bar 

any party from seeking any such modification.

IT IS SO ORDERED, this 26th day of February, 2020.

/s/ Susan O. Hickey 

Susan O. Hickey

Chief United States District Judge

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