Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_04-cv-00883/USCOURTS-cand-3_04-cv-00883-20/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

For the Northern District of California

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 The letter briefs are found at Docket Nos. 243 and 245.

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 Defendants also state that they will produce all e-mails between Analysis Group and the

testifying experts.

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SUSAN STRIGLIABOTTI, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

 v.

FRANKLIN RESOURCES, INC., et al.,

Defendants. /

No. C 04-0883 SI

ORDER RE: DISCOVERY

The parties have submitted a discovery dispute to the Court for resolution.1 The dispute

concerns whether defendants are required to produce e-mails between defense counsel and Analysis

Group, a consultant retained by defendants, in response to a document request seeking “all

communications between the Experts or between the Experts and Defendants.” Plaintiffs contend that

they are entitled to these e-mails because Analysis Group worked closely with two of defendants’

testifying experts, R. Glenn Hubbard and Laura T. Starks.

Defendants state that they have produced all data that was forwarded to Hubbard and Starks, as

well as Analysis Group’s backup papers and analyses.2

 Thus, defendants assert that plaintiffs possess

all of the information they need to ascertain what work Analysis Group performed for the testifying

experts. However, defendants state that they separately retained Analysis Group as a non-testifying

consultant, and that Analysis Group assisted defendants’ counsel in rendering legal advice to their client.

Defendants state that the e-mails at issue “served to assist counsel in understanding the analytical

Case 3:04-cv-00883-SI Document 246 Filed 05/11/07 Page 1 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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framework for certain of the topics in the experts’ reports and testimony, in formulating discovery

requests, in interpreting the data produced by defendants, and in understanding plaintiffs’ analysis of

that data.” April 17, 2007 letter brief at 3. Defendants have prepared a log describing these

communications; at least some of the log entries describe communications regarding the experts or

expert reports.

The Court finds that to the extent that defendants communicated with Analysis Group regarding

the testifying experts or the expert reports, plaintiffs are entitled to those communications in order to

examine the process by which the experts reached their ultimate conclusions. See generally United

States v. Torrance, 163 F.R.D. 590, 593-94 (C.D. Cal. 1995). The fact that those e-mails were never

shown to Hubbard or Starks does not shield those e-mails from discovery because by choosing to retain

Analysis Group as a non-testifying consultant, and also to have the same firm work closely with and at

the direction of Hubbard and Starks, defendants took a risk that their communications with Analysis

Group would be discoverable. However, the Court finds that defendants are not required to produce any

communications between defense counsel and Analysis Group that did not relate to the experts.

Accordingly, the Court ORDERS defendants to produce all withheld e-mails that relate to the

experts and their reports no later than May 18, 2007.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: May 11, 2007 

SUSAN ILLSTON

United States District Judge

Case 3:04-cv-00883-SI Document 246 Filed 05/11/07 Page 2 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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Case 3:04-cv-00883-SI Document 246 Filed 05/11/07 Page 3 of 3