Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-02584/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-02584-18/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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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

GABANA GULF DISTRIBUTION,

Plaintiff,

 v.

GAP INTERNATIONAL SALES INC.,

Defendant. /

No. C-06-02584 CRB (EDL)

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO

COMPEL RETURN OF PRIVILEGED

DOCUMENTS

On August 24, 2007, Gap filed a motion seeking to compel Gabana Gulf to return or destroy

versions of privileged documents which Gap inadvertently produced in unredacted form. See Doc.

No. 144. Gabana Gulf opposed the motion on September 11, 2007, and Gap replied on September

18, 2007. The Court finds that this motion is appropriate for a decision without a hearing. 

Accordingly, the Court vacates the October 2, 2007 hearing and grants in part and denies in part

Defendant’s motion to compel as follows.

Background

In October 2006, Gap produced to Gabana Gulf five copies of an identical email dated July

26,2005, sent from one non-attorney Gap executive to another non-attorney Gap executive. See

Darling Decl., ¶ 2. Gap redacted certain information in two copies of the email, but inadvertently

produced three copies of the same email without complete redactions. Id. The parties dispute

whether Gap may properly assert privilege over these documents, and have submitted the documents

for the Court’s determination. 

Gap characterizes the email as discussing advice received from Gap attorneys regarding

Gap’s excess inventory and as reflecting an intent to seek legal advice on the same subject. Id.

Case 3:06-cv-02584-CRB Document 156 Filed 09/19/07 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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The Court has reviewed the documents and agrees. Gap may redact the first half of the

second full sentence (up to the comma) in the July 26, 2005 email at issue. The first half of

this sentence reflects confidential communications with counsel. See Mitchell v. Superior

Court (Shell Oil Co.), 37 Cal. 3d 591, 601 (1984) (the attorney-client privilege applies to

communications made in confidence even when no litigation is threatened, and it makes no

difference that the communications relate to “factual information” as opposed to “legal advice.”);

Bank of the West v. Valley National Bank of Arizona, 132 F.R.D. 250, 251 (N.D. Cal. 1990) (citing

Federal Rule of Evidence 501 for the proposition that California law governs questions of privilege

in diversity actions). The first, second half of the second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth 

sentences of the email, as well as the greeting, closing, and headings, are not privileged. The fifth

sentence of the email arguably reflects an intent to seek legal advice on the subject matter discussed

in the first half of the second full sentence. Accordingly, because there is some authority holding

that communications between non-lawyers regarding an intent to seek legal advice may be

privileged, which Gabana Gulf does not dispute, Gap has properly asserted a claim of privilege over

the fifth sentence. See United States v. ChevronTexaco Corp., 241 F.Supp.2d 1065 (N.D. Cal.

2002).

Therefore, by September 28, 2007, Gabana Gulf is ordered to return or destroy all incorrectly

redacted versions of the July 26, 2005 email at issue. Gap is ordered to replace the incorrectly

redacted versions of the email with versions redacted in accordance with this order.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: September 19, 2007 

ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 3:06-cv-02584-CRB Document 156 Filed 09/19/07 Page 2 of 2