Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_17-cv-03695/USCOURTS-cand-3_17-cv-03695-16/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 320
Nature of Suit: Assault, Libel, and Slander
Cause of Action: 

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

PLANET AID, INC., et al.,

Plaintiffs,

v.

REVEAL, CENTER FOR 

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 17-cv-03695-MMC (JSC)

ORDER RE: PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION 

FOR ISSUANCE OF LETTERS 

ROGATORY

Re: Dkt. No. 258

Now before the Court is Plaintiffs’ motion for issuance of letters rogatory pursuant to 28 

U.S.C. § 1781 and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) and 28(b). (Dkt. No. 258.) 

Plaintiffs’ proposed letters rogatory seek the production of documents from and depositions of 

Malawian citizens Harrison Longwe, Kandani Ngwira, Innocent Chitosi, Mbachi Munthali, and 

Marko Zebiah (collectively, “Foreign Declarants”). (Id. at 5; see also Dkt. Nos. 258-1- 258-5, 

Exs. A-E.) Defendants do not oppose Plaintiffs’ motion, although they “disagree with the 

statements and characterizations of fact in that [m]otion.” (Dkt. No. 262 at 1.) After consideration 

of Plaintiffs’ motion and Defendants’ statement of non-opposition, the Court vacates the hearing 

scheduled for March 5, 2020 and GRANTS Plaintiffs’ motion. 

LEGAL STANDARD

A letter rogatory is a formal request “from a court in which an action is pending[ ] to a 

foreign court to perform some judicial act.” 22 C.F.R. § 92.54; see also Intel Corp. v. Advanced 

Micro Devices, Inc., 542 U.S. 241, 247 n.1 (2004) (defining “letter rogatory” as “the request by a 

domestic court to a foreign court to take evidence from a certain witness”). The Federal Rules of 

Civil Procedure provide for the taking of depositions within foreign countries through letters 

rogatory. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 28(b)(1)(B) (“A deposition may be taken in a foreign country . . . 

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under a letter of request, whether or not captioned a ‘letter rogatory’; . . . .”). In accordance with 

Rule 28(b)(1)(B), “[t]he Department of State has power, directly, or through suitable channels . . . 

to receive a letter rogatory issued, or request made, by a tribunal in the United States, to transmit it 

to the foreign or international tribunal, officer, or agency to whom it is addressed, and to receive 

and return it after execution.” 28 U.S.C. § 1781(a)(2). 

Courts have “inherent power to issue Letters Rogatory,” United States v. Staples, 256 F.2d 

290, 292 (9th Cir. 1958), and “[w]hether to issue such a letter is a matter of discretion,” Barnes &

Noble, Inc. v. LSI Corp., 2012 WL 1808849, at *2 (N.D. Cal. May 17, 2012). “When determining 

whether to exercise its discretion, a court will generally not weigh the evidence sought from the 

discovery request nor will it attempt to predict whether that information will actually be obtained.” 

Asis Internet Servs. v. Optin Global, Inc., No. C-05-05124 JCS, 2007 WL 1880369, at *3 (N.D. 

Cal. June 28, 2007). A court must instead apply “Rule 28(b) in light of the scope of discovery 

provided by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.” Id. (collecting cases). Under Rule 26(b), 

“[p]arties may obtain discovery regarding nonprivileged matter that is relevant to any party’s 

claim or defense.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1). 

DISCUSSION

Plaintiffs request the issuance of letters rogatory because Defendants’ pending motion to 

strike the first amended complaint, (Dkt. No. 107), includes declarations of “all the Foreign 

Declarants” in support of that motion, (Dkt. No. 258 at 7). Plaintiffs assert that they “have the 

right to examine that testimony, under oath, to ensure its validity and to inquire about issues 

necessary for a formal response to Defendants’ [m]otion [to strike].” (Id.) Plaintiffs further assert 

that the testimony sought from the Foreign Declarants is relevant to Plaintiffs’ claims of 

defamation and proportional to the needs of the case. The Court agrees on both scores. 

First, all Foreign Declarants submitted declarations in support of Defendants’ motion to 

strike the first amended complaint, indicating that they are witnesses with relevant information. 

(See Dkt. Nos. 108; 115; 116; 117; 119.) Second, the first amended complaint identifies Mr. 

Longwe, Mr. Ngwira, and Mr. Zebiah as alleged sources of specific defamatory statements at 

issue. (See Dkt. No. 78 at ¶¶ 30, 75, 85-88, 97, 130, 187-88, 204.) Thus, the testimony of the 

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Foreign Declarants is relevant to Plaintiffs’ claims. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1). Finally, the 

requested discovery does not run afoul of Rule 26(b)(2)(C), which provides that courts “must limit 

the frequency or extent of discovery otherwise allowed” if the discovery sought “can be obtained 

from some other source that is more convenient, less burdensome, or less expensive.” See Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 26(b)(2)(C). Here, there is no alternative source of the information sought. 

CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ motion for issuance of 

letters rogatory. The Court will sign and affix its seal to each of the letters rogatory submitted and 

return the letters with original signatures and seals to Plaintiffs’ counsel for forwarding to the 

United States Department of State. 

This Order disposes of Docket No. 258.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: February 24, 2020

JACQUELINE SCOTT CORLEY

United States Magistrate Judge

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