Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-01096/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-01096-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Kevin T. Levine, an individual and on 

behalf of the general public, 

Plaintiff,

vs.

BIC USA, INC., a Delaware corporation,

and DOES 1 through 100, inclusive 

Defendant.

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CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LABRBB

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE 

ORDER

 The Court and the parties recognize that at least some of the documents and 

information being sought through discovery in the above-captioned action are, for 

competitive reasons, normally kept confidential by the parties. The parties have 

agreed to be bound by the terms of this Protective Order in this action. 

 The materials to be exchanged throughout the course of the litigation 

between the parties may contain trade secret or other confidential research, 

technical, cost, price, marketing or other commercial information, as is 

contemplated by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c)(7). The purpose of this 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 1 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

Order is to protect the confidentiality of such materials as much as practical during 

the litigation. THEREFORE: 

DEFINITIONS

1. The term “Materials” shall include, but shall not be limited to: 

documents, correspondence, memoranda, bulletins, blueprints, specifications, 

customer lists or other material that identify customers or potential customers, 

price lists or schedules or other matter identifying pricing, minutes, telegrams, 

letters, statements, cancelled checks, contracts, invoices, drafts, books of account, 

worksheets, notes of conversations, desk diaries, appointment books, expense 

accounts, recordings, photographs, motion pictures, compilations from which 

information can be obtained and translated into reasonably usable form through 

detection devices, sketches, drawings, notes (including laboratory notebooks and 

records), reports, instructions, disclosures, other writings, models and prototypes 

and other physical objects. 

2. The term “Confidential Information” shall mean and include 

information contained or disclosed in any Materials, including documents, portions 

of documents, answers to interrogatories, responses to requests for admission, trial 

testimony, deposition testimony, and transcripts of trial testimony and depositions, 

including data, summaries, and compilations derived therefrom that is deemed to 

be proprietary or confidential by any party to which it belongs. 

3. The term “Counsel” shall mean in-house or outside counsel of record, 

and other attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, and other support staff employed in the 

law firms that represent any party in this action. 

GENERAL RULES

4. Each party to this litigation that produces or discloses any Materials, 

answers to interrogatories, responses to requests for admission, trial testimony, 

deposition testimony, and transcripts of trial testimony and depositions, or 

information that the producing party believes should be subject to this Protective 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 2 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

Order may designate the same as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “CONFIDENTIAL – 

FOR COUNSEL ONLY.” 

a. Any party may designate information as “CONFIDENTIAL” only if, 

in the good faith belief of such party and its counsel, the unrestricted disclosure of 

such information could be potentially prejudicial to the business or operations of 

such party. 

b. Any party may designate information as “CONFIDENTIAL – FOR 

COUNSEL ONLY” only if, in the good faith belief of such party and its counsel, 

the information is among that considered to be most sensitive by the party, 

including but not limited to trade secret or other confidential research, 

development, financial or other commercial information. 

5. In the event the producing party elects to produce materials for 

inspection, no marking need be made by the producing party in advance of the 

initial inspection. For purposes of the initial inspection, all materials produced 

shall be considered as “CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL ONLY,” and shall be 

treated as such pursuant to the terms of this Order. Thereafter, upon selection of 

specified materials for copying by the inspecting party, the producing party shall, 

within a reasonable time prior to producing those materials to the inspecting party, 

mark the copies of those materials that contain Confidential Information with the 

appropriate confidentiality marking. 

6. Whenever a deposition taken on behalf of any party involves a 

disclosure of Confidential Information of any party: 

a. Said deposition or portions thereof shall be designated as

containing Confidential Information subject to the provisions of this Order; such 

designation shall be made on the record whenever possible, but a party may 

designate portions of depositions as containing Confidential Information after 

transcription of the proceedings; a party shall have until fifteen (15) days after 

receipt of the deposition transcript to inform the other party or parties to the action 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 3 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

of the portions of the transcript designated “CONFIDENTIAL” or 

“CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL ONLY”; 

b. the disclosing party shall have the right to exclude from 

attendance at said deposition, during such time as the Confidential Information is 

to be disclosed, any person other than the deponent, counsel (including their staff 

and associates), the court reporter, and the person(s) agreed upon pursuant to 

paragraph 8 below; and 

c. the originals of said deposition transcripts and all copies thereof 

shall bear the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or “CONFIDENTIAL – FOR 

COUNSEL ONLY,” as appropriate, and the original or any copy ultimately 

presented to a court for filing shall not be filed unless it can be accomplished under 

seal, identified as being subject to this Order, and protected from being opened 

except by order of this Court. 

7. All Confidential Information designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or 

“CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL ONLY” shall not be disclosed by the 

receiving party to anyone other than persons designated herein and shall be 

handled in the manner set forth below and, in any event, shall not be used for any 

purpose other than in connection with this litigation, unless and until such 

designation is removed either by agreement of the parties, or by order of the Court. 

8. Information designated “CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL 

ONLY” shall be viewed only by Counsel (as defined in paragraph 3) of the 

receiving party, and by independent experts under the conditions set forth in this 

paragraph. The right of any independent expert to receive any Confidential 

Information shall be subject to the advance approval of such expert by the 

producing party or by permission of the Court. The party seeking approval of an 

independent expert shall provide the producing party with the name and curriculum 

vitae of the proposed independent expert, and an executed copy of the form 

attached hereto as Exhibit A, in advance of providing any Confidential Information 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 4 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

of the producing party to the expert. Any objection by the producing party to an 

independent expert receiving Confidential Information must be made in writing 

within fourteen (14) days following receipt of the identification of the proposed 

expert. Confidential Information may be disclosed to an independent expert if the 

fourteen (14) day period has passed and no objection has been made. The approval 

of independent experts shall not be unreasonably withheld. 

9. Information designated “CONFIDENTIAL” shall be viewed only by 

Counsel (as defined in paragraph 3) of the receiving party, by independent experts 

(pursuant to the terms of paragraph 8), and by the additional individuals listed 

below, provided each such individual has read this Order in advance of disclosure 

and has agreed in writing to be bound by its terms: 

(a) Executives who are required to participate in policy decisions 

with reference to this action; 

(b) technical personnel of the parties with whom Counsel for the 

parties find it necessary to consult, in the discretion of such 

counsel, in preparation for trial of this action; and 

(c) stenographic and clerical employees associated with the 

individuals identified above. 

10. With respect to material designated “CONFIDENTIAL” or 

“CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL ONLY,” any person indicated on the face 

of the document to be its originator, author or a recipient of a copy thereof, may be 

shown the same. 

11. All information which has been designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or 

“CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL ONLY” by the producing or disclosing 

party, and any and all reproductions thereof, shall be retained in the custody of the 

Counsel for the receiving party identified in paragraph 3, except that independent 

experts authorized to view such information under the terms of this Order may 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 5 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

retain custody of copies such as are necessary for their participation in this 

litigation.

12. Before any materials produced in discovery, answers to 

interrogatories, responses to requests for admission, deposition transcripts, or other 

documents which are designated as Confidential Information are filed with the 

Court for any purpose, the party seeking to file such material shall seek permission 

of the Court to file said material under seal. The parties will follow and abide by 

applicable law with respect to filing documents under seal in this Court. 

13. The trial transcript(s) shall also be considered CONFIDENTIAL and 

shall be used solely in this action. 

14. At any stage of these proceedings, any party may object to a 

designation of the materials as Confidential Information. The party objecting to 

confidentiality shall notify, in writing, counsel for the designating party of the 

objected-to materials and the grounds for the objection. If the dispute is not 

resolved consensually between the parties within seven (7) business days of receipt 

of such a notice of objections, the objecting party may move the Court for a ruling 

on the objection. The materials at issue shall be treated as Confidential 

Information, as designated by the designating party, until the Court has ruled on 

the objection or the matter has been otherwise resolved. 

15. All Confidential Information shall be held in confidence by those 

inspecting or receiving it, and shall be used only for purposes of this action.

Counsel for each party, and each person receiving Confidential Information shall 

take reasonable precautions to prevent the unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure 

of such information. If Confidential Information is disclosed to any person other 

than a person authorized by this Order, the party responsible for the unauthorized 

disclosure must immediately bring all pertinent facts relating to the unauthorized 

disclosure to the attention of the other parties and, without prejudice to any rights 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 6 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

and remedies of the other parties, make every effort to prevent further disclosure 

by the party and by the person(s) receiving the unauthorized disclosure. 

16. No party shall be responsible to another party for disclosure of 

Confidential Information under this Order if the information in question is not 

labeled or otherwise identified as such in accordance with this Order. 

17. If a party, through inadvertence, produces any Confidential 

Information without labeling or marking or otherwise designating it as such in 

accordance with this Order, the designating party may give written notice to the 

receiving party that the document or thing produced is deemed Confidential 

Information, and that the document or thing produced should be treated as such in 

accordance with that designation under this Order. The receiving party must treat 

the materials as confidential, once the designating party so notifies the receiving 

party. Counsel for the parties shall agree on a mutually acceptable manner of 

labeling or marking the inadvertently produced materials “CONFIDENTIAL” or 

“CONFIDENTIAL – FOR COUNSEL ONLY.” 

18. Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of any party to object to the 

production of any discovery material on the grounds that the material is protected 

as privileged or as attorney work product. 

19. Nothing in this Order shall bar counsel from rendering advice to their 

clients with respect to this litigation and, in the course thereof, relying upon any 

information designated as Confidential Information, provided that the contents of 

the information shall not be disclosed. 

20. This Order shall be without prejudice to the right of any party to 

oppose production of any information for lack of relevance or any other ground 

other than the mere presence of Confidential Information. The existence of this 

Order shall not be used by either party as a basis for discovery that is otherwise 

improper under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 7 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

21. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent disclosure of 

Confidential Information if such disclosure is required by law or by order of the 

Court.

22. The provisions of this Order shall not terminate at the conclusion of 

this action. Within ninety (90) days after final termination of this action, including 

any and all appeals, counsel for each party shall, upon request of the producing 

party, return all Confidential Information to the party that produced the 

information, including any copies, excerpts, and summaries thereof, or shall 

destroy same at the option of the receiving party, and shall purge all such 

information from all machine-readable media on which it resides. Notwithstanding 

the foregoing, counsel for each party may retain all pleadings, briefs, memoranda, 

motions, and other documents filed with the Court that refer to or incorporate 

Confidential Information, and will continue to be bound by this Order with respect 

to all such retained information. Further, attorney work product materials that 

contain Confidential Information need not be destroyed, but, if they are not 

destroyed, the person in possession of the attorney work product will continue to 

be bound by this Order with respect to all such retained information. Counsel for 

the parties shall make certification of compliance with the provisions of this 

paragraph and shall deliver that certification to all parties to this action not more 

than one-hundred twenty (120) days after the final termination of this action. 

23. The restrictions and obligations set forth herein shall not apply to any 

information that: (a) The parties agree should not be designated confidential; (b) 

the parties agree, or the Court rules, is already public knowledge; (c) the parties 

agree, or the Court rules, has become public knowledge other than as a result of 

disclosure by the receiving party, its employees, or its agents in violation of this 

Order; or (d) has come or shall come into the receiving party’s legitimate 

knowledge independently of the production by the designating party. Prior 

knowledge must be established by pre-production documentation. 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 8 of 12
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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

24. The restrictions and obligations herein shall not be deemed to prohibit 

discussions of any Confidential Information with anyone if that person already has 

or obtains legitimate possession thereof. 

25. Transmission by facsimile is acceptable for all notification purposes 

herein.

26. This Order may be modified by agreement of the parties, subject to 

approval by the Court. 

27. The Court may modify the terms and conditions of this Order for good 

cause, or in the interest of justice, or on its own order at any time in these 

proceedings. The parties prefer that the Court provide them with notice of the 

Court’s intent to modify the Order and the content of those modifications, prior to 

entry of such an order. 

28. No items will be filed under seal without a prior application to, 

and order from, the judge presiding over the hearing or trial. Only when the 

judge presiding over the hearing or trial permits filing an item or items under 

seal may confidential material filed with the Court be filed in a sealed 

envelope or other container marked on the outside with the caption of this 

action and the following statement: 

“CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER.” 

If any person fails to file protected documents or information under seal, any 

party to this lawsuit may request that the Court place the filing under seal. 

 Whenever the Court grants a party permission to file an item under 

seal, a duplicate disclosing all nonconfidential information shall be filed and 

made part of the public record. The item may be redacted to eliminate 

confidential material from the public document. The public document shall 

be titled to show that it corresponds to an item filed under seal, e.g., 

“Redacted Copy of Sealed Declaration of John Smith in Support of Motion 

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PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

for Summary Judgment.” The sealed and redacted documents shall be filed 

simultaneously.

 IT IS SO ORDERED this 7th day of September, 2007. 

 Judge Ruben B. Brooks 

IT IS SO STIPULATED. 

Dated: August 20, 2007 DEL MAR LAW GROUP 

 _________/s/ John H. Donboli__________________ 

 By: John H. Donboli 

 Attorneys for Plaintiff 

Dated: August 20, 2007 GORDON & REES LLP 

 /s/ Craig J. Mariam_________________________

 By: Craig J. Mariam 

 Attorneys for Defendant BIC USA, INC. 

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AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND BY PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

EXHIBIT A

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Kevin T. Levine, an individual and on 

behalf of the general public, 

Plaintiff,

vs.

BIC USA, INC., a Delaware corporation, 

and DOES 1 through 100, inclusive 

Defendant.

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CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LABRBD

AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND BY 

PROTECTIVE ORDER 

I, _________________________ , declare and say that: 

1. I am employed as ________________________________________

by _________________________________.

2. I have read the Protective Order entered in Levine v. BIC USA, Inc, et 

al., Case No. 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB, and have received a copy of the 

Protective Order. The terms of the Protective Order have been explained to me, 

that I understand the Protective Order, and that to the extent that any action is 

required by me by virtue of the Protective Order, I will comply with all provisions 

of the Protective Order.

3. I promise that I will use any and all “Confidential” or “Confidential – 

For Counsel Only” information, as defined in the Protective Order, given to me 

only in a manner authorized by the Protective Order, and only to assist counsel in 

the litigation of this matter. 

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AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND BY PROTECTIVE ORDER

CASE NO.: 3:07-CV-01096-LAB-RBB

4. I promise that I will not disclose or discuss such “Confidential” or 

“Confidential – For Counsel Only” information with anyone other than the persons 

described in paragraphs 3, 8, and 9 of the Protective Order. 

5. I acknowledge that, by signing this agreement, I am subjecting myself 

to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of 

California with respect to enforcement of the Protective Order. 

6. I understand that any disclosure of use of “Confidential” or 

“Confidential – For Counsel Only” information in any manner contrary to the 

provisions of the Protective Order may subject me to sanctions for contempt of 

court.

7. If I receive notice that a party in any such action or proceeding is 

seeking a court order to compel me to testify in such action or proceeding 

concerning documents or information provided by a party in this proceeding, I 

shall immediately notify counsel for each party.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. 

Executed this ___________day of ________________ 2007, at 

__________________, _______________________.

 signed________________________

 printed_________________________

BICC/1045679/2478845v.1 

Case 3:07-cv-01096-LAB-RBB Document 32 Filed 09/07/07 Page 12 of 12