Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_08-cv-02556/USCOURTS-caed-2_08-cv-02556-9/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
California Department of Toxic Substances Control
Counter Defendant
Stephen P. Elder
Counter Claimant
Elder Development, Inc.
Counter Claimant
Sterling Centrecorp Inc.
Defendant
United States of America
Counter Defendant

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_________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Plaintiffs, the United States of America and the California Department of Toxic Substances 

Control, and Defendant Sterling Centrecorp, Inc., have jointly moved the court for issuance of a 

protective order limiting discovery in Phase 1 of this bifurcated case. The remaining Defendants, 

Stephen P. Elder and Elder Development, Inc. have not opposed that motion. 

Given the joint motion and the lack of any opposition, and because Phase 1 of this bifurcated 

case will involve the production of documents that contain information entitled to confidential 

treatment, the Court finds that good cause exists for issuance of an order requiring limited disclosure 

of such information. The joint motion for such an order filed by the parties hereto pursuant to 

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c) is accordingly granted. 

/// 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and 

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TOXIC 

SUBSTANCES CONTROL, 

Plaintiffs, 

vs. 

STERLING CENTRECORP INC., STEPHEN P. 

ELDER, and ELDER DEVELOPMENT, INC., 

 Defendants. 

Case No. 2:08-cv-02556- MCE-JFM 

ORDER PROTECTING CONFIDENTIAL 

INFORMATION 

Date: March 11, 2010 

Time: 2:00 P.M. 

Courtroom: 7 

Trial Date: March 5, 2012 

Judge: Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. 

[Complaint Filed: October 27, 2008] 

Case 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-DB Document 81 Filed 03/11/10 Page 1 of 7
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-2-

 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the following confidentiality provisions shall apply with 

respect to all information disclosed pursuant to discovery in this litigation: 

PROTECTIVE ORDER 

1. Documents produced during discovery and containing information which may be 

entitled to confidential treatment shall be handled in accordance with the terms of this Protective 

Order. 

2. As used in this Protective Order, the term “confidential information” means trade 

secrets or commercial or financial information which may be entitled to confidential treatment under 

40 C.F.R. Part 2. This information has not been determined by Plaintiff under 40 C.F.R. Part 2, 

subpart B, not to be entitled to confidential treatment. 

3. Any information to be produced pursuant to this Protective Order shall be marked 

conspicuously with the word “CONFIDENTIAL” by the producing party on each page of each 

document prior to production to the other parties. The transmittal of information designated as 

confidential shall be done by letter from the producing party stating that the information designated 

as confidential is subject to this Protective Order. Information contained in an answer to any 

question asked during a deposition taken pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 30 or 31 may be so designated 

by a statement indicated on the record during the course of the deposition and on the same day that 

the answer is given, or within thirty (30) days after a party receives a copy of the deposition 

transcript. Any answers given, or exhibits introduced, during the course of a deposition that contain 

confidential information shall be treated as confidential under this Protective Order. Counsel 

conducting the deposition shall have the responsibility to exclude from that portion of the deposition 

in which confidential information is discussed all individuals who are not authorized to have access 

to confidential information pursuant to this Protective Order except for the court reporter and other 

officers of the court. The deposition cover page of any deposition containing confidential 

information shall be stamped as follows: 

This deposition contains confidential information subject to a 

Protective Order Governing Confidential Information entered 

in United States of America, et al., v. Sterling Centrecorp, Inc., 

et al., No. 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-JFM. 

Case 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-DB Document 81 Filed 03/11/10 Page 2 of 7
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4. Information designated as confidential under this Protective Order shall not be used 

or disclosed by the parties or by any other person subject to Paragraph 5 below for any purpose other 

than the preparation for, and trial of, this action and any appeal therein. 

5. The parties and their counsel, and any nonparty subject to this Protective Order, shall 

not disclose or permit disclosure of information designated as confidential to any other person 

including, without limitation, any officer, director, employee, agent, or representative of the parties 

or their counsel, or any nonparty, except in the following circumstances: 

 a. Disclosure may be made to Defendant Stephen P. Elder (“Elder”), employees 

of, or counsel to, a party who have responsibility for the preparation and trial of this action, or any 

appeal thereof. “Counsel” shall include all attorneys and support staff of any law firm or 

government agency involved in the representation of a party. Elder and any employee of a party to 

whom disclosure is to be made shall be advised of, and become subject to, the provisions of this 

Protective Order prior to such disclosure by executing the Confidentiality Agreement annexed 

hereto. 

 b. Disclosure may be made to consultants, witnesses, experts, or employees of 

experts ("Experts") employed or otherwise engaged by a party or its counsel to assist in the 

preparation and trial of this litigation. Prior to disclosure to any Expert, the Expert must agree to be 

bound by the terms of this Protective Order by executing the Confidentiality Agreement annexed 

hereto. A copy of each executed Confidentiality Agreement shall be delivered to and maintained by 

counsel for the party who has retained the Expert not less than five (5) business days prior to 

disclosure to the Expert. 

 c. Disclosure may be made during a deposition to a deposition witness not 

otherwise authorized to have access to confidential information only if the witnesses is first advised 

of the provisions of this Protective Order and agrees on the record to be bound by its terms. 

/// 

/// 

/// 

/// 

Case 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-DB Document 81 Filed 03/11/10 Page 3 of 7
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-4-

 d. Disclosure may be made by DTSC or its counsel to any state or local 

government agency for official use relating to the investigation of, or prosecution for, alleged or 

potential violations of any law, provided, as to each individual to whom such confidential 

information is provided, such person shall first be provided a copy of this Protective Order and shall 

agree in writing to be bound by its terms with respect to the use or disclosure of confidential 

information beyond the scope of the investigation or prosecution in which the individual is 

involved. 

6. All persons subject to this Protective Order who obtain information designated as 

confidential hereunder shall take all necessary and appropriate measures to maintain the 

confidentiality of the information, shall share such information only with persons authorized to 

receive it pursuant to this Protective Order, and shall retain the information in a secure manner. 

Except as provided in Paragraph 5 above, no other person shall be permitted access to the 

information. 

7. A person who obtains access to information designated as confidential under this 

Protective Order may make copies, duplicates, extracts, summaries, or descriptions of the 

information or any portion thereof only for the purpose of preparation for litigation in this matter. 

All copies, duplicates, extracts, summaries and descriptions of confidential documents shall be 

subject to the terms of this Protective Order to the same extent and manner as the confidential 

documents themselves. 

8. Any information designated as confidential under this Protective Order shall be filed 

with the Court in sealed envelopes, or other appropriate sealed containers, on which shall be 

endorsed (a) the caption of this litigation, (b) an indication of the nature of the contents of such 

sealed envelope or container, (c) the word “CONFIDENTIAL”, and (d) a statement substantially in 

the following form: 

“This envelope, containing documents which are filed in this case by ______, is not to be 

opened and the contents are not to be displayed or revealed except by order of the Court or consent 

of the producing party.” 

/// 

Case 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-DB Document 81 Filed 03/11/10 Page 4 of 7
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-5-

9. Any unauthorized disclosure of information designated as confidential under this 

Protective Order shall not result in a waiver of any claim of confidentiality made by a party. 

10. Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this Protective Order shall be deemed to 

preclude Plaintiffs or Defendants from objecting to the designation of documents or other discovery 

material as confidential information. In such event, the party objecting to any such designation shall 

have the burden of filing a motion with the Court challenging such designation; the party designating 

such material as confidential shall have the burden of demonstrating that there is good cause to 

designate the documents or materials as such and that they properly are subject to treatment under 

this Protective Order. During the pendency of any motion under this Paragraph, the documents that 

are the subject of such motion shall continue to be treated as confidential under this Protective 

Order. 

11. Any Party that receives a subpoena, Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request or 

Public Records Act request from a third party for such information, no less than thirty (30) days 

prior to the proposed disclosure or response to the subpoena, or FOIA or Public Records Act 

Request, or as soon as is reasonably practical, shall provide notice to the Party that produced the 

information proposed for disclosure and the legal requirement such Party believes compels the 

proposed disclosure. If the third party brings an action against the recipient of the subpoena, FOIA 

request, or Public Records Act request, the recipient shall provide notice to the Party that produced 

the information within ten (10) days of service of the action. The recipient of the subpoena, FOIA 

request, or Public Records Act request shall stipulate to the intervention by the Party that produced 

the information in any action that could result in the disclosure of the information. 

12. Within 90 days after termination of this action by judgment, settlement or otherwise, 

or as may be determined by the court: 

 a. Any person who obtained information designated as confidential hereunder 

shall assemble and return such information to the producing party, including all copies, duplicates, 

extracts, summaries, or descriptions of the information or portions thereof, except to the extent that 

such return is prohibited by state or federal recordkeeping statutes or regulations. Such return shall 

be certified in writing by the person who obtained the information. 

Case 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-DB Document 81 Filed 03/11/10 Page 5 of 7
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All such information covered by this Protective Order which constitutes the work product of counsel 

shall be destroyed, except to the extent that such destruction is prohibited by state or federal 

recordkeeping statutes or regulations; and 

 b. The Clerk of the Court shall maintain under seal all papers filed under seal 

until the Court orders otherwise. 

13. This protective order is limited in scope to confidential information produced during 

the discovery period of Phase 1 of this trial. Additional or different requirements governing 

disclosure of confidential information in Phase 2, including those governing disclosure of EPA 

contractor CBI, may be negotiated among the parties at a later date. Until such time that a protective 

order governing Phase 2 documents is issued, any trade secret, commercial or financial information 

exchanged during Phase 2 shall be treated in accordance with 40 C.F.R. Part 2. 

 IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: March 10, 2010 

__________________________________ 

MORRISON C. ENGLAND, JR 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

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-7-

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT 

The undersigned is employed or otherwise engaged as a consultant or contractor by the 

following company located at the following address: 

The undersigned hereby acknowledges that he/she has read the foregoing Protective Order 

executed by the attorneys of record for the parties in the action presently pending in the U.S. District 

Court for the Eastern District of California, entitled United States et al. v. Sterling Centrecorp, Inc.,

et al., No. 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-JFM, and that he/she understands the terms thereof, and agrees, 

upon threat of penalty of contempt, to be bound by such terms. The undersigned further understands 

that disclosure of information which has been designated as confidential by the submitter of that 

information may cause substantial harm to the affected business' competitive position. Accordingly, 

among other responsibilities, the undersigned shall only share such information with persons 

specifically authorized to receive the information pursuant to the Protective Order, shall retain the 

information in a secure manner, and shall use such information only for the purposes authorized by 

the Protective Order. The undersigned further understands that the pledge of confidentiality under 

this Agreement continues after the lawsuit is over. Furthermore, the undersigned understands that a 

breach of the Protective Order may subject him/her to civil claims for damages and to criminal 

prosecution under 42 U.S.C. § 9604(e)(7)(B). 

Dated: 

Signed: 

Case 2:08-cv-02556-MCE-DB Document 81 Filed 03/11/10 Page 7 of 7