Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-02781/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-02781-1/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Kaiser Permanente Flexible Benefits Plan
Defendant
Laura Kondrick
Plaintiff
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Defendant

Document Text:

-1- CASE NO. C06-02781 MMC 

STIPULATION AND ORDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

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SEDGWICK, DETERT, MORAN & ARNOLD LLP 

REBECCA A. HULL Bar No. 99802

MICHAEL N. WESTHEIMER Bar No. 178938 

One Market Plaza 

Steuart Tower, 8th Floor 

San Francisco, California 94105 

Telephone: (415) 781-7900 

Facsimile: (415) 781-2635 

Attorneys for Defendants 

Kaiser Permanente Flexible Benefits Plan, 

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 

STEVEN M. CHABRE Bar No. 173271 

THE LAW OFFICES OF STEVEN M. CHABRE 

1335 Park Avenue 

Alameda, California 94501 

Telephone: (510) 749-1440 

Facsimile: (510) 749-0466 

Attorneys for Plaintiff 

Laura Kondrick 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

LAURA KONDRICK, 

Plaintiff, 

v.

KAISER PERMANENTE FLEXIBLE 

BENEFITS PLAN and METROPOLITAN 

LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, 

Defendants.

 CASE NO. C06-02781 MMC 

STIPULATION AND ORDER OF 

CONFIDENTIALITY

JUDGE: Hon. Maxine M. Chesney 

CTRM: 7, 19th Floor 

 

WHEREAS, Plaintiff Laura Kondrick (“Kondrick”) and Defendants Kaiser Permanente 

Flexible Benefits Plan (“Plan”) and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) 

(collectively, “the Parties”) in the above-captioned action are presently engaged in discovery;

WHEREAS, Kondrick has sought the production of certain confidential and proprietary 

Case 3:06-cv-02781-MMC Document 13 Filed 11/29/06 Page 1 of 4
-2- CASE NO. C06-02781 MMC 

STIPULATION AND ORDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

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internal claim procedures manuals, specifically MetLife’s Claims Management Guidelines 

(“CMG’), and MetLife has objected to production on those and other grounds; 

WHEREAS, after engaging in a good faith effort to meet and confer the Parties wish to 

resolve this issue informally without the need to engage in motion practice, and have agreed that 

MetLife will produce those portions of the CMG relating to the issues asserted in Kondrick’s 

claim (subject to and without waiving MetLife’s objection that such discovery is irrelevant and 

not reasonably calculated to lead to discovery of admissible evidence) pursuant a protective 

order, and submit the following Stipulation and [Proposed] Order of Confidentiality; 

NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED as follows: 

1. All documents or information produced by MetLife in the course of discovery in 

this action that (a) are not generally publicly available and (b) are designated by the producing 

party as “Confidential” shall be deemed “Confidential Information.” 

2. Designation of any information as “Confidential” shall be made by stamping each 

page comprising any such document, copy or excerpt thereof with the legend 

“CONFIDENTIAL” or a substantially similar legend at the time of production. 

3. MetLife may designate internal procedures manuals and other internal documents 

produced or information provided in this action for protection under this Stipulation and Order.

If Kondrick disagrees with the designation of any document or information as Confidential by 

opposing counsel, the Parties will attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith on an informal 

basis and, if they are unable to do so, may ask the Court to resolve the dispute. 

4. “Qualified Person” as used herein means: (i) members, employees, counsel, or cocounsel of Steven M. Chabre, Esq., (ii) Laura Kondrick; (iii) any expert consulted by Kondrick 

or Kondrick’s attorneys in the preparation of this action for trial; and (iv) the Court. 

5. Confidential Information may only be disclosed to Qualified Persons and then 

only to the extent counsel in good faith believes that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to 

the prosecution or defense of this litigation. 

6. Each Qualified Person will maintain Confidential Information in confidence and 

will not reveal it to anyone who is not a Qualified Person without the prior written consent of 

Case 3:06-cv-02781-MMC Document 13 Filed 11/29/06 Page 2 of 4
-3- CASE NO. C06-02781 MMC 

STIPULATION AND ORDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

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opposing counsel or, in the absence of such consent, an Order of the Court authorizing such 

disclosure.

7. Counsel for the Parties may, in the course of deposing a person1

 who is not a 

Qualified Person, show the witness Confidential Information and examine the witness 

concerning such information provided that (a) the witness has read this Stipulation and Order 

and agreed in writing to be bound by it; and (b) no persons are present during those portions of 

the examination concerning Confidential Information except the witness, Qualified Persons, 

MetLife’s and Kondrick’s counsel, persons present at the request of MetLife or Kondrick or their 

counsel, and a court reporter. 

8. The transcript of deposition testimony containing Confidential Information shall 

be bound separately, marked by the court reporter “Confidential” and treated as Confidential 

Information subject to the terms of this Stipulation and Order. 

9. If either party wishes to use Confidential Information during any motion or at trial 

of this action, the Parties will, in advance, confer in good faith to agree upon a method to protect 

such Confidential Information, either party may apply to the Court for a mechanism to maintain 

the confidentiality of discovery material designated as Confidential Information. 

10. The disclosure of Confidential Information to a Qualified Person without 

designating it as Confidential shall not constitute a waiver of the producing party’s right to 

designate such information as Confidential at a later time and, if so designated, the information 

shall thenceforth be treated as Confidential subject to all terms of this Stipulation and Order. 

11. All documents filed with the Court that are designated Confidential or contain 

Confidential Information shall be filed under seal and kept under seal until further order of the 

Court. Where possible, only Confidential portions of filings with the Court shall be filed under 

seal.

12. At the conclusion of this lawsuit (including appeals, if any), all Confidential 

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 The Parties acknowledge that the Court has not authorized Kondrick to take any 

depositions, and Kondrick has not noticed any depositions or sought the Court’s authorization to 

take any depositions. Paragraphs 7 and 8 are intended to cover any contingencies. 

Case 3:06-cv-02781-MMC Document 13 Filed 11/29/06 Page 3 of 4
-4- CASE NO. C06-02781 MMC 

STIPULATION AND ORDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

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Information in the possession of any Qualified Person or any other person who has received such 

information pursuant to this Stipulation and Order, together with all copies, extracts and 

summaries thereof, shall be returned to the party that produced it or destroyed. If a party decides 

to destroy Confidential Information rather than returning it, that party must submit, within ten 

(10) days after all proceedings in this case are concluded, an affidavit stating that all 

Confidential Information in its possession, custody or control has been destroyed. No 

Confidential Information may be used in any other judicial or other proceeding or for any other 

purpose, except (i) where required by legal process or by law for lawful purposes, or (ii) upon 

consent of the Parties. 

13. This Stipulation and Order may be modified by a Stipulation so ordered by the 

Court or, if the Parties are unable to agree, by the Court on the application of a party. This 

Stipulation and Order shall be binding on all Qualified Persons and all other persons having 

knowledge of its terms and any violation thereof may be punishable by contempt. 

DATED: November 22, 2006 

DATED: November 22, 2006 

THE LAW OFFICES OF STEVEN M. CHABRE 

By__/s/_______________________________

 Steven M. Chabre 

 Attorney for Plaintiff, Laura Kondrick 

SEDGWICK, DETERT, MORAN & ARNOLD LLP 

By __/s/_______________________________ 

 Rebecca A. Hull 

Michael N. Westheimer 

Attorneys for Defendants, Kaiser Permanente 

Flexible Benefits Plan and Metropolitan Life 

Insurance Company 

IT IS SO ORDERED, with the exception that no party may file any document under seal unless 

that party obtains a sealing order pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5. 

Dated: November 29, 2006 ________________________________________ 

 Honorable Maxine M. Chesney 

 United States District Judge 

Case 3:06-cv-02781-MMC Document 13 Filed 11/29/06 Page 4 of 4