Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-02329/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-02329-2/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Sarah Abella
Plaintiff
Christene D. Abney
Plaintiff
California Health & Wellness Plan
Defendant
Centene Corporation
Defendant
Juanita Denise Jerrett
Plaintiff

Document Text:

LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

ROD M. FLIEGEL, Bar No. 168289

NIMA RAHIMI, Bar No. 295173

LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C. 

650 California Street, 20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

Telephone: 415.433.1940

Facsimile: 415.399.8490

KELSEY E. PAPST, Bar No. 270547

LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

500 Capitol Mall, Suite 2000

Sacramento, CA 95814.4737

Telephone: 916.830.7211

Facsimile: 916.561.0828

Attorneys for Defendants

CALIFORNIA HEALTH & WELLNESS PLAN 

and CENTENE CORPORATION

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CHRISTENE D. ABNEY, SARAH 

ABELLA, JUANITA DENISE JERRETT, 

and all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff,

v.

CALIFORNIA HEALTH & WELLNESS 

PLAN, a California corporation, and 

CENTENE CORPORATION, a Delaware 

corporation,

Defendant.

No. 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD

STIPULATION AND PROTECTIVE 

ORDER

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 1 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 1. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

STIPULATED CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTIVE ORDER

1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

Disclosure and discovery activity in this action are likely to involve production of 

confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public disclosure 

and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be warranted, as well as the 

protections of a Court Order under FRE 502(d) and (e). Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to 

and petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order, as well as an Order, 

pursuant to FRE 502, governing the return of inadvertently produced documents and data and 

affording them the protections of FRE 502(d) and (e), on the terms set forth herein. The parties 

acknowledge that this Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to 

discovery and that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited 

information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles. 

The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 12.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective 

Order does not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Civil Local Rule 141 sets 

forth the procedures that must be followed and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks 

permission from the court to file material under seal.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of 

information or items under this Order.

2.2 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of how it is 

generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection under Federal Rule of 

Civil Procedure 26(c).

2.3 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and In-house Counsel (see 

Section 2.7), as well as their respective support staff.

2.4 Designating Party: A Party or Non-Party that designates information or items that it 

produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as “CONFIDENTIAL.” 

2.5 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of the medium 

or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among other things, testimony, 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 2 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 2. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or generated in disclosures or responses to 

discovery in this matter.

2.6 Document: documents, data (including electronically stored information) and other 

information, including without limitation, metadata. 

2.7 Expert: A person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter pertinent to 

the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an expert witness or as a 

consultant in this action.

2.8 In-house Counsel: Attorneys who are employees of a party to this action. In-house 

Counsel does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside counsel.

2.9 Non-Party: Any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal 

entity not named as a Party to this action.

2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: Attorneys who are not employees of a party to this 

action but are retained to represent or advise a party to this action and have appeared in this action 

on behalf of that party or are affiliated with a law firm which has appeared on behalf of that party.

2.11 Party: Any party to this action, including all of its officers, directors, employees, 

consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their support staffs).

2.12 Producing Party: A Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or Discovery 

Material in this action.

2.13 Professional Vendors: Persons or entities that provide litigation support services 

(e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or demonstrations, and organizing, 

storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) and their employees and subcontractors.

2.14 Protected Material: Any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is designated as 

“CONFIDENTIAL.” 

2.15 Protected Document: Any Document, Disclosure, or Discovery Material that may 

reasonably be subject to a legally recognizable privilege or evidentiary protection.

2.16 Receiving Party: A Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material from a 

Producing Party.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 3 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 3. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

3. SCOPE

The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected Material (as 

defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from Protected Material; (2) all 

copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, 

conversations, or presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. 

However, the protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order do not cover the following 

information: (a) any information that is in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving 

Party or becomes part of the public domain after its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of 

publication not involving a violation of this Order, including becoming part of the public record 

through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to the Receiving Party prior to the 

disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a source who obtained the 

information lawfully and under no obligation of confidentiality to the Designating Party. Any use of 

Protected Material at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or order.

4. DURATION

Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this 

Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise in writing or a court order 

otherwise directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and 

defenses in this action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion 

and exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this action, including the 

time limits for filing any motions or applications for extension of time pursuant to applicable law.

5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL

5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each Party or 

Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under this Order must take care to 

limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate standards. The 

Designating Party must designate for protection only those parts of material, documents, items, or 

oral or written communications that qualify – so that other portions of the material, documents, 

items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within 

the ambit of this Order.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 4 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 4. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are shown 

to be clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily 

encumber or retard the case development process or to impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on 

other parties) expose the Designating Party to sanctions.

If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it designated for 

protection do not qualify for protection, the Designating Party must promptly notify all other Parties 

that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation.

5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this Order 

(see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, 

Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection under this Order must be clearly so 

designated before the material is disclosed or produced.

Designation in conformity with this Order requires:

(a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic documents, but 

excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), that the Producing Party 

affix the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” to each page that contains protected material. If only a portion 

or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly 

identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins).

A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection 

need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it 

would like copied and produced. During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material 

made available for inspection shall be deemed “CONFIDENTIAL.” After the inspecting Party has 

identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which 

documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before producing the 

specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the “CONFIDENTIAL” legend to each page 

that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for 

protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making 

appropriate markings in the margins).

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 5 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 5. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

(b) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings, that the 

Designating Party identify on the record, before the close of the deposition, hearing, or other 

proceeding, all protected testimony. When it is impractical to identify separately each portion of 

testimony that is entitled to protection, and when it appears that substantial portions of the testimony 

may qualify for protection, the Party or Non-party that sponsors, offers, or gives the testimony may 

invoke on the record (before the deposition or proceeding is concluded) a right to have up to 20 days 

after the date of mailing of the final transcript to identify in writing the specific portions of the 

testimony as to which protection is sought. Only those portions of the testimony that are 

appropriately designated for protection within the 20 days shall be covered by the provisions of this 

Stipulated Protective Order. Transcript pages containing Protected Material shall be separately 

bound by the court reporter, who shall affix to each such page the legend “CONFIDENTIAL.”

(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for any other 

tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the exterior of the container or 

containers in which the information or item is stored the legend “CONFIDENTIAL.” If only a 

portion or portions of the information or item warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent 

practicable, shall identify the protected portion(s).

5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure to 

designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the Designating Party’s 

right to secure protection under this Order for such material. Upon timely correction of a 

designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable efforts to assure that the material is treated in 

accordance with the provisions of this Order.

6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS

6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a designation of 

confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party’s confidentiality 

designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic burdens, 

or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a Party does not waive its right to challenge a 

confidentiality designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the original 

designation is disclosed.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 6 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 6. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute resolution process 

by providing written notice of each designation it is challenging and describing the basis for each 

challenge. To avoid ambiguity as to whether a challenge has been made, the written notice must 

recite that the challenge to confidentiality is being made in accordance with this specific paragraph 

of the Protective Order. The parties shall attempt to resolve each challenge in good faith and must 

begin the process by conferring directly (in voice to voice dialogue; other forms of communication 

are not sufficient) within 14 days of the date of service of notice. In conferring, the Challenging 

Party must explain the basis for its belief that the confidentiality designation was not proper and 

must give the Designating Party an opportunity to review the designated material, to reconsider the 

circumstances, and, if no change in designation is offered, to explain the basis for the chosen 

designation. A Challenging Party may proceed to the next stage of the challenge process only if it 

has engaged in this meet and confer process first or establishes that the Designating Party is 

unwilling to participate in the meet and confer process in a timely manner.

6.3 Judicial Intervention. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge without court 

intervention, the Designating Party shall file and serve a motion to retain confidentiality within 21 

days of the initial notice of challenge or within 14 days of the parties agreeing that the meet and 

confer process will not resolve their dispute, whichever is earlier. Each such motion must be 

accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and 

confer requirements imposed in the preceding paragraph. Failure by the Designating Party to make 

such a motion including the required declaration within 21 days (or 14 days, if applicable) shall 

automatically waive the confidentiality designation for each challenged designation. In addition, the 

Challenging Party may file a motion challenging a confidentiality designation at any time if there is 

good cause for doing so, including a challenge to the designation of a deposition transcript or any 

portions thereof. Any motion brought pursuant to this provision must be accompanied by a 

competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and confer 

requirements imposed by the preceding paragraph.

The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the Designating 

Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 7 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 7. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. 

Unless the Designating Party has waived the confidentiality designation by failing to file a motion to 

retain confidentiality as described above, all parties shall continue to afford the material in question 

the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party’s designation until the court 

rules on the challenge.

7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is disclosed or 

produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this case only for prosecuting, 

defending, or attempting to settle this litigation. Such Protected Material may be disclosed only to 

the categories of persons and under the conditions described in this Order. When the litigation has 

been terminated, a Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of section 13 below (FINAL 

DISPOSITION). CONFIDENTIAL information shall not be used or disclosed for any purpose 

whatsoever except the conduct of this litigation, and then only once appropriate protections have 

been put in place.

Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a location and in a 

secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this Order.

7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by 

the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any 

information or item designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:

(a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as 

employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the 

information for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be 

Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A;

(b) the officers, directors, and employees (including In-house Counsel) of the 

Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed 

the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 8 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 8. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

(c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is 

reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement 

to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(d) the court and its personnel;

(e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, 

and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who 

have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(f) during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is reasonably 

necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), 

unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed 

deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately 

bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this 

Stipulated Protective Order.

(g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or 

other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.

7.3 Copies, Extracts, or Summaries of information designated “CONFIDENTIAL.” No 

person shall make copies, extracts or summaries of information designated “CONFIDENTIAL” 

except under the supervision of counsel when, in the judgment of counsel, such copies or other 

papers are necessary for the conduct of this litigation. Each such copy or other paper shall be 

conspicuously marked with an appropriate legend signifying confidential status. Counsel and all 

persons to whom CONFIDENTIAL information is disclosed shall take reasonable and appropriate 

precautions to avoid loss and/or inadvertent disclosure of such material. 

7.4 Hearings. In the event that any CONFIDENTIAL information is used in any public 

hearing in this action, the information shall not lose its confidential and privileged status through 

such use, and counsel shall take all steps reasonably required to protect the confidentiality of such 

information.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 9 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 9. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

8. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER 

LITIGATION 

If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels 

disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL,” that Party 

must: 

(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall include a 

copy of the subpoena or court order; 

(b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in 

the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to this 

Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and 

(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the 

Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.

If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the subpoena 

or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL” 

before a determination by the court from which the subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has 

obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and 

expense of seeking protection in that court of its confidential material – and nothing in these 

provisions should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this action to 

disobey a lawful directive from another court.

9. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED IN 

THIS LITIGATION 

(a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a NonParty in this action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Such information produced by NonParties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief provided by this 

Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking 

additional protections. 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 10 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 10. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a 

Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement with 

the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s confidential information, then the Party shall: 

(1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that 

some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with 

a Non-Party;

(2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated 

Protective Order in this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably 

specific description of the information requested; and 

(3) make the information requested available for inspection by the NonParty. 

(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this court 

within 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may 

produce the Non-Party’s confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If the NonParty timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its 

possession or control that is subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a 

determination by the court. Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden 

and expense of seeking protection in this court of its Protected Material.

10. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed Protected 

Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this Stipulated Protective Order, 

the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized 

disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) 

inform the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this 

Order, and (d) request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to 

Be Bound” that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 11 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 11. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

11. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED 

MATERIAL 

WHEREAS, the Parties have agreed to stipulate to protect certain privileged and otherwise 

protected Documents against claims of waiver and inadvertent production in the event they are 

produced during the course of this litigation whether pursuant to a Court Order, a Parties’ discovery 

request or informal production.

WHEREAS, both Parties may be required to produce large volumes of Documents. The 

parties wish to comply with discovery deadlines and complete discovery as expeditiously as 

possible, while preserving and without waiving any evidentiary protections or privileges applicable 

to the information contained in the Documents produced, including as against third parties and other 

Federal and State proceedings, and in addition to their agreement, need the additional protections of 

a Court Order under FRE 502(d) and (e) to do so. 

WHEREAS, in order to comply with applicable discovery deadlines, a Party may be required 

to produce certain categories of Documents that have been subject to minimal or no attorney review . 

This Stipulation and Order is designed to foreclose any arguments that by making any Disclosures, 

the disclosure or production of Documents subject to a legally recognized claim of privilege, 

including without limitation the attorney-client privilege, work-product doctrine, or other applicable 

privilege: 

(a) was not inadvertent by the Producing Party; 

(b) that the Producing Party did not take reasonable steps to prevent the 

disclosure of privileged Documents; 

(c) that the Producing Party did not take reasonable or timely steps to 

rectify such Disclosure; and/or 

(d) that such Disclosure acts as a waiver of applicable privileges or 

protections associated with such Documents.

WHEREAS, because the purpose of this Stipulation is to protect and preserve privileged 

Documents, the parties agree they are bound as follows from and after the date their counsel have 

signed it, even if such execution occurs prior to Court approval.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 12 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 12. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED THAT:

1) Pursuant to FRE 502(d) and (e), the parties agree to and the Court orders protection of 

privileged and otherwise protected Documents against claims of waiver (including as against third 

parties and in other federal and state proceedings) as follows: 

(a) The disclosure or production of Documents by a Producing Party subject to a 

legally recognized claim of privilege, including without limitation the 

attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine, to a Receiving Party, 

shall in no way constitute the voluntary disclosure of such Document.

(b) The inadvertent disclosure or production of any Document this action shall 

not result in the waiver of any privilege, evidentiary protection or other 

protection associated with such Document as to the Receiving Party or any 

third parties, and shall not result in any waiver, including subject matter 

waiver, of any kind.

(c) If, during the course of this litigation, a party determines that a Protected

Document has produced by another party:

(i) the Receiving Party shall: (A) refrain from reading the Protected 

Document any more closely than is necessary to ascertain that it is 

privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure; (B) immediately 

notify the Producing Party in writing that it has discovered Documents 

believed to be privileged or protected; (C) specifically identify the 

Protected Documents by Bates number range or hash value, and, (D) 

within ten (10) days of discovery by the Receiving Party, return, 

sequester, or destroy all copies of such Protected Documents, along 

with any notes, abstracts or compilations of the content thereof. To the 

extent that a Protected Document has been loaded into a litigation 

review database under the control of the Receiving Party, the 

Receiving Party shall have all electronic copies of the Protected 

Document extracted from the database. Where such Protected 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 13 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 13. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

Documents cannot be destroyed or separated, they shall not be 

reviewed, disclosed, or otherwise used by the Receiving Party. 

Notwithstanding, the Receiving Party is under no obligation to search 

or review the Producing Party’s Documents to identify potentially 

privileged or work product Protected Documents.

(ii) If the Producing Party intends to assert a claim of privilege or other 

protection over Documents identified by the Receiving Party as 

Protected Documents, the Producing Party will, within ten (10) days of 

receiving the Receiving Party’s written notification described above, 

inform the Receiving Party of such intention in writing and shall 

provide the Receiving Party with a log for such Protected Documents 

that is consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure, setting forth the basis for the claim of privilege or other 

protection. In the event that any portion of a Protected Document does 

not contain privileged or protected information, the Producing Party 

shall also provide to the Receiving Party a redacted copy of the 

document that omits the information that the Producing Party believes 

is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection. 

(d) If, during the course of this litigation, a party determines it has produced a 

Protected Document:

(i) the Producing Party may notify the Receiving Party of such 

inadvertent production in writing, and demand the return of such 

documents. Such notice shall be in writing, however, it may be 

delivered orally on the record at a deposition, promptly followed up in 

writing. The Producing Party’s written notice will identify the 

Protected Document inadvertently produced by bates number range or 

hash value, the privilege or protection claimed, and the basis for the 

assertion of the privilege and shall provide the Receiving Party with a 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 14 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 14. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

log for such Protected Documents that is consistent with the 

requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, setting forth the 

basis for the claim of privilege or other protection. In the event that 

any portion of the Protected Document does not contain privileged or 

protected information, the Producing Party shall also provide to the 

Receiving Party a redacted copy of the Document that omits the 

information that the Producing Party believes is subject to a claim of 

privilege or other protection. 

(ii) The Receiving Party must, within ten (10) days of receiving the 

Producing Party’s written notification described above, return, 

sequester, or destroy the Protected Document and any copies, along 

with any notes, abstracts or compilations of the content thereof. To the 

extent that a Protected Document has been loaded into a litigation 

review database under the control of the Receiving Party, the 

Receiving Party shall have all electronic copies of the Protected 

Document extracted from the database.

(e) To the extent that the information contained in a Protected Document has 

already been used in or described in other documents generated or maintained 

by the Receiving Party prior to the date of receipt of written notice by the 

Producing Party as set forth in paragraphs (c)(ii) and d(i), then the Receiving 

Party shall sequester such Documents until the claim has been resolved. If the 

Receiving Party disclosed the Protected Document before being notified of its 

inadvertent production, it must take reasonable steps to retrieve it.

(f) The Receiving Party’s return, sequestering or destruction of Protected 

Documents as provided herein will not act as a waiver of the Requesting 

Party’s right to move for the production of the returned, sequestered or 

destroyed Documents on the grounds that the Documents are not, in fact, 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 15 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 15. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

subject to a viable claim of privilege or protection. However, the Receiving 

Party is prohibited and estopped from arguing that:

(i) the disclosure or production of the Protected Documents acts as a 

waiver of an applicable privilege or evidentiary protection; 

(ii) the disclosure of the Protected Documents was not inadvertent;

(iii) the Producing Party did not take reasonable steps to prevent the 

disclosure of the Protected Documents; or

(iv) the Producing Party failed to take reasonable or timely steps to rectify 

the error pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B), or 

otherwise.

(g) Either party may submit Protected Documents to the Court under seal for a 

determination of the claim of privilege or other protection. The Producing 

Party shall preserve the Protected Documents until such claim is resolved. 

The Receiving Party may not use the Protected Documents for any purpose 

absent this Court’s Order.

(h) Upon a determination by the Court that the Protected Documents are protected 

by the applicable privilege or evidentiary protection, and if the Protected 

Documents have been sequestered rather than returned or destroyed by the 

Receiving Party, the Protected Documents shall be returned or destroyed 

within 10 (ten) days of the Court’s order. The Court may also order the 

identification by the Receiving Party of Protected Documents by search terms 

or other means.

(i) Nothing contained herein is intended to, or shall serve to limit a Party’s right 

to conduct a review of documents, data (including electronically stored 

information) and other information, including without limitation, metadata, 

for relevance, responsiveness and/or the segregation of privileged and/or 

protected information before such information is produced to another party.

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 16 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 16. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

(j) By operation of the parties’ agreement and Court Order, the parties are 

specifically afforded the protections of FRE 502 (d) and (e).

12. MISCELLANEOUS

12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any person to seek 

its modification by the court in the future.

12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this Protective Order 

no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to disclosing or producing any 

information or item on any ground not addressed in this Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no 

Party waives any right to object on any ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by 

this Protective Order.

12.3 Filing Protected Material. Without written permission from the Designating Party or a 

court order secured after appropriate notice to all interested persons, a Party may not file in the 

public record in this action any Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected 

Material must comply with Civil Local Rule 141. Protected Material may only be filed under seal 

pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected Material at issue. Pursuant 

to Civil Local Rule 141, a sealing order will issue only upon a request establishing that the Protected 

Material at issue is entitled to protection under applicable law. If a Receiving Party's request to file 

Protected Material under seal pursuant to Civil Local Rule 141 is denied by the court, then the 

Receiving Party may file the information in the public record pursuant to Civil Local Rule 141 

unless otherwise instructed by the court.

12.4 Once executed by all parties, this Stipulation shall be by treated by the Parties as an 

Order of Court until it is formally approved by the Court.

13. FINAL DISPOSITION

Within 60 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph 4, each 

Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. 

As used in this subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, 

summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether 

the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 17 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

20th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94108.2693

415.433.1940

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 17. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) 

by the 60 day deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material 

that was returned or destroyed and (2) affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, 

abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected 

Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an archival copy of all 

pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, 

correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant 

and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies 

that contain or constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in 

Section 4 (DURATION).

If Protected Material has been loaded into any litigation review database, the attorney for the 

Party using such database shall have the responsibility of ensuring that all such Protected Material 

(including all associated images and native files), are extracted from such databases (including any 

associated staging databases) and destroyed. “Destroyed” shall mean deletion of documents from all 

databases, applications and/or file systems in a manner such that they are not readily accessible 

without the use of specialized tools or techniques typically used by a forensic expert.

The Parties, Counsel, and Experts or consultants for a Party shall not be required to return or 

to destroy any Protected Material to the extent such information is (i) stored on media that is 

generally considered not reasonably accessible, such as disaster recovery backup tapes, or (ii) only 

retrievable through the use of specialized tools or techniques typically used by a forensic expert; 

provided that to the extent any Protected Material is not returned or destroyed due to the foregoing 

reasons, such Protected Material shall remain subject to the confidentiality obligations of this 

Stipulation and Order. 

Case 2:14-cv-02329-MCE-DAD Document 11 Filed 01/29/15 Page 18 of 21
LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

650 California Street

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 18. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

IT IS SO STIPULATED.

Dated: January 23, 2015 ANDERSON, OGILVIE & BREWER, LLP 

By: /s/ Mark E. Anderson, (as authorized on 01/23/15)

MARK E. ANDERSON

Attorney for Plaintiffs

CHRISTENE D. ABNEY, SARAH ABELLA and

JUANITA DENISE JERRETT

Dated: January 23, 2015 LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

By: /s/ Rod M. Fliegel

ROD M. FLIEGEL

NIMA RAHIMI

KELSEY E. PAPST

Attorneys for Defendants

CALIFORNIA HEALTH & WELLNESS PLAN

and CENTENE CORPORATION

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LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 19. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

EXHIBIT A

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND

I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of _________________ 

[print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and

understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the 

Eastern District of California on ___________________ [date] in the case of Christine D. Abney, et 

al. v. California Health & Wellness Plan and Centene Corporation , Case Number 2:14-CV-02329-

MCE-DAD. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective 

Order and I understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and 

punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any 

information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity except 

in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.

I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Eastern 

District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, even 

if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.

I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of 

_______________________________________ [print or type full address and telephone number] as 

my California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any proceedings related 

to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.

Date: _________________

City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________

Printed name: ______________________________

Signature: __________________________________

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LITTLER MENDELSON, P.C.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER; 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 20. Case No. 2:14-CV-02329-MCE-DAD

ORDER

Pursuant to the parties’ stipulation, IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 28, 2015

Ddad1\orders.civil

abney2329.stip.prot.ord.docx

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