IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

ANDREA CONSTAND : CIVIL ACTION

: 05-1099

Plaintiff, :

:

v. :

:

WILLIAM H. COSBY, JR. :

:

Defendant. :

M E M O R A N D U M

EDUARDO C. ROBRENO, J. JUNE 2, 2005

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, Andrea Constand, brings this diversity

action against defendant, William H. Cosby, Jr., asserting claims

of battery, sexual assault, intentional and negligent infliction

of emotional distress, defamation/defamation per se and false

light/invasion of privacy. Plaintiff is the former Director of

Operations for the Women’s Basketball program at Temple

University. Defendant is a well-known entertainer and celebrity

and a supporter of Temple University programs. Plaintiff met

defendant while she was employed at Temple University. 

The gravamen of plaintiff’s complaint is that while

alone with defendant at defendant’s home in January 2004,

defendant deceived plaintiff into ingesting a narcotic or other

type of drug which caused plaintiff to become semi-conscious, and

thereafter defendant sexually assaulted plaintiff. Plaintiff

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also contends that after she reported defendant’s alleged actions

to the Durham, Ontario police, defendant and/or his authorized

representatives knowingly made false statements to the media

about plaintiff. In connection with her allegations, plaintiff

seeks an award of compensatory damages plus reasonable attorneys’

fees, interest, costs, punitive damages, and other unspecified

relief.

Presently before the Court are two motions for

protective orders. One, plaintiff seeks to keep confidential the

identity of prospective witnesses who are expected to testify at

trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 415 (“Evidence of

Similar Acts in Civil Cases Concerning Sexual Assault”). Two,

defendant seeks to preclude the parties from disclosing any

information learned in discovery to anyone other than the parties

themselves, their counsel and representatives working on their

behalf and to preclude use of any such information for any

purpose other than this litigation. The Court held a hearing to

address issues raised in these motions on May 11, 2005.

In plaintiff’s motion for a protective order, which

defendant initially opposed, plaintiff argues that the identities

of ten or more of the prospective Rule 415 witnesses, whom

plaintiff tagged as “Jane Doe witnesses” in disclosures to

defendant (“Jane Doe witnesses”), should be protected from public

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1 Although plaintiff has not disclosed the identities of

these Jane Doe witnesses to defendant, prompting defendant to

file a motion to compel, plaintiff does not seek to protect the

identities of these witnesses from defendant. Rather, plaintiff

seeks only to protect their identities from the press and the

public.

3

disclosure.1 At the hearing, plaintiff’s counsel stated that at

least thirteen Rule 415 witnesses may testify, (Hr’g Tr. Troiani

(5/11/05) at 21), and that all but two are represented by

counsel, with one of the unrepresented witnesses being an

attorney herself, (Hr’g Tr. Kivitz (5/11/05) at 29). In support

of her position, plaintiff argues that there are important

privacy concerns at issue in disclosing the Jane Doe witnesses’

names and addresses to the media. In particular, the anticipated

testimony of the Jane Doe witnesses relates to details of alleged

similar incidents of sexual assaults involving the defendant. 

Plaintiff argues that disclosure of these witnesses’ identities

may place the Jane Doe witnesses at risk of physical and

psychological harm from media exposure. Plaintiff also contends

that disclosure of their identities may expose the Jane Doe

witnesses to the risk of harm from overly zealous fans and

supporters of the celebrity defendant.

Defendant initially challenged plaintiff’s ability to

move for a protective order to conceal the identities of the Jane

Doe witnesses arguing that plaintiff may only move for a

protective order to protect her own interests and not the

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interests of third-party witnesses. Defendant also argued that

if such a protective order is granted, the Jane Doe witnesses

will be free to make anonymous public accusations about

defendant’s sexual history without corresponding scrutiny. 

However, at the hearing, counsel for defendant clarified that

defendant was not opposed to protecting the names of the Jane Doe

witnesses from public disclosure at this time (i.e., during the

discovery period), so long as defendant is provided with their

names and has the opportunity to depose them. (Hr’g Tr. O’Connor

(5/11/05) at 14-15.)

Defendant’s motion requests a blanket protective order

preventing the parties (and presumably counsel and witnesses)

from publicly disclosing or discussing any information learned in

discovery. In support of this motion, defendant argues that a

protective order cloaking information produced in discovery will

protect the parties and witnesses in this case from embarrassment

and invasion of privacy and will help preserve a fair and

unbiased jury pool. Defendant highlights the publicity this case

has already garnered and predicts that public disclosure of the

discovery proceedings could result in serious and palpable

embarrassment to the defendant.

At the hearing, defense counsel explained that

defendant’s request for a protective order went beyond protecting

information obtained by the parties during discovery. In

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essence, defendant would like the Court to issue a gag order

prohibiting the parties and counsel from making any extrajudicial

statements about any aspect of the case. Id. at 12-13, 25. 

Plaintiff opposes defendant’s request for a protective

order cloaking in a mantle of confidentiality all discovery

obtained in this case and for a more expansive gag order. 

Plaintiff argues that defendant is a person with unfettered

access to worldwide media outlets and that, in fact, defendant

has already utilized the media in this litigation by portraying

himself as the type of individual who would not engage in the

behavior alleged herein. Plaintiff posits that if the Court were

to seal discovery, defendant would promote his own innocence by

talking to the media, lecturing at public venues and otherwise

promoting his public image. According to plaintiff’s counsel, if

plaintiff is denied the right to have her counsel speak for her

in public, she will have no public voice with which to counteract

defendant. (Hr’g Tr. Troiani (5/11/05) at 6.) Plaintiff’s

counsel argues that because the defendant’s friends and agents

are speaking out on his behalf, it is necessary for the

plaintiff’s attorneys to speak out to present the public with a

balanced picture of the case. Id. at 6-8.

In essence, the parties have presented the Court with

three issues:

1. Whether the Court should enter a gag

order limiting the ability of the

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parties and counsel to make

extrajudicial statements;

2. Whether the names of prospective Rule

415 Jane Doe witnesses should be

disclosed to counsel only and otherwise

kept confidential; and

3. Whether the Court should enter a

protective order cloaking all discovery

in the case in a mantle of

confidentiality.

The Court will address these issues seriatim.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Should the Court Enter a Gag Order Limiting the

Ability of the Parties and Counsel to Make

Extrajudicial Statements? 

“It is difficult to strike a balance between protecting

the right to a fair trial and safeguarding the right of free

expression.” Rules of Prof’l Conduct, R. 3.6, 42 Pa.C.S.A., cmt.

1 (Supp. 2005). Extrajudicial statements by counsel of record in

an ongoing, high-profile civil proceeding, such as here, presents

a case in point.

On the one hand, it is true that a lawyer’s

extrajudicial statements may contribute to the public’s

understanding of the judicial process in general or help explain

the intricacies of a particular case. This is specially so when,

as here, by virtue of the public notoriety of one of the parties

and the subject matter of the action, the case attracts

significant media attention. Yet, on the other hand,

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2 See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Lambert, No. 423-1992 (Pa. Com.

Pl. Apr. 14, 1998); Commonwealth v. DuPont, No. 29-96 (Pa. Com.

Pl. Jan. 13, 1997); State v. Grossberg, No. 9611007811 (Del.

Super. Ct. Mar. 21, 1996).

7

extrajudicial statements by counsel heighten the risk of turning

litigation into a media circus, polluting the jury pool and

lowering the esteem and dignity of the court in the eyes of the

public.

Faced with this dilemma, some courts have entered some

form of “gag order” limiting parties, counsel and even witnesses

from publicly discussing the facts or merits of a case.2 Given

the First Amendment implications of a sweeping gag order,

however, limiting speech by parties and witnesses, particularly

in a civil case and this early in the proceeding, is not to be

likely undertaken. Neither should the Court undertake to limit

counsels’ extrajudicial statements without great care. Rather,

the Court must be convinced, not merely suspect, that there is a

substantial likelihood that extrajudicial statements by counsel,

in light of the circumstances of the case, will materially

prejudice the pending proceedings. Gentile v. State Bar of Nev.,

501 U.S. 1030, 1075 (1991); United States v. Scarfo, 263 F.3d 80,

93-94 (3d Cir. 2001). The Supreme Court has held that this

“‘substantial likelihood of material prejudice’ standard

constitutes a constitutionally permissible balance between the

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3 Statements made in pleadings may be stricken by the Court

under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f). Rule 12(f), in

pertinent part, provides that “upon the court's own initiative at

any time, the court may order stricken from any pleading any . .

. redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.” 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f).

4 The District Attorney for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

investigated this matter for several weeks, ultimately declining

8

First Amendment rights of attorneys in pending cases and the

State’s interest in fair trials.” Gentile, 501 U.S. at 1075.

In light of these concerns, there are at least three

reasons why the Court need not enter a gag order in this case, at

least not now, and not of the breadth of the one proposed by

defendant in this case. One, limiting parties and witnesses from

making extrajudicial statements during a pending civil proceeding

raises constitutional questions where similar limitations upon

lawyers do not. See id. at 1071 (noting that in In re Sawyer,

360 U.S. 622 (1959), the Court “observed that lawyers in pending

cases were subject to ethical restrictions on speech to which an

ordinary citizen would not be.”). 

Two, although at least one counsel has made

extrajudicial statements to the media concerning certain aspects

of the case, the bulk of the media coverage has centered on the

averments made by the parties in the pleadings.3 Thus, silencing

the lawyers outside the courtroom alone would not necessarily

lessen the sensationalist tone of the public coverage witnessed

here.4

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to prosecute it. As a consequence of that investigation,

substantial publicity was generated before the instant case was

even filed.

5 Local Rule of Civil Procedure 83.6 (Rule IV(B)) provides

in pertinent part that “[t]he Rules of Professional Conduct

adopted by this Court are the Rules of Professional Conduct

adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as amended from

time to time by that Court, except as otherwise provided by

specific Rule of this Court. . . .” E.D. Pa. R. Civ. P. 83.6

(Rule IV(B)).

9

Three, attorneys’ extrajudicial statements are already

subject to sanction, albeit seldom enforced, under the

Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. Specifically, Rule

3.6, applicable in this Court through operation of Eastern

District of Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 83.6 (Rule

IV(B)),5 was adopted in 1987 and recently amended. Its pedigree

traces to the American Bar Association (“ABA”) Model Code of

Professional Responsibility and the ABA Standards Relating to

Fair Trial and Free Press, as amended in 1978. The Rule puts

flesh on the bones of the “substantial likelihood of material

prejudice” standard endorsed by the United States Supreme Court. 

It is applicable to all members of this Bar and to those

attorneys who are admitted pro hac vice in this case.

In pertinent part, the Rule provides:

(a) A lawyer who is participating or has

participated in the investigation or

litigation of a matter shall not make an

extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows

or reasonably should know will be

disseminated by means of public communication

and will have a substantial likelihood of

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materially prejudicing an adjudicative

proceeding in the matter.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a

lawyer may state:

(1) the claim, offense or defense

involved and, except when prohibited by law,

the identity of the persons involved;

(2) information contained in a public

record;

(3) that an investigation of the matter

is in progress;

(4) the scheduling or result of any step

in litigation;

(5) a request for assistance in

obtaining evidence and information necessary

thereto;

(6) a warning of danger concerning the

behavior of a person involved, when there is

reason to believe that there exists the

likelihood of substantial harm to an

individual or to the public interest . . . .

(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a

lawyer may make a statement that a reasonable

lawyer would believe is required to protect a

client from the substantial undue prejudicial

effect of recent publicity not initiated by

the lawyer or the lawyer's client. A

statement made pursuant to this paragraph

shall be limited to such information as is

necessary to mitigate the recent adverse

publicity.

(d) No lawyer associated in a firm or

government agency with a lawyer subject to

paragraph (a) shall make a statement

prohibited by paragraph (a).

Rules of Prof’l Conduct, R. 3.6, 42 Pa.C.S.A. (Supp. 2005)

(emphasis added). 

Comment 5 sheds light on the type of extrajudicial

statements which are proscribed by the Rule:

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[5] There are, on the other hand, certain

subjects that are more likely than not to

have a material prejudicial effect on a

proceeding, particularly when they refer to a

civil matter triable to a jury, a criminal

matter, or any other proceeding that could

result in incarceration. These subjects

relate to:

(1) the character, credibility,

reputation or criminal record of a

party, suspect in a criminal

investigation or witness, or the

identity of a witness, or the expected

testimony of a party or witness;

. . . .

(3) the performance or results of any

examination or test or the refusal or

failure of a person to submit to an

examination or test, or the identity or

nature of physical evidence expected to

be presented;

. . . .

(5) information that the lawyer knows or

reasonably should know is likely to be

inadmissible as evidence in a trial and

that would, if disclosed, create a

substantial risk of prejudicing an

impartial trial . . . .

Id. cmt. 5 (emphasis added). Comment 7 explains that under the

Rule counsel may be justified in making extrajudicial statements

in response to extrajudicial statements made by other counsel in

violation of the Rule:

[7] Finally, extrajudicial statements that

might otherwise raise a question under this

Rule may be permissible when they are made in

response to statements made publicly by

another party, another party's lawyer, or

third persons, where a reasonable lawyer

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would believe a public response is required

in order to avoid prejudice to the lawyer's

client. When prejudicial statements have been

publicly made by others, responsive

statements may have the salutary effect of

lessening any resulting adverse impact on the

adjudicative proceeding. Such responsive

statements should be limited to contain only

such information as is necessary to mitigate

undue prejudice created by the statements

made by others.

Id. cmt. 7; see also Heffernan v. Hunter, 189 F.3d 405, 414 (3d

Cir. 1999) (“We are not so naive as to believe that there is no

exception to the admonition that lawyers are to try their cases

only in the courtroom. There may be circumstances where

conscientious lawyers must act to defend against adverse

publicity where their clients have been tried and convicted by

the media long before trial, or where the opposing litigants--

government or private--have blanketed the community with damaging

publicity.”).

The Rule, in its original incarnation, including what

is now Comment 5, which at the time was section (b) of the Rule,

largely tracks the language of Nevada’s rule of professional

conduct that the Supreme Court found to be constitutionally

permissible in Gentile. Moreover, Rule 3.6 has expressly been

found constitutionally sound by at least one Pennsylvania

appellate court. Commonwealth v. Lambert, 723 A.2d 684, 692, 695

(Pa. Super. 1998). Under these circumstances, Rule 3.6 provides

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a constitutionally tested method of defining the contours of

permissible extrajudicial statements by counsel.

It is true that breaches of the Pennsylvania Rules of

Professional Conduct are generally enforceable by reference of

the offending counsel to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board. 

See, e.g., Eagan by Keith v. Jackson, 855 F. Supp. 765, 791 (E.D.

Pa. 1994) (holding that the Disciplinary Board and not the court

adjudges whether a breach of the Rules of Professional Conduct

should result in professional discipline); Greenfield v. U.S.

Healthcare, Inc., No. Civ.A.92-6345, 1993 WL 106453, at *2 (E.D.

Pa. Apr. 6, 1993) (“[T]he inquiry, adjudication, and

determination of allegations of ethical misconduct are matters

for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of

Pennsylvania.”). It is also true that this method of post hoc

enforcement has been criticized as effectively toothless. See,

e.g., Robert S. Bennett, Press Advocacy and the High-Profile

Client, 30 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 13, 18 (1996) (stating that the

rules of ethics and their after-the-fact enforcement actions have

little teeth when it comes to curing damage caused by media abuse

during trial). This criticism is particularly apt here, where an

after-the-fact rebuke by the Disciplinary Board would not address

the need for prompt action by the trial court to sanction

attorney conduct or to enter orders protecting the integrity of

the proceedings while the case is ongoing.

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Nevertheless, the Court is not inevitably relegated to

the role of the veritable “potted plant” with respect to

enforcement of the Rules of Professional Conduct. This is

particularly true here, where the likelihood that extrajudicial

statements may have the substantial likelihood of materially

prejudicing the proceedings is high. Rather, given the need for

close judicial superintendency of the proceedings, there is good

reason to adopt Rule 3.6 as a rule of procedure applicable to

counsel and enforced by the Court in this case. 

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16, the Court is

authorized to enter case management orders and to establish

procedures that “may facilitate the just, speedy, and inexpensive

disposition of the action.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(c)(16). 

Moreover, the Court has inherent power to enter prophylactic

orders that will protect the parties’ right to a fair trial. 

Thus, given this authority, and under the circumstances of this

case, the Court will adopt Rule 3.6 as Case Management Order 1 in

this case applicable to all counsel of record. Henceforth,

breaches of Rule 3.6 (Case Management Order 1) may be punished

under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(f) or under the Court’s

inherent power. Under this authority, the Court may impose

monetary sanctions, order referral to the Pennsylvania

Disciplinary Board, revoke a lawyer’s pro hac vice admission, or

enter such other orders which are just under the circumstances. 

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 14 of 26
6 Under Rule 415, a party may offer evidence in a civil

case that the defendant previously committed another offense or

offenses of sexual assault. Fed. R. Evid. 415(a). 

15

The Court recognizes that this is a volatile case. One

party is a prominent entertainer well known nationally and

internationally with a high profile in the local community. The

subject matter of the action involves allegations of sexual

assault and battery. Moreover, under Federal Rule of Evidence

415, alleged similar episodes involving the defendant and third

parties may be admissible under certain circumstances.6

Understandably, putting together the parties, the subject matter

of the action and the scope of the charges, this case has

generated intense media scrutiny. 

Yet, a gag order stilling counsel’s voice outside the

courtroom is not the answer. Attorney public speech is not

always undesirable nor is media attention always deleterious to

the interest of justice. The lamp of public scrutiny shining

brightly over the proceedings can assist the Court in reaching a

just result under the watchful eye of an informed public. When,

however, counsel seeks to use this light not to enlighten but to

distort, not to inform but to proselytize, the fragile

accommodation between the right to a fair trial and the exercise

of free expression is put at risk. Battling news conferences,

appearances on television and radio shows, and media interviews

on the part of counsel exacerbates this risk. Timely and fair

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7 The District Court for the Eastern District of

Pennsylvania has adopted a detailed local rule, applicable to

criminal cases, defining the duty of attorneys concerning the

release of information by means of public communication. 

Specifically, Local Rule of Criminal Procedure 53.1(a) provides:

It is the duty of the lawyer not to release

or authorize the release of information or

opinion for dissemination by any means of

pubic communication, in connection with

pending or imminent criminal litigation with

which the lawyer is associated, if there is a

reasonable likelihood that such dissemination

will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise

prejudice the due administration of justice.

E.D. Pa. R. Crim. P. 53.1(a). Though the scope of this Rule is

broader than Rule 3.6 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional

Conduct, it does not apply to civil proceedings in this Court.

16

enforcement of Rule 3.6, on the other hand, will help the Court

guard against it. Therefore, Rule 3.6 will be adopted as Case

Management Order 1 and thereafter all extrajudicial statements of

counsel of record in this case shall be measured against the

teachings of Rule 3.6.7

B. Should the Names of Prospective Rule 415 Jane Doe

Witnesses Be Disclosed to Counsel Only and

Otherwise Kept Confidential? 

It is well established that there exists a common law

public right of access to judicial proceedings in civil cases. 

Publicker Indus., Inc. v. Cohen, 733 F.2d 1059, 1066 (3d Cir.

1984). This public right of access entails not only the ability

to attend open court proceedings, but also the ability to inspect

and copy judicial records and documents. In re Cendant Corp.,

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 16 of 26
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260 F.3d 183, 192 (3d Cir. 2001); Littlejohn v. BIC Corp., 851

F.2d 673, 678 (3d Cir. 1988). The public interests which

underscore the public right of access have been summarized by the

Third Circuit:

The public’s exercise of its common law

access right in civil cases promotes public

confidence in the judicial system by

enhancing testimonial trustworthiness and the

quality of justice dispensed by the court. 

As with other branches of government, the

bright light cast upon the judicial process

by public observation diminishes

possibilities for injustice, incompetence,

perjury, and fraud. Furthermore, the very

openness of the process should provide the

public with a more complete understanding of

the judicial system and a better perception

of its fairness.

Littlejohn, 851 F.2d at 678 (citations omitted). 

The public right of access, however, is not absolute. 

In re Cendant Corp., 260 F.3d at 194. “The presumption of public

access may be rebutted.” Id. For instance, “[a] party may limit

or condition the public’s access to the information produced

during the course of discovery, by obtaining a protective order

from the court.” Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co. v. George Hyman Constr.

Co., 155 F.R.D. 113, 115 (E.D. Pa. 1994) (footnote omitted)

(citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c)). Protective orders “are intended

to offer litigants a measure of privacy, while balancing against

this privacy interest the public’s right to obtain information

concerning judicial proceedings.” Pansy v. Borough of

Stroudsburg, 23 F.3d 772, 786 (3d Cir. 1994).

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 17 of 26
8 This evidence apparently will consist of testimony

concerning alleged offenses similar to the offense allegedly

committed by defendant in this case.

18

“A party seeking a protective order over discovery

materials must demonstrate that ‘good cause’ exists for the

protection of that material.” Glenmede Trust Co. v. Thompson, 56

F.3d 476, 483 (3d Cir. 1995). A party can establish good cause

by “showing that disclosure will work a clearly defined and

serious injury to the party seeking closure.” Pansy, 23 F.3d at

786. It is essential that the injury to be prevented be shown

with specificity. Id. “‘Broad allegations of harm,

unsubstantiated by specific examples or articulated reasoning,’

do not support a good cause showing.” Id. (citing Cipollone v.

Liggett Group, Inc., 785 F.2d 1108, 1121 (3d Cir. 1986)). 

Ultimately, in deciding whether good cause exists for a

protective order, i.e., whether a party has shown a clearly

defined and serious injury, the court must employ a balancing

process. Id. at 787. What is critical is that a district

court’s “analysis . . . always reflect a balancing of private

versus public interests.” Glenmede Trust Co., 56 F.3d at 483.

Here, plaintiff seeks a protective order cloaking the

identity of Jane Doe witnesses who are expected to offer

testimony at trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 4158 in a

mantle of confidentiality. On this record, plaintiff has not

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shown good cause why this information should be protected as to

all witnesses for all purposes. 

First, plaintiff’s only argument for protecting the

identities of the Jane Doe witnesses is that the Jane Doe

witnesses themselves may be placed at risk of physical and

psychological harm from media exposure or from overly zealous

fans and supporters of the celebrity defendant. While this

argument surmises that some type of serious harm may befall

plaintiff’s witnesses, it fails to show how “disclosure will work

a clearly defined and serious injury to [plaintiff herself, as]

the party seeking closure.” 

Second, plaintiff’s underlying assertion that all Jane

Doe witnesses may suffer physical and psychological harm from

media exposure or from overly zealous fans and supporters of the

defendant is precisely the type of unsubstantiated broad

allegation of harm said to be insufficient to establish good

cause. Plaintiff has simply grouped all Jane Doe witnesses in

one category or class claiming that the harm resulting from

disclosure of any information concerning any one witness will

fall with equal impact upon all Jane Doe witnesses. This type of

stereotypical and non-specific conclusory statement cannot

satisfy the good cause requirement under Federal Rule of Civil

Procedure 26(c).

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9 One of the unrepresented Jane Does, whose name has already

been disclosed publicly, is a lawyer.

20

Finally, significant is the fact that the Jane Doe

witnesses, all but two of whom are represented by counsel,9 have

not requested a protective order in their own right. 

For all of these reasons, the plaintiff’s motion for a

protective order keeping confidential the identities of the Jane

Doe witnesses will be denied. Yet, it may well be that any one

of the Jane Doe witnesses may be able to show, based on their own

individual circumstances, that there is a particularized reason

why a protective order may be appropriate in an individual case. 

In order to permit such a showing, the Court will suspend the

operation of the Order denying the request to keep the names of

Jane Doe witnesses confidential for ten days in order to afford

the Jane Doe witnesses an opportunity to seek individual relief,

if they so wish.

C. Should the Court Enter a Protective Order Cloaking

All Discovery in the Case in a Mantle of

Confidentiality? 

Defendant seeks a blanket protective order preventing

the parties and their counsel and agents from publicly disclosing

or discussing all information learned in discovery. He argues

that a blanket protective order will protect the parties and the

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 20 of 26
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other participants in this case from embarrassment and invasion

of privacy and will help preserve a fair and unbiased jury pool. 

With respect to embarrassment, the Third Circuit has

held that “an applicant for a protective order whose chief

concern is embarrassment must demonstrate that the embarrassment

will be particularly serious.” Cipollone, 785 F.2d at 1121. It

is true that allegations of, inter alia, sexual assault and

battery, not only by plaintiff, but also by the Jane Doe

witnesses, may cause defendant serious embarrassment. 

Embarrassment alone, however, even if serious, does not justify

the cloak of confidentiality over all discovery in this case.

Defendant, as the party seeking protection, must show a nexus

between the potential for serious embarrassment and the

particular information sought to be kept confidential. In other

words, it does not necessarily follow that because some of the

information disclosed during discovery will cause embarrassment

to defendant, all the discovery should be subject to a protective

order. 

In this case, defendant has failed to make a connection

between the embarrassment he risks from disclosure and the

particular items of discovery he seeks to cloak. In a similar

vein, with respect to defendant’s concerns about invasion of

privacy and the need to preserve a fair and unbiased jury pool,

the basis for these concerns has not been connected to any

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 21 of 26
10 Two days after a hearing on the defendant’s motion for a

blanket protective order, The Associated Press moved to intervene

to oppose the defendant’s motion. The Court will deny this

motion as moot since the defendant’s motion for a protective

order is being denied.

22

particular type of discovery. Nor has defendant identified, even

by umbrella category, the specific type of discovery which might

lead to embarrassment, invasion of privacy or jury taint.

Given that the defendant failed to connect the private

interests which may be implicated (e.g., embarrassment, invasion

of privacy or jury taint) to any specific discovery item,

defendant has not shown that the private interests in this case

outweigh the public interest in access to these proceedings. 

Therefore, on the basis of this record, the Court cannot conclude

that good cause has been shown to warrant a blanket protective

order.10

Finally, two points need to be underscored. One,

typically, discovery under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

is conducted by the parties in private. Ordinarily a right of

access does not attach to documents exchanged by parties or any

of the pretrial discovery that is not filed with the court. See

Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart, 467 U.S. 20, 33 (1984)

(“[P]retrial depositions and interrogatories are not public

components of a civil trial . . . and, in general, they are

conducted in private as a matter of modern practice. . . . 

Therefore, restraints placed on discovered, but not yet admitted,

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 22 of 26
11 Of course, the parties could on their own, without the

club of a judicial sanction, agree to keep some items of

discovery confidential, see Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 155 F.R.D. at

116, so long as the items specifically designated do not involve

information that must necessarily be included in court filings or

disclosed during open court proceedings.

23

information are not a restriction on a traditionally public

source of information.”). Nothing in the Court’s ruling today is

intended to prevent the parties from conducting discovery in

accordance with this established procedure.11 Two, the Order

issued by the Court today governing the disclosure of discovery

information and extrajudicial statements by counsel is a work in

progress. The Court trusts that these measured steps will be

adequate to that task. Should changed circumstances compel it,

the Court will revisit the issues and will recalibrate the scales

upon which it bases today’s judgment.

III. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, the Court will deny the

request for a gag order as to the parties, counsel and witnesses. 

Instead, the Court adopts Rule 3.6 of the Pennsylvania Rules of

Professional Conduct as Case Management Order 1 applicable to

counsel for purposes of this case. In so adopting Rule 3.6, the

Court has placed counsel on notice that the provisions of Rule

3.6 may be enforced under the Court’s authority and that

violations of the Rule may lead to the imposition of sanctions.

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 23 of 26
24

As to plaintiff’s motion to keep confidential the names of the

Jane Doe witnesses, that motion will be denied. However, the

Court will suspend operation of the Order denying the request to

keep the identities of the Jane Doe witnesses confidential for

ten days in order to afford the Jane Doe witnesses an opportunity

to seek individual relief. Defendant’s motion for a blanket

protective order will also be denied. 

An appropriate Order follows.

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 24 of 26
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

ANDREA CONSTAND : CIVIL ACTION

: 05-1099

Plaintiff, :

:

v. :

:

WILLIAM H. COSBY, JR. :

:

Defendant. :

ORDER

AND NOW, this 2nd day of June, 2005, it is hereby

ORDERED that:

1. The Court adopts Rule 3.6 of the Pennsylvania

Rules of Professional Conduct as Case Management Order 1 for

purposes of this case;

2. Defendant’s motion to compel initial disclosures

(doc. no. 10) is GRANTED. Plaintiff shall provide the names and

addresses of its Rule 415 Jane Doe witnesses to defendant within

five days;

3. Plaintiff’s motion for a protective order to

protect the identity of her Rule 415 Jane Doe witnesses (doc. no.

13) is DENIED. The Court will suspend operation of the Order

denying the request to keep the identities of the Jane Doe

witnesses confidential for ten days;

4. Defendant’s motion for a protective order (doc.

no. 17) is DENIED; 

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 25 of 26
5. Defendant’s motion for leave to file a reply

memorandum in support of his motion to compel plaintiff’s initial

disclosures (doc. no. 14) is GRANTED;

6. Defendant’s motion for leave to file a reply

memorandum in support of his motion for a protective order (doc.

no. 22) is GRANTED; and

7. The Associated Press’s motion to intervene (doc.

no. 26) is DENIED AS MOOT.

AND IT IS SO ORDERED.

 

EDUARDO C. ROBRENO, J. 

Case 2:05-cv-01099-ER Document 29 Filed 06/02/05 Page 26 of 26