N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT

M AR TIN J. W ALSH, Se c re ta ry of La b or, Unite d Sta te s De p a

rtm e nt of La

bor, Pla i ntiff-Appe lle e ,
v. GEOR GE W . KATSILOM ETES,

De fe nda n t-Appe l la

nt. No. 20-36002

D.C . No. 4:20-c v-00371-DC N

M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Sta t e s Distric t C ourt for the Distric t of Ida

ho Da vid C . Ny e , C hie f Distric t Judge , Pre s iding Argue d a nd Subm i tte d

Oc tobe r 4, 2021 Portla nd, Ore gon B e fore : W . FLETC HER , IKUTA, a nd B R ESS, C irc uit Judge s . Ge orge K a tsilom e te s a

ppe a l s the distric t c o urt’ s orde r tha t he c o m ply with the

a dm inistra

tive subpoe n a issue d by the U.S. De pa rtm e nt of L a

b or’ s (DOL) W a ge a

n d Hour Division (W HD) within 30 da y s of the orde r. W e ha ve j u r i sd i ct ion unde r 2 8



# FIL ED
OCT 15 2021 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.U.S.C . § 1291.

Although in the distric t c ourt Ka tsilom e te s did not p r o duc e a ny doc um e nts in

re sponse to the subpoe n a , a t ora l a rgum e nt his c ounse l a c knowle dge d t ha t som e of the

re que s te d doc um e n ts would be re le va nt to W H D’ s ide ntifie d i nve stiga t io n into pote ntia l c hild la

bor viola tions a t the La va Hot Springs Inn, a nd tha t K at s ilom e te s
c ould produc e s om e of the doc um e nts without undue b urde n. Insofa r a s Ka tsilom e te s
a rgue s tha t t

he W H D s ubpoe na is c a te goric a l ly une nforc e a ble , the distric t c ourt prope rly re je c te d tha t a rgum e nt. At the s a m e tim e , a

nd pe rha ps be c a use Ka tsilom et es d id not foc us his obje c tions on individua l doc um e nt re que sts, the distric t c ourt did not a ddre s s whe the r the individua l re que sts in the subpoe na we re e xc e ssive in re la t ion to W HD’ s ide ntifie d inve stiga tion. DOL’ s a

ppa re nt position a

t ora l a rgum e nt—

tha t it m a y

se c u re a c ourt orde r a llowing i t t o o b ta in a n e xte nsive ra nge of doc um e n ts without ide ntify ing the

sc ope or purpose of its inve stiga t io n , b e y ond m e re ly sta t ing tha t W HD wa s inve stiga ting “ whe the r a ny pe rson ha d v iola te d or w a s viola

ting a ny provision of the Fa ir La bor Sta nda

rds Ac t (FLSA) o r a ny re gula tions prom

ulga te d t he re unde r” a nd tha t the doc um e nts re que ste d we re “ re le va nt t o t he Se c re t a ry ’ s FLSA inve stig at i o n”

— is unsupporte d. Tha t la c k of s pe c ific ity re ga rding th e “ n a ture , p urpose s a nd sc ope of [W H D’ s] inquiry ,” Ok

l ahoma Pre

ss Pub. C o. v . W alling , 327 U.S. 186, 209 (1946),

2provide s a n insuffic ie nt b a sis for the distric t c ourt to ex erc ise its disc re tion to

de te rm i ne whe the r t

he doc um e n ts sought by the a ge nc y we r e “ re le va nt a nd m a te ria l to [its] i n v es t ig ation,” F.D.I.C

. v . Garne r , 126 F.3d 1138, 1142 (9th C i r. 1997) (c le a ne d up), or w he the r the a ge n c y ’ s re que sts c onstitute d a prohibite d “ fishing

e xpe dition” into the La va Hot Springs Inn, Pe te r s v . Unite d State

s , 853 F.2d 692, 700 (9th C ir. 1988). On re m a nd, the p a rtie s a

re e xpe c te d t o w ork t oge the r to de t e rm i ne a re a sona ble

sc ope of produc tion on a m a na ge a ble tim e ta ble

. To the e xte nt the y a re una ble to re a c h

a gre e m e nt, the distric t c ourt will be re quire d to de c ide , on a re que s t by re que st ba sis, whe the r t he dispute d doc u m e nt re que sts a re re le va nt a n d m a te ria l to DOL’ s ide ntifie d inve stiga tion a nd whe t he r the y would im

p ose a n undue burde n on Ka t silom e te s. W e the re fore va c a te the distric t c ourt’ s orde r a nd r em an d for furthe r proc e e dings c onsiste nt with this m e m ora ndum

disposition. V ACAT E D AND RE M ANDE D. 1

1 C osts sha ll be ta xe d a g a inst the gove rnm e nt.
3