Opinion ID: 364209
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Threshold Inquiry: Finality of The District Court Order

Text: 8 In Cohen v. Beneficial Industries Loan Corporation, 337 U.S. 541, 69 S.Ct. 1221, 93 L.Ed. 1528 (1949), the Supreme Court delineated one of the several exceptions to the general rule that a final judgment is a prerequisite to appeal. The Supreme Court held the given order appealable 9 because it is a final disposition of a claimed right which is not an ingredient of the cause of action and does not require consideration with it. 10 337 U.S. at 546-47, 69 S.Ct. at 1226. 11 In Alexander v. United States, 201 U.S. 117, 121, 26 S.Ct. 356, 50 L.Ed. 686 (1906), the Cohen rule explicitly was not made applicable to orders respecting discovery on the ground that a witness must first refuse to produce or to testify, and must be punished for criminal contempt, before a right to review arises. 12 The discovery order presently under review modifies an existing protective order enabling a nonparty to obtain access to discovered materials. Because the discovery order directs MCI to turn over the discovered materials to the government, ATT does not have the option sanctioned in Alexander in order to challenge and stop the transfer of custody of the materials. For these reasons, this court finds Alexander to be inapposite, 1 applies the collateral order doctrine of Cohen, and holds that the particular species of discovery order under review is final and appealable. First Wisconsin Mortgage Trust v. First Wisconsin Corp., 571 F.2d 390, 393 (7th Cir. 1978) (adopted en banc). For the same reasons, the conditional petition for writ of mandamus filed by ATT is denied.