Opinion ID: 602079
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Disclosure of Privileged and Confidential Documents

Text: 11 After extensive briefing and oral argument, the Special Master granted plaintiffs' motion to compel production of documents which defendants claimed were protected by the attorney-client or work product privileges. Rulings regarding the application of attorney-client privilege are mixed questions of law and fact which are reviewed de novo. See Clarke v. American Commerce Nat'l Bank, 974 F.2d 127, 130 (9th Cir.1992). 12 The parties disagree as to whether these claims are governed by New York or California law. Under Fed.R.Evid. 501, [W]ith respect to an element of a claim or defense as to which State law supplies the rule of decision, the privilege ... shall be determined in accordance with State law. But Rule 501 does not indicate which State law is to be applied. We need not determine which state law applied, however, because the result would be the same under the laws of both California and New York. See KL Group v. Case, Kay & Lynch, 829 F.2d 909, 918 (9th Cir.1987). 13 The party who asserts the attorney-client privilege in New York bears the burden of establishing (1) that an attorney-client relationship existed, and (2) that the communication to the attorney was confidential and made in order to obtain legal services or advice. N.Y.Civ.Prac.L. & R. 4503(a) (Consol.1992); Priest v. Hennessy, 431 N.Y.S.2d 511, 514 (1980). New York also has an absolute protection for attorney work product which extends to work prepared for other litigation. N.Y.Civ.Prac.L. & R. 3101; Beasock v. Dioguardi Enter., Inc., 499 N.Y.S.2d 560 (App.Div.1986). Again, the burden of satisfying each element of the privilege falls on the proponent. See John Blair Communications v. Reliance Capital Group, L.P., 582 N.Y.S.2d 720, 721 (App.Div.1992). 14 Under California law, lawyer-client communications are presumed to be confidential. Cal.Evid. Code § 917 (West 1966); see also Cal.Evid. Code §§ 952, 954 (West 1992). However, the party claiming privilege has the burden to show that the communication sought to be suppressed falls within the terms of the statute. Alpha Beta Co. v. Superior Court, 203 Cal.Rptr. 752, 755 (Ct.App.1984); Liew v. Breen, 640 F.2d 1046, 1049 (9th Cir.1981) (applying California law). While California's absolute protection for attorney work product extends to [a]ny writing that reflects an attorney's impressions, conclusions, opinions, or legal research or theories, Cal.Civ.Proc. Code § 2018(c) (West 1992), the proponent still has the burden of proving the essential elements of the privilege. BP Alaska Exploration, Inc. v. Superior Court, 245 Cal.Rptr. 682, 689 (Ct.App.1988). 15 Thus, under both New York and California law, the party asserting a privilege has the burden of proving the essential elements of that privilege. The Special Master found that defendants had failed to meet their burden. On appeal, the Distributors have provided us with little more than bare assertions in support of their claim that the documents were privileged. They have not provided us with copies of the disputed documents, specific descriptions of the documents, or even a full listing of the documents. The Distributors have thus made no showing which establishes that their burden has been met, and we cannot say that the Special Master's ruling was clear error.