Opinion ID: 278889
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Revocation of the Subpena

Text: 31 Section 11(1) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. 161(1), contains the only express statutory procedure for the issuance and revocation of Board subpenas. In relevant part, Section 11(1) provides as follows: 32 'The Board, or its duly authorized agents or agencies, shall at all reasonable times have access to, for the purpose of examination, and the right to copy any evidence of any person being investigated or proceeded against that relates to any matter under investigation or in question. The Board, or any member thereof, shall upon application of any party to such proceedings, forthwith issue to such party subpenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses or the production of any evidence in such proceeding or investigation requested in such application. Within five days after the service of a subpena on any person requiring the production of any evidence in his possession or under his control, such person may petition the Board to revoke, and the Board shall revoke, such subpena if in its opinion the evidence whose production is required does not relate to any matter under investigation, or any matter in question in such proceedings, or if in its opinion such subpena does not describe with sufficient particularity the evidence whose production is required.' 33 The courts have universally recognized the General Counsel's authority under Section 11(1) to compel disclosure of evidence by persons charged with violations of the Act in advance of the unfair practice hearing. See, e.g., Storkline Corp. v. N.L.R.B., 298 F.2d 276 (5th Cir. 1962); N.L.R.B. v. Anchor Rome Mills, 197 F.2d 447 (5th Cir. 1952); N.L.R.B. v. British Auto Parts, Inc., 266 F.Supp. 368 (D.Cal.1967). 34 However, Section 102.118 of the Board's rules and regulations (29 U.S.C.App. 102.118) prevent those charged with unfair labor practices from discovering evidence held by the Board or its employees, unless the Board or General Counsel consents to its production or release. 5 This regulation was promulgated under Section 6 of the Act (29 U.S.C. 156), which empowers the Board to adopt rules and regulations to carry out its functions in a manner consistent with the fulfillment of the purposes of the Act. 6 Thus, the regulation is invalid if it has the effect of enlarging the Board's authority beyond the scope intended by Congress. 35 Petitioner's pre-hearing subpena was revoked by the trial examiner on the sole ground that the General Counsel had not consented to the production of the material pursuant to Section 102.118 of the Board's rules and regulations. Petitoners argue that this is an invalid ground for the revocation of a subpena because it is not one of the grounds for revocation provided for in Section 11(1) of the Act. However, the statute in question does not state that petitions to revoke subpenas can only be made on the two grounds mentioned therein; rather, it states that a subpena shall be revoked if one of the two grounds exist. Thus, insofar as the statute is concerned, the Board may also revoke a subpena on any other ground which is consistent with the purpose of the Act. See General Engineering, Inc. v. N.L.R.B., 341 F.2d 367, 372-373 (9th Cir. 1965). 36 D. Denial of Request for Evidence Inconsistent with, or Contradictory to, Testimony Introduced by the General Counsel 37 At the time of the completion of the General Counsel's case the petitioner demanded an order compelling him to disclose any and all evidence inconsistent with the evidence presented. The trial examiner refused to compel the General Counsel to make this general disclosure. According to petitioner's brief, the hope was to obtain some witness statements that would help it in the presentation of its case. Affidavits of two witnesses had been voluntarily given to the petitioner's counsel by the witnesses. These showed some inconsistency with that of the testimony given by Mary Guazdausky who was a principal witness called by the General Counsel. Because of this, petitioner argues that there might have been other evidence which would help it. 38 The argument is an ingenious one based upon the Supreme Court's decision in Brady v. State of Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215. In Brady the Supreme Court severely condemned suppression by the prosecution of evidence material to guilt or to punishment. The particular item which the prosecution had there suppressed was a statement of a co-defendant acknowledging that he had done the actual killing. The Supreme Court held this suppression to be a denial of due process. Brady did not declare that a prosecutor must on demand comb his file for bits and pieces of evidence which conceivably could be favorable to the defense. That would be the effect of upholding petitioner's demand. Thus we are not now confronted with a question of constitutional law magnitude; nor are we required to decide whether a wilful suppression of crucial evidence would be error. 39 We are mindful that the Jencks principle 7 has been adopted by Board regulation. This followed the ruling of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in N.L.R.B. v. Adhesive Products Corp., 258 F.2d 403. 8 However, it does not follow from this or from Brady, supra, that petitioner was entitled to the blanket order which was here demanded. The denial by the examiner of petitioner's demand was not error. 40 The Board's order, with the exception of that pertaining to Carl White's phone privileges, is enforced.