Opinion ID: 379143
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Board Field Examiner Sargent

Text: 32 Respondents, in their individual cases, subpoenaed Board field examiner Sargent. The administrative law judges quashed the subpoenas on the basis that Sargent's testimony would have been irrelevant (Nevada Club; Finally, Inc.), or that 29 CFR § 102.118 prevented the subpoena from issuing to an agent of the Board without the Board's or General Counsel's consent (Silver Spur; Sparks Nugget ). 33 In NLRB v. Heath Tec Division/San Francisco, 566 F.2d 1367, 1371 (9th Cir.) cert. denied, 439 U.S. 832, 99 S.Ct. 110, 58 L.Ed.2d 127 (1978), we stated that in the absence of some valid evidentiary objection or privilege, 29 CFR § 102.118 cannot alone be the basis for the revocation of a properly issued subpoena. Thus the rulings of the administrative law judges in Silver Spur and Sparks Nugget were erroneous. However, the Board upheld the quashing of the subpoenas in all the cases, finding that a valid evidentiary privilege and a valid evidentiary objection existed. We agree. 34 The Board determined that there was an evidentiary privilege which protected the informal investigatory and trial preparatory process of administrative agencies, citing Stephens Produce Co., Inc. v. NLRB, 515 F.2d 1373, 1376-1378 (8th Cir. 1975). Sargent apparently had spoken informally to the attorneys representing the respondents and had stated that the refusal to bargain charges would probably be dismissed. Later, however, formal complaints were filed, charging the respondents with refusing to bargain. Through Sargent respondents sought to establish that the initial determinations were actually made and they also sought the information which provided the basis for those determinations. 35 It is clear that the testimony and documents which the respondents sought were informal investigatory material and preliminary determinations. The qualified privilege of preserving the confidentiality of investigative files is applicable here. NLRB v. Heath Tec, 566 F.2d at 1370; Stephens Produce Co., Inc. v. NLRB, 515 F.2d at 1376. 36 As in Heath Tec, and Stephens Produce Co., supra, we conclude that the investigatory privilege concerning informal deliberations of all prosecutorial agencies and branches of the government (Stephens Produce, p. 1376, n.1) was properly invoked. Others were present during conversations with Sargent. They were not called as witnesses, however, and respondents have shown no reason why examining these people was not possible or would not have produced information similar to that which they sought from Sargent. Moreover, we have some doubt whether the information sought was sufficiently material to respondents' case to outweigh the privilege. 37