Opinion ID: 350151
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Order to Produce

Text: 20 The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure endow district judges with broad, discretionary power to control discovery. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 26 & 33; Kamm v. California City Development Co., 509 F.2d 205, 209-10 (9th Cir. 1975); Heathman v. United States District Court for the Central District of California, 503 F.2d 1032, 1035 (9th Cir. 1974). Though basing the instant order to produce the requested employee lists on grounds and for purposes considered and disapproved in the preceding section would be improper, we cannot say that the district court would be entirely without a sustainable basis for its order. Cf., e. g., Burns v. Thiokol Chemical Corp., 483 F.2d 300, 306 (5th Cir. 1973) (in Civil Rights Act suit, statistics showing a past history of bi-racial employment discoverable as relevant despite absence of both pattern or practice claim and class allegation). We therefore vacate the order to produce the employee list for reconsideration in light of this opinion. 21 The district court's order permitting the sending of notice and consent-to-join forms to potential plaintiffs is Reversed; the order to produce the employee list is Vacated; and the cause is Remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent herewith.