Court Opinion

ID: 9452557
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 17:44:09.932376+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:15.913654
License: Public Domain

FEINBERG, Circuit Judge
(dissenting):
I dissent.
I would have affirmed on the basis of Judge Bryan’s thorough opinion in the trial court. The next best thing to do is to dissent on the basis of that opinion, which is reported at 262 F.Supp. 64. It should be read in conjunction with the majority opinion because Judge Bryan clearly and convincingly states the reasons for the ninety-day injunction under attack. I adopt his basic reasoning and add only a few thoughts addressed to the majority opinion.
Since the district court’s power to enjoin is assumed, the issue is one of discretion. The majority largely ignores the basic reason given by the district judge for his exercise of that discretion— that otherwise the criminal trial of these defendants will be fundamentally unfair. If the trial court by order allowed the Government full discovery in the criminal case and denied it to defendants, all would agree that this would be basically unfair. Yet that is what may well happen because of this reversal. The absence of collusion between the trustee in the civil suit and the Government in the criminal suit is not controlling; the effect of the discovery on defendants in the criminal case is. The majority can see no distinction between use of depositions taken before and after the criminal indictment. To me the distinction is clear. Once the indictment was filed, the court in which those charges were to be tried had the duty to keep the criminal proceedings fair.' In the absence of such proceedings, there was, of course, no correlative duty.
In addition, even if I had doubts about the correctness of the trial court’s action — and I do not — the reversal is totally uncalled for. The injunction by its terms expires in about two weeks. I see no adequate reason why the conflicting interests cannot be again left to the discretion of the district judge on March 17. At that time, he will be able to appraise the situation again in the light of circumstances then existing. For example, he can consider whether the criminal trial is being unduly delayed by defendants Simon, Kaiser and Fisher, whether they will adhere to the assurance given on oral argument of preparing for a trial date in May, whether a Rule 2 judge has been appointed to expedite that trial, whether it is now true (as apparently it was not on the record before Judge Bryan) that the trustee has no other meaningful depositions to take, and whether, if there is going to be significant delay, it might be practical to allow depositions with appropriate prohibitions on use of them by the Government.
In other words, I think the district judge was right, and, in any event, would allow him to exercise his discretion again on March 17 when the injunction expires. Cf. Nederlandse Erts-Tankersmaatschappij, N. V. v. Isbrandtsen Co., 362 F.2d 205 (2d Cir. 1966).