J.C. v. County of San Bernardino

Summary

This document is a stipulated protective order entered in J.C. v. County of San Bernardino, a federal civil action in the Central District of California. It governs the designation, disclosure, use, challenge, filing under seal, and final disposition of confidential discovery materials. The order was stipulated to on May 29, 2025, and ordered by Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym on June 2, 2025.

Holdings

1. Good cause supported entry of the stipulated protective order, which was entered to protect qualifying confidential discovery material while facilitating discovery and permitting appropriate use of the material in the litigation.
2. Material designated CONFIDENTIAL under the order may be used only to prosecute, defend, or attempt to settle the action and may be disclosed only to specified authorized persons subject to the order's conditions.
3. The protective order itself does not authorize filing material under seal. A party seeking to seal material must comply with Central District of California Civil Local Rule 79-5 and make the showing required for the type of filing: good cause for non-dispositive motions and compelling reasons, supported by specific facts and legal justification, for dispositive motions or trial.
4. Confidentiality designations must be limited to specific material that qualifies for protection, made in good faith, and appropriately marked; a challenging party may contest a designation, but the material remains protected pending resolution unless the designation is withdrawn or waived.
5. After the final deposition, receiving parties must return or destroy protected material within 30 days and provide written certification by the 60-day deadline, subject to counsel's limited retention of archival litigation files that remain governed by the protective order.

Questions Presented

1. Whether good cause supported entry of a stipulated protective order governing confidential discovery material under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c).
2. What procedures and restrictions should govern designation, disclosure, use, challenge, filing under seal, and disposition of protected discovery material.
3. What showing is required to seal protected material filed in connection with non-dispositive motions, dispositive motions, or trial.

Disposition

other