Returning Subscriber?
Not a Subscriber to Litigation Pathfinder?
Get the full text of this legal issue, including links to cited primary law, along with unlimited access 1,000’s of other legal issues…and more!
Area of Law: | Litigation & Procedure |
Keywords: | Privilege log; Withheld documents |
Jurisdiction: | Federal |
Cited Cases: | None |
Cited Statutes: | Rule 26(b)(5) |
Date: | 08/01/2001 |
The Federal Rules governing discovery provide a particular “procedure for asserting claims of privilege . . . for communications or materials that would otherwise be discoverable.” Moore’s Federal Practice, supra, at § 26.90[1]. As with other parts of Rule 26, mere broad assertions of privilege are utterly insufficient. Id. Moreover, “the applicable privilege must be claimed for each document withheld.” Id. In fact, failure to follow the prescribed procedure may subject the offending party to sanctions. Id.
When the objecting party claims privilege with regard to numerous documents, the trial court is empowered to require the party to create, maintain and submit to the court a “privilege log.” Id.
§ 26.90[2]. The log should contain, for each document that is the subject of an objection, a brief summary of the content of the document, the date the document was created, the name of the person who prepared the document, the person to whom the document was originally directed or for whom the document was prepared, the purpose of the document, the privilege or privileges asserted, and exactly how the document satisfies the asserted privilege or privileges. Id. Such a detailed log is a practical—and often the only—way for the court to determine, document by document, whether the asserted privilege applies. For instance, in Etienne v. Wolverine Tube, Inc., 185 F.R.D. 653, 656 (D. Kan. 1999), the district court ordered the defendant to provide a privilege log pursuant to Rule 26(b)(5) rather than produce documents that the plaintiff conceded were privileged; […]
Subscribe to Litigation Pathfinder
To get the full-text of this Legal Memorandum ... and more!
(Month-to-month and annual subscriptions available)
Get the full text of this legal issue, including links to cited primary law, along with unlimited access 1,000’s of other legal issues…and more!