Behrens v. Arconic, Inc.
Behrens v. Arconic, Inc.
2020 WL 3469329 (E.D. Pa. 2020)
June 25, 2020
Baylson, Michael M., United States District Judge
Summary
The Court identified two categories of documents relevant to the issue of forum non conveniens (FNC) discovery. Arconic was obligated to produce all non-privileged documents that “hit” on the search terms outlined in the Court's Order. Electronically stored information (ESI) was included in the scope of FNC discovery, and included documents and/or electronic communications that related to decisions and actions made by Arconic parties in the United States concerning Reynobond PE.
Additional Decisions
KRISTEN BEHRENS, ESQ., as CIVIL ACTION Administratrix, et al.
v.
ARCONIC, INC., et al.
v.
ARCONIC, INC., et al.
CIVIL ACTION NO. 19-2664
United States District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
Filed June 25, 2020
Counsel
Robert J. Mongeluzzi, Jeffrey P. Goodman, Samuel B. Dordick, Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C., Philadelphia, PA, Adam J. Levitt, John E. Tangren, DiCello Levitt Gutzler LLC, Chicago, IL, Mark Abramowitz, Mark A. DiCello, DiCello Levitt Gutzler LLC, Mentor, OH, for Kristen Behrens, Gloria Trevisan, Fatemeh Afrasehabi, Sakin Afrasehabi, Amal Ahmedin, Amaya Ahmedin, Mohammad Alhajali, Alexandra Atala, Husna Begum, Leena Belkadi, Malak Belkadi, Omar Belkadi, Raymond Bernard, Vincent Chiejina, Bassem Choucair, Fatima Choucair, Mierna Choucair, Nadia Choucair, Sirria Choucair, Zeinab Choucair, Joseph Daniels, Jeremiah Deen, Zainab Deen, Anthony Disson, Eslah Elgwahry, Mariem Elgwahry, Fathia Ahmed Elsanousi, Abdul Aziz El-Wahabi, Faouzia El-Wahabi, Mehdi El-Wahabi, Nur Huda El-Wahabi, Yasin El-Wahabi, Logan Gomes, Marco Gottardi, Berkti Haftom, Biruk Haftom, Farah Hamdan, Mohammed Hamid, Mohammed Hanif, Yahya Hashim, Firdaws Hashim, Hashim Kedir, Yaqub Hashim, Fethia Hassan, Hania Hassan, Abufars Ibrahim, Isra Ibrahim, Rania Ibrahim, Amna Mahmud Idris, Ali Yawar Jafari, Nura Jemal, Hamid Kani, Khadija Khalloufi, Victoria King, Deborah Lamprell, Gary Maunders, Mary Mendy, Kamru Miah, Ligaya Moore, Denis Murphy, Mohamed Amied Neda, Issac Paulos, Maria Del Pilar Burton, Steven Power, Jessica Urbano Ramirez, Khadija Saye, Sheila Smith, Mohamednur Tuccu, Ernie Vital, Marjorie Vital, Ahmed Abdel-Rasoul, Mustafa Abdu, Sabah Abdullah, Abdul-Wahab Abdulhamid, Maryam Adam, Abraham Abebe, Turufat Yilma Girma, Karen Boud, Elsa Afeworki, Mohamed Ahmed, Randa Al-Arasi, Fadumo Ahmed, Khalid Ahmed, Omar Alhaj Ali, Maria De Fatima Alves, Manuel Miguel Alves, Ines Tavares Alves, Tiago Alves, Meron Araya, Ethiopia Assefa, Sied Bayan, Nadia Yousef, John Beadle, Safa Hamdan, Elpidio Bonifacio, Rosita Bonifacio, Nicholas Burton, Virgilio Castro, Ann Chance, Lee Chapman, Chia-Yuan Naomi Li, Salah Eddine Chebiouni, Zak Chebiouni, Fung-Hee Chenung, Chin-Hsuan Lydia Liao, Jose Costa Cotelo, Dorinda Suarez Chans, Katarzyna Dabrowska, Roy Smith, Edward Daffarn, Sam Daniels, Hiwot Dagnachew, Wintom Temesgen, Alemishet Demissie, Petra Doulova, Leroy Augustus, Bellal El-Guenuni, Rabia Yahya, Hanan Wahabi, Mouna El-Ogbani, Youssef Khalloud, Natasha Elcock, Yehualashet Enyew, Richard Fletcher, Hime Gashaw, Helen Gebremeskel, Clarita Ghavimi, Marcio Gomes, Andreia Perestrelo, Charmaine Greenridge, Daniel Griffin, Sharon Haley, Lina Hamide, William Thomson, Mary Hanley, Catherine Hanley, Avni Haxhisefa, Adriana Zymberaj, Alk Haxhisefa, Makrem Harzi, Rawda Said, Abdirahman Salah Hirsi, Suhayb Salah Hirsi, Van Quang Ho, Hoang Khanh Quang, Eduardo Ignacio, Erlinda Ignacio, Wesley Ignacio, Madylyn Ignacio, Nadia Jafari, Fatima Jafari, Maria Jafari, Joseph John, Corrine Jones, Behailu Gobena Kebede, Farshid Kaficheraghi, Milad Kareem, Betty Kasote, Mesrob Kassemdjian, Sharon Laci, Monica Lokko, David Lewis, Octinia Lewis, Miran Lovsin, Suzana Lovsin, Branislav Lukic, Hanife Macit, Sener Macit, Mohammed Rasoul, Munira Mahmud, Sepideh Minaei Moghaddam, Amina Mohamed, Amna Mohamed, Alison Moses, Nagawa Prossy Nalukwago, Reshad Naqshbandi, Farhad Shekeb Neda, Shakila Flora Neda, Emma O'Connor, Kerry O'Hara, Gitara Pahlavani, Michael Paramasivan, Chiraag Patel, Shantilal Patel, Kiran Patel, Elisa Rabaya, Aziza Raihani, Ramiro Urbano Rodriguez, Adriana Ramirez, Rhea Rojo, Antonio Roncolato, Rebecca Ross, Rebin Sabir, Genet Shawo, Paulos Tekle, Anthony Smith, Elizabeth Sobieszczak, Michael Sobieszczak, Florentyna Sobiesczak, Adam Supareogsanond, Chalalai Suparoeksanond, Waewta Supareogsanond, Rita Tankarian, Luke Towner, Mariko Toyoshima-Lewis, Carmen Vieiro, Jose Vieiro, Yohannes Tesfay, Meron Mekonnen.Jason C. Murray, Abigail M. Hinchcliff, Sean C. Grimsley, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, Denver, CO, Joseph Kernen, Nancy Shane Rappaport, Ilana H. Eisenstein, Timothy P. Pfenninger, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US, LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Richard F. Hans, DLA Piper LLP, New York, NY, for Arconic, Inc., Arconic Architectural Products, LLC.
James M. Gross, Stephen J. Pearson, Jones Day, New York, NY, Leon F. DeJulius, Jr., Jones Day, Pittsburgh, PA, Christopher Scott D'Angelo, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, Philadelphia, PA, Matthew E. Papez, Jones Day, Washington, DC, for Whirlpool Corporation
Baylson, Michael M., United States District Judge
MEMORANDUM CLARIFYING DISPUTE CONCERNING HAGUE CONVENTION PROCEEDINGS
I. Introduction
This Memorandum is intended to clarify the scope of forum non conveniens (“FNC”) discovery and the parties’ obligations with respect to the Hague Convention proceedings. Based on letters submitted to Commissioner Lenoir dated June 12, 2020 (Arconic’s letter) and June 14, 2020 (Plaintiffs’ letter); separate letters submitted to the Court by Plaintiffs and by Arconic on June 15, 2020; and the parties’ supplemental FNC discovery reports, (ECF 204 (Arconic’s Report); ECF 205 (Plaintiffs’ Report)), the Court enters this Memorandum to clarify the scope of discovery for the benefit of Commissioner Lenoir.
II. Scope of FNC Discovery Under the Hague Convention
There are two independent categories of documents that are relevant to the issue of FNC:
Category One: All communications concerning the extent, if any, of involvement of U.S.-based Arconic officers, employees, or agents in the design, recommendation, implementation, and/or decisionmaking concerning the use of Reynobond PE in the Grenfell Tower building in London. This category targets documents that concern Arconic US involvement in the use of Reynobond PE in the Grenfell Tower building.
Category Two: All communications relating to oversight, if any, exercised by U.S.-based Arconic officers, employees, or agents over AAP SAS. This category targets documents that concern control exercised by Arconic US over AAP SAS more generally.
Category One and Category Two are independent. Thus, if a document falls into Category Two but does not fall into Category One, it is responsive to FNC.
This is consistent with the exposition of the “Evidence to be obtained” described in paragraph 13 of the Request for International Judicial Assistance, (ECF 199):
The evidence to be obtained consists of certain documents and electronically-stored information in the possession of AAP SAS now located in the United States and relevant to Defendants’ pending Motion to Dismiss for Forum Non Conveniens.
This discovery includes documents and/or electronic communications (“ESI”) that relate to decisions and actions made by Arconic parties in the United States concerning Reynobond PE, the product that was used in the cladding for the Grenfell Tower apartment building in England.
The Forum Non Conveniens discovery is limited to communications that were either made in the United States by individuals employed by or associated with Arconic parties in the United States concerning oversight they exercised over AAP SAS or were between Arconic personnel in the United States and AAP SAS.
This discovery includes communications in which Arconic parties provided direction from the United States to AAP SAS on the design, manufacture, marketing, advertising, selling, and installation of Reynobond PE.
It does not include documents that are relevant only to merits issues, such as allegations of Arconic’s liability (e.g., defects in the design or manufacturing of Reynobond PE).
III. Arconic’s Role
Arconic shall produce to Commissioner Lenoir all nonprivileged documents that “hit” on the search terms as outlined in this Court’s Order dated May 27, 2020, (ECF 188), and discussed with counsel during the May 27, 2020 telephone conference. Arconic must produce all nonprivileged documents that “hit” on the search terms regardless of Arconic’s view of relevance.
Arconic need not produce documents that the Court previously determined were categorically outside of the scope of FNC (including, but not limited to, “[d]ocuments which exclusively discuss or concern French operations and do not involve any input or communications with any Arconic U.S. person,” (ECF 197 ¶ 2(a))).
Arconic shall prepare a log of all documents or portions of documents that are relevant to FNC discovery but that Arconic asserts contain privileged communications.
IV. Commissioner Lenoir’s Role
Commissioner Lenoir should review the documents produced by Arconic for responsiveness to FNC as described in Section II of this Memorandum and should produce them to Plaintiffs unless there is a specific reason under French law for nonproduction. Commissioner Lenoir should produce to Plaintiffs any documents that fall into either Category One or Category Two, unless there is a specific reason under French law prohibiting production of any part of the document. Commissioner Lenoir is not bound by Arconic’s view of what is relevant to FNC.
Commissioner Lenoir should state her reasons for nonproduction to Plaintiffs of documents that are relevant to FNC discovery but production, in whole or part, is prohibited by French law.
BY THIS COURT:
s/ Michael M. Baylson
MICHAEL M. BAYLSON
United States District Court Judge
O:\CIVIL 19\19-2664 Behrens v Arconic\19cv2664 6.25.2020 Memorandum