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Judge approves protective order in federal case of lt. Governor
Friday,
May 2, 2008
Judge Reggie Walton of the United Stated federal District Court in Washington D.C. has granted an order by the government and attorneys for Lt. Governor Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia and Senator Tulifua Lam Yuen to grant a protective order which would ensure the confidentiality of privileged information in the case.
He parties had sought the protective order for proprietary, personally identifiable, law enforcement sensate and privileged information submitted in discovery. According to the order, discovery material produced by any party in this case to one or more of the other parties shall be held in confidence by each person to whom it is disclosed. It shall be used only for purposes of preparation for and trail, and shall be reviewed only by the receiving party or parties their attorneys of record, employees of attorneys who need to see it for trial preparations and experts or consultants assisting in the trial. The motion said that materials seized in a search of Ipulasi’s government office also include some materials, which may be covered by the attorney client privilege or work product doctrine. The judge said the parties shall proceed under the assumption that any tax related documents or employment records, certain of which are included in the materials seized during the search of the lt. governor’s office, would be protected.
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