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Case TitleJUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2010cv00302
Date Filed2010-02-25
Date Closed2011-08-22
JudgeJudge Beryl A. Howell
PlaintiffJUDICIAL WATCH, INC.
DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Opinion/Order [20]
FOIA Project Annotation: Judge Beryl Howell has ruled that the Treasury Department properly invoked Exemption 5 (privileges) and Exemption 4 (confidential business information) in withholding a handful of documents pertaining to a several meetings Special Master Kenneth Feinberg had with Treasury, Federal Reserve, and AIG officials to discuss matters concerning executive compensation under the Troubled Assets Relief Program. Howell noted that several documents fell within the deliberative process privilege because they "would reflect the give and take of the consultative process, and include recommendations or opinions on legal or policy matters." She disagreed with Judicial Watch's claim that the agency must show that disclosure would actually inhibit candor. She pointed out that "the plaintiff overstates defendant's required showing. The defendant only needs to demonstrate that the information was pre-decisional and deliberative and that, therefore, the privilege is ultimately being invoked 'to prevent injury to the quality of agency decisions by allowing government officials freedom to debate alternative approaches in private.'" She agreed with the agency that factual material could be withheld. She pointed out that "where factual material was assembled into a summary or memorandum through an exercise of judgment in determining which facts to highlight 'for the benefit of an official called upon to take discretionary action,' deliberative process privilege may be asserted. Therefore, the factual material in the disputed documents was properly redacted or withheld using the deliberative process exemption here." She also found the attorney-client privilege applied in several instances. She observed that "the communication concerned the agency's own actions in its ongoing evaluation of AIG under the Interim Final Rule. As such, the agency here is 'dealing with its attorneys as would any private party seeking advice to protect personal interests, and needs the same assurance of confidentiality so it will not be deterred from full and frank communications with its counselors.'" Howell found information supplied by AIG qualified for protection under Exemption 4, even though it had been distributed to several individuals at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She indicated that "given the FRBNY's role, the Court finds that the limited disclosures of information to the FRBNY are akin to the type of limited disclosures, such as to suppliers or employees, that do not preclude protection under Exemption 4." However, she decided one page of a document called "current Draft Talking Points," was not protected and should be disclosed. She was undecided on whether disclosure of AIG salary information could be used by competitors to poach company employees. She noted that "while the defendant does not point to any cases that directly address this form of alleged competitive injury, revealing AIG's compensation structures may cause harm by revealing AIG's business strategy and cost structure. On the other hand, the release of compensation structures would likely result in less substantial and directly competitive harm than, say, revealing unit pricing in a contract." However, she pointed out that the issue was moot since she had already found the same documents were properly withheld under Exemption 5.
Issues: Exemption 4 - Confidential business information, Exemption 5 - Privileges - Deliberative process privilege - Deliberative
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2010-02-251COMPLAINT against U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY ( Filing fee $ 350, receipt number 4616027844) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet)(dr) (Entered: 03/01/2010)
2010-02-25SUMMONS (3) Issued as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (dr) (Entered: 03/01/2010)
2010-02-252LCvR 7.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests NONE by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (dr) (Entered: 03/01/2010)
2010-03-093SUMMONS Returned Executed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY served on 3/2/2010, answer due 4/1/2010. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of Cristina Rotaru)(Rothstein, David) (Entered: 03/09/2010)
2010-04-014NOTICE of Appearance by Michelle Renee Bennett on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 04/01/2010)
2010-04-015ANSWER to 1 Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY.(Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 04/01/2010)
2010-04-016ORDER directing parties to confer and submit proposed briefing schedule by not later than April 15, 2010. See text of order for details. Signed by Judge John D. Bates on 4/1/2010. (ck) (Entered: 04/01/2010)
2010-04-01Set/Reset Deadlines: Proposed briefing schedule due by 4/15/2010. (ck) (Entered: 04/01/2010)
2010-04-147STATUS REPORT (Joint) by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 04/14/2010)
2010-04-198ORDER setting schedule governing further proceedings. Signed by Judge John D. Bates on 4/19/2010. (ck) (Entered: 04/19/2010)
2010-04-19Set/Reset Deadlines: Defendant's production of documents due by 6/15/2010. Plaintiff's response concerning withholdings due by 6/29/2010. Defendant's Draft Vaughn Index for disputed withholdings due 7/16/2010. Status Report due by 7/23/2010. (ck) (Entered: 04/19/2010)
2010-06-099NOTICE of Change of Address by Paul J. Orfanedes (Orfanedes, Paul) (Entered: 06/09/2010)
2010-06-0910NOTICE of Change of Address by David Francis Rothstein (Rothstein, David) (Entered: 06/09/2010)
2010-07-2311STATUS REPORT (Second) by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC., U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Rothstein, David) (Entered: 07/23/2010)
2010-08-05MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the parties' second joint status report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further status report by not later than September 8, 2010. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge John D. Bates on 8/5/2010. (ck) (Entered: 08/05/2010)
2010-08-05Set/Reset Deadlines: Status report due by 9/8/2010. (ck) (Entered: 08/05/2010)
2010-09-0712STATUS REPORT (Joint Third) by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC., U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Rothstein, David) (Entered: 09/07/2010)
2010-09-07MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the parties' third joint status report, it is hereby ORDERED that the following briefing schedule shall govern further proceedings: Defendant's motion for summary judgment shall be filed by not later than September 28, 2010. Plaintiff's opposition and cross-motion shall be filed by not later than October 29, 2010. Defendant's opposition thereto and reply shall be filed by not later than November 22, 2010. Plaintiff's reply shall be filed by not later than December 7, 2010. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge John D. Bates on 9/7/2010. (ck) (Entered: 09/07/2010)
2010-09-07Set/Reset Deadlines: Defendant's motion for summary judgment due by 9/28/2010. Plaintiff's opposition and cross-motion due by 10/29/2010. Defendant's opposition and reply due by 11/22/2010. Plaintiff's reply due by 12/7/2010. (ck) (Entered: 09/07/2010)
2010-09-2813MOTION for Summary Judgment by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Attachments: # 1 Memorandum in Support, # 2 Statement of Facts, # 3 Declaration of Joseph J. Samarias, # 4 Declaration of Eric Litzky, # 5 Declaration of Jeffrey Hurd, # 6 Text of Proposed Order)(Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 09/28/2010)
2010-10-2914Memorandum in opposition to re 13 MOTION for Summary Judgment (with response to Statement of Material Facts) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1 (Documents Produced), # 2 Text of Proposed Order)(Rothstein, David) (Entered: 10/29/2010)
2010-10-2915Cross MOTION for Summary Judgment (with Statement of Material Facts) by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1 (Documents Produced), # 2 Text of Proposed Order)(Rothstein, David) (Entered: 10/29/2010)
2010-11-2216Memorandum in opposition to re 15 Cross MOTION for Summary Judgment (with Statement of Material Facts) filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Attachments: # 1 Statement of Genuine Issues, # 2 Supplemental Declaration of Joseph J. Samarias, # 3 Text of Proposed Order)(Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 11/22/2010)
2010-11-2217REPLY to opposition to motion re 13 MOTION for Summary Judgment filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Attachments: # 1 Supplemental Declaration of Joseph J. Samarias)(Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 11/22/2010)
2010-12-0618REPLY to opposition to motion re 15 Cross MOTION for Summary Judgment (with Statement of Material Facts) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Orfanedes, Paul) (Entered: 12/06/2010)
2011-01-20Case reassigned to U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell. Judge John D. Bates no longer assigned to the case. (gt, ) (Entered: 01/20/2011)
2011-07-19MINUTE ORDER (paperless) directing the defendant to produce unredacted copies of the 7 disputed sets of documents for ex parte, in camera inspection. The defendant shall produce the disputed documents to the Court by July 26, 2011. Signed by Judge Beryl A. Howell on 7/19/2011. (lcbah2) (Entered: 07/19/2011)
2011-07-19Set/Reset Deadlines: The defendant shall produce of the disputed documents to the Court by 7/26/2011. (zalg, ) (Entered: 07/20/2011)
2011-07-2519NOTICE of Submission of Ex Parte, In Camera Material by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 07/25/2011)
2011-08-1620MEMORANDUM OPINION regarding 13 the defendant's motion for summary judgment and 15 the plaintiff's cross motion for summary judgment. Signed by Judge Beryl A. Howell on 8/16/2011. (lcbah2) (Entered: 08/16/2011)
2011-08-1621ORDER granting in part and denying in part 13 the defendant's motion for summary judgment and 15 the plaintiff's cross motion for summary judgment for the reasons set forth in the accompanying Memorandum Opinion. Signed by Judge Beryl A. Howell on 8/16/2011. (lcbah2) (Entered: 08/16/2011)
2011-08-16Set/Reset Deadlines: On or before 8/26/2011, the defendant shall produce to the plaintiff a redacted copy of the "Current Draft Talking Points" document, Bates numbers W000001-9. (zalg, ) (Entered: 08/16/2011)
2011-08-2222NOTICE of Production of Redacted Material by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Bennett, Michelle) (Entered: 08/22/2011)
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