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Case TitleBUZZFEED INC. v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2019cv03063
Date Filed2019-10-14
Date ClosedOpen
JudgeJudge Ana C. Reyes
PlaintiffBUZZFEED, INC.
Case DescriptionBuzzFeed submitted a FOIA request to the Department of Treasury for records concerning emails sent or received by Secretary Steven Mnuchin, or the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea Gacki, from April 2018 through January 2019. BuzzFeed also requested expedited processing. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request and denied BuzzFeed's request for expedited processing. BuzzFeed submitted a separate FOIA request concerning Gacki's appointment calendars during the same period. After receiving a response to that request, BuzzFeed selected specific meetings it was interested in learning more about and asked for additional records. The agency gave BuzzFeed an estimated completion date of three to five months. After hearing nothing further from the agency, BuzzFeed filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Adequacy - Search, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2019-10-141COMPLAINT against U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number ADCDC-6446082) filed by BUZZFEED INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A, # 2 Exhibit B, # 3 Civil Cover Sheet, # 4 Summons)(Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 10/14/2019)
2019-10-142NOTICE of Appearance by Matthew Topic on behalf of BUZZFEED INC. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 10/14/2019)
2019-10-143LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by BUZZFEED INC. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 10/14/2019)
2019-10-16Case assigned to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. (zmc) (Entered: 10/16/2019)
2019-10-164SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zmc) (Entered: 10/16/2019)
2019-10-225GENERAL ORDER AND GUIDELINES APPLICABLE TO FOIA CASES ASSIGNED TO JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON. The Court will hold the parties and counsel responsible for following these directives, and parties and counsel should pay particular attention to the Court's instructions for processing and production of records, batching motions, and filing exhibits. Failure to adhere to this Order may, when appropriate, result the imposition of sanctions and/or sua sponte denial of non-conforming motions. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 10/22/2019. (jag) (Entered: 10/22/2019)
2019-11-276RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY served on 10/30/2019 (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 11/27/2019)
2019-11-277RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 10/30/2019. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 11/27/2019)
2019-11-278RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 11/5/2019. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 12/5/2019. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 11/27/2019)
2019-12-029NOTICE of Appearance by Diana Viggiano Valdivia on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 12/02/2019)
2019-12-0210Consent MOTION for Extension of Time to File Answer by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 12/02/2019)
2019-12-3111NOTICE Regarding Intent to File Answer by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 12/31/2019)
2020-01-0612ANSWER to Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY.(Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 01/06/2020)
2020-01-06MINUTE ORDER granting, for good cause shown, 10 Consent Motion for Extension of Time to Answer, nunc pro tunc. It is hereby ORDERED that Defendant shall answer or otherwise respond to the complaint on or before 1/6/2020. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 1/6/2020. (jag) (Entered: 01/06/2020)
2020-01-07MINUTE ORDER. Before the Court in this FOIA case are a complaint and an answer. It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall review this Court's 5 General Order and Guidelines Applicable to FOIA Cases, and promptly confer and file a joint proposed schedule for disclosure or briefing motions for summary judgment, on or before 1/21/2020. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 1/7/2020. (jag) (Entered: 01/07/2020)
2020-01-2113Joint MOTION for Extension of Time to File Joint Proposed Schedule for Disclosure by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 01/21/2020)
2020-01-24MINUTE ORDER granting 13 Motion for Extension of Time to File Joint Proposed Schedule for Disclosure, nunc pro tun. It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file their joint proposed schedule on or before 3/31/2020. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 1/24/2020. (jag) (Entered: 01/24/2020)
2020-03-3114Unopposed MOTION for Extension of Time to File a Joint Proposed Schedule in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Effect on Federal Government Operations by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of Marshall H. Fields, # 2 Text of Proposed Order)(Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 03/31/2020)
2020-04-02MINUTE ORDER granting for good cause shown, 14 Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time to File a Joint Proposed Schedule in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Effect on Federal Government Operations. It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file their joint proposed schedule on or before 4/30/2020. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 4/2/2020. (jag) (Entered: 04/02/2020)
2020-04-3015Joint STATUS REPORT with Proposed Schedule of Disclosures by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 04/30/2020)
2020-05-04MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 15 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 6/5/2020, the parties shall file a further joint status report, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 5/4/2020. (jag) (Entered: 05/04/2020)
2020-06-0516Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 06/05/2020)
2020-06-25MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 16 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 8/12/2020, and every 60 days thereafter, the parties shall file a further joint status report, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 6/25/2020. (jag) (Entered: 06/25/2020)
2020-08-1217Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 08/12/2020)
2020-10-1318Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 10/13/2020)
2020-12-1419Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 12/14/2020)
2021-02-1220Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 02/12/2021)
2021-04-1321Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 04/13/2021)
2021-06-1422Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 06/14/2021)
2021-06-28Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been elevated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is therefore no longer assigned to this case, and this matter has been reassigned to the Calendar Committee, which will oversee it until it is assigned to another district judge. Any questions should be directed to Judge Jackson's former deputy clerk, Gwendolyn Franklin, at 202-354-3145 or gwen_franklin@dcd.uscourts.gov. (rj) (Entered: 06/28/2021)
2021-08-1323Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 08/13/2021)
2021-10-01Case directly reassigned to Judge Florence Y. Pan. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been appointed to the D.C. Circuit and is no longer assigned to the case. (ztnr) (Entered: 10/01/2021)
2021-10-1224Joint STATUS REPORT by BUZZFEED, INC.. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 10/12/2021)
2021-12-1325Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 12/13/2021)
2022-02-1126Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 02/11/2022)
2022-04-1127NOTICE of Appearance by Joshua Loevy on behalf of BUZZFEED, INC. (Loevy, Joshua) (Entered: 04/11/2022)
2022-04-1228Joint STATUS REPORT by BUZZFEED, INC.. (Loevy, Joshua) (Entered: 04/12/2022)
2022-06-1329Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 06/13/2022)
2022-07-1930NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Michael A. Tilghman, II on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Substituting for attorney Diana V. Valdivia (Tilghman, Michael) (Entered: 07/19/2022)
2022-08-1231Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Tilghman, Michael) (Entered: 08/12/2022)
2022-09-0732NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Marsha Wellknown Yee on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Substituting for attorney Michael A. Tilghman II (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 09/07/2022)
2022-09-23Judge Florence Y. Pan has been elevated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is therefore no longer assigned to this case, and this matter has been reassigned to the Calendar Committee, which will oversee it until it is assigned to another district judge. Any questions should be directed to Judge Pan's former deputy clerk, Samantha Calloway, at 202-354-3163 or samantha_calloway@dcd.uscourts.gov. (ztnr) (Entered: 09/23/2022)
2022-10-1133Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 10/11/2022)
2023-01-1934Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 01/19/2023)
2023-02-24Case directly reassigned to District Judge Ana C. Reyes. Circuit Judge Florence Y Pan is no longer assigned to the case. (ztnr) (Entered: 02/24/2023)
2023-02-2835NOTICE of Appearance by Merrick Jason Wayne on behalf of BUZZFEED, INC. (Wayne, Merrick) (Entered: 02/28/2023)
2023-03-2036Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 03/20/2023)
2023-03-20MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 36 Joint Status Report, the Court hereby amends the June 25, 2020, Minute Order as follows: the parties shall file their next Joint Status Report on or before June 16, 2023, and every 90 days thereafter. Signed by Judge Ana C. Reyes on 3/20/2023. (lcjo) (Entered: 03/20/2023)
2023-03-20Set/Reset Deadlines/Hearings: Joint Status Report due by 6/16/2023. (zcdw) (Entered: 03/20/2023)
2023-06-1637Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 06/16/2023)
2023-09-1438Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 09/14/2023)
2023-12-1339Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 12/13/2023)
2024-02-1040NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Diana Viggiano Valdivia on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Substituting for attorney Marsha Wellknown Yee (Valdivia, Diana) (Entered: 02/10/2024)
2024-02-2041Consent MOTION for Extension of Time to File Joint Status Report by BUZZFEED, INC.. (Wayne, Merrick) (Entered: 02/20/2024)
2024-02-20MINUTE ORDER granting Plaintiff's 41 Consent Motion for Extension of Time to File Joint Status Report, and amending the schedule set in the Court's March 20, 2023 Order. It is ORDERED that the parties shall file a joint status report on or before March 20, 2024, and every 90 days thereafter. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Ana C. Reyes on 2/20/2024. (lcacr1) (Entered: 02/20/2024)
2024-02-20Set/Reset Deadlines/Hearings: Joint Status Report due by 3/20/2024. (zcdw) (Entered: 02/20/2024)
2024-03-1242NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Kimberly Stratton on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Substituting for attorney Diana Valdivia (Stratton, Kimberly) (Entered: 03/12/2024)
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