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Case TitleBUZZFEED, INC. v. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION et al
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2021cv01647
Date Filed2021-06-18
Date Closed2022-09-30
JudgeJudge Dabney L. Friedrich
PlaintiffBUZZFEED, INC.
Case DescriptionBuzzFeed submitted a FOIA request to the Centers for Disease Control for records concerning communications between CDC director Robert Redfield and Department of Health and Human Service public affairs chief Michael Caputo and his scientific advisor Paul Alexander. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request. The agency told BuzzFeed that the request was being transferred to HHS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for response. CDC then told BuzzFeed that it had transferred 379 pages of responsive records to HHS for processing and two pages to CMS for processing. After hearing nothing further from the agency, BuzzFeed filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Litigation - Attorney's fees, Adequacy - Search

DefendantCENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
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

2021-06-181COMPLAINT against CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (Fee Status:Filing Fee Waived) filed by BUZZFEED, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Ex A-E, # 2 Exhibit Ex F-I, # 3 Civil Cover Sheet, # 4 Summons)(Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 06/18/2021)
2021-06-182NOTICE of Appearance by Matthew Topic on behalf of BUZZFEED, INC. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 06/18/2021)
2021-06-183LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by BUZZFEED, INC. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 06/18/2021)
2021-06-21Case Assigned to Judge Dabney L. Friedrich. (adh, ) (Entered: 06/21/2021)
2021-06-214SUMMONS (4) Issued Electronically as to CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(adh, ) (Entered: 06/21/2021)
2021-06-235STANDARD ORDER for Civil Cases. See text for details. Signed by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on June 23, 2021. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 06/23/2021)
2021-07-236RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION served on 7/9/2021 (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 07/23/2021)
2021-07-237RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES served on 7/12/2021 (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 07/23/2021)
2021-07-238RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 07/09/2021. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 07/23/2021)
2021-07-239RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 7/9/2021. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 8/8/2021. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 07/23/2021)
2021-08-0910NOTICE of Appearance by Christopher Charles Hair on behalf of All Defendants (Hair, Christopher) (Entered: 08/09/2021)
2021-08-0911ANSWER to Complaint by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.(Hair, Christopher) (Entered: 08/09/2021)
2021-08-10MINUTE ORDER requiring the parties to MEET AND CONFER and file a joint status report proposing a schedule for further proceedings. The status report should address the status of the plaintiff's FOIA request, including the anticipated number of documents responsive to the request and the anticipated date(s) for release of the requested documents. The parties shall file the joint status report on or before August 31, 2021. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on August 10, 2021. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 08/10/2021)
2021-08-10Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 8/31/2021 (zjch) (Entered: 08/11/2021)
2021-08-3112Joint STATUS REPORT by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Hair, Christopher) (Entered: 08/31/2021)
2021-09-01MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 12 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before October 29, 2021. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on September 1, 2021. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 09/01/2021)
2021-10-2913Joint STATUS REPORT by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Hair, Christopher) (Entered: 10/29/2021)
2021-10-29MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 13 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before November 30, 2021. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on October 29, 2021. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 10/29/2021)
2021-11-3014Joint STATUS REPORT by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Hair, Christopher) (Entered: 11/30/2021)
2021-12-01MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 14 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before January 31, 2022. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on December 1, 2021. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 12/01/2021)
2022-01-3115Joint STATUS REPORT by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Hair, Christopher) (Entered: 01/31/2022)
2022-01-31MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 15 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before March 31, 2022. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on January 31, 2022. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 01/31/2022)
2022-03-3116Joint STATUS REPORT by BUZZFEED, INC.. (Loevy, Joshua) (Entered: 03/31/2022)
2022-04-01MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 16 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before May 31, 2022. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on April 1, 2022. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 04/01/2022)
2022-04-0717NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Paul Cirino on behalf of All Defendants Substituting for attorney Christopher C. Hair (Cirino, Paul) (Entered: 04/07/2022)
2022-05-3118Joint STATUS REPORT by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Cirino, Paul) (Entered: 05/31/2022)
2022-05-31MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 18 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before August 1, 2022. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on May 31, 2022. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 05/31/2022)
2022-08-0119Joint STATUS REPORT by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Cirino, Paul) (Entered: 08/01/2022)
2022-08-01MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 19 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before September 15, 2022. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on August 1, 2022. (lcdlf2) (Entered: 08/01/2022)
2022-08-1220NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Marsha Wellknown Yee on behalf of CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substituting for attorney Paul Cirino (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 08/12/2022)
2022-09-1521Joint STATUS REPORT by BUZZFEED, INC.. (Topic, Matthew) (Entered: 09/15/2022)
2022-09-19MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 21 Joint Status Report, it is ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before October 1, 2022, if a stipulation of dismissal is not filed before that date. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on September 19, 2022. (lcdlf3) (Entered: 09/19/2022)
2022-09-2322NOTICE of Appearance by Joshua Loevy on behalf of BUZZFEED, INC. (Loevy, Joshua) (Entered: 09/23/2022)
2022-09-2923STIPULATION of Dismissal by CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. (Yee, Marsha) (Entered: 09/29/2022)
2022-09-30MINUTE ORDER dismissing this case with prejudice in light of the parties' 23 Stipulation of Dismissal. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(a). The Clerk of Court is directed to close this case. So Ordered by Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on September 30, 2022. (lcdlf3) (Entered: 09/30/2022)
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