Free Motion for Leave - District Court of Colorado - Colorado

Case 1:01-cv-01451-REB-KLM

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Civil Action No. 01-cv-1451-REB-CBS (Consolidated with Civil Action Nos. 01-cv-1472-REB-CBS, 01-cv-1527-REB-CBS, 01cv-1616-REB-CBS, 01-cv-1799-REB-CBS, 01-cv-1930-REB-CBS, 01-cv-2083-REBCBS, 02-cv-0333-REB-CBS, 02-cv-0374-REB-CBS, 02-cv-0507-REB-CBS, 02-cv-0658REB-CBS, 02-cv-755-REB-CBS, 02-cv-798-REB-CBS and 04-cv-0238-REB-CBS) In re QWEST COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC. SECURITIES LITIGATION LEAD PLAINTIFFS' UNOPPOSED MOTION FOR LEAVE TO SERVE CONTENTION INTERROGATORIES REGARDING ADVICE OF COUNSEL DEFENSE

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I.

INTRODUCTION Lead Plaintiffs New England Health Care Employees Pension Fund, Clifford Mosher,

Tejinder Singh and Sat Pal Singh ("Plaintiffs") respectfully submit this motion for leave to serve early contention interrogatories regarding certain defendants' advice of counsel defense. On March 9, 2005, Plaintiffs filed their Motion for an Order Compelling the Production of Documents from Defendants Qwest Communications International, Inc., Philip F. Anschutz, Craig D. Slater and Drake S. Tempest Concerning an Advice of Counsel Defense or, in the Alternative, Precluding Defendants Philip F. Anschutz, Craig D. Slater and Drake S. Tempest from Asserting an Advice of Counsel Defense ("Motion"). The Motion requested that the Court issue an order either: compelling the production of documents from defendants Qwest Communications International, Inc. ("Qwest"), Philip F. Anschutz ("Anschutz") (former Co-Chairman of Qwest's Board of Directors), Craig D. Slater ("Slater") (a Qwest Director) and Drake S. Tempest ("Tempest") (Qwest's former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary) (collectively, the "Individual Defendants") regarding the Individual Defendants' advice of counsel defense, or precluding the Individual Defendants from asserting the advice of counsel defense. This Court denied Plaintiffs' Motion without prejudice. Ex. A at 1-2. At the hearing on the Motion, however, the Court stated that it would entertain a motion by Plaintiffs to serve contention interrogatories concerning the defense, in light of the fact that the Court would be ordering the Individual Defendants to serve supplemental Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 26(a)(1) ("Rule 26(a)(1)") disclosures concerning the defense and ruling on another of -1-

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Plaintiffs' motions regarding documents withheld by Qwest under claims of attorney-client privilege and work-product protection: I want to give you the opportunity to flesh out the questions in 26(a). I'll also address the issue of privilege as it relates to the earlier motion. In light of those two events, if you believe that a contention interrogatory would be helpful to flesh out this position of advice of counsel, I'll entertain a motion to that effect. In light of those events, we'll then see where we are and what we have left to fight about. Ex. B at 74.1 As the Individual Defendants have now served their supplemental Rule 26(a)(1) disclosures (Exs. C & D), and the Court has issued its ruling on Plaintiffs' other referenced motion (Ex. E (Order Granting Lead Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Production of Documents from Defendant Qwest Communications International, Inc.)), Plaintiffs bring the instant motion seeking leave to serve contention interrogatories regarding the advice of counsel defense.2 II. DEFENDANTS' NON-OPPOSITION In meet-and-confer discussions pursuant to D.C.COLO.LCivR 7.1, counsel for Qwest and the Individual Defendants represented that they do not oppose Plaintiffs' request to

1

The earlier motion referenced by the Court is Lead Plaintiffs' Motion to Compel Production of Documents from Defendant Qwest Communications International, Inc., filed February 28, 2005.
2

On June 13, 2005, Plaintiffs refiled the Motion in this Court, as the Court stated that Plaintiffs could refile it after the Individual Defendants served their supplemental Rule 26(a)(1) disclosures. See Lead Plaintiffs' Second Motion for an Order Compelling the Production of Documents from Defendants Qwest Communications International, Inc., Philip F. Anschutz, Craig D. Slater and Drake S. Tempest Concerning an Advice of Counsel Defense or, in the Alternative, Precluding Defendants Philip F. Anschutz, Craig D. Slater and Drake S. Tempest from Asserting an Advice of Counsel Defense.

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serve the subject early contention interrogatories. These defendants, however, reserve their right to object to the interrogatories once served. III. PROPOSED CONTENTION INTERROGATORIES A. Proposed Interrogatories to the Individual Defendants

Proposed Interrogatory No. 1: To the extent you are relying on an advice of counsel defense to Plaintiffs' allegations, please describe all attorney advice on which you relied. Proposed Interrogatory No. 2: To the extent you are relying on an advice of counsel defense to Plaintiffs' allegations, please identify all documents evidencing or referencing such attorney advice. B. Proposed Interrogatory to Defendant Qwest

Proposed Interrogatory No. 1: Please identify all documents evidencing or referencing legal advice from Qwest attorneys to defendants Anschutz, Slater and Tempest concerning Qwest's financial reporting and/or accounting.

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IV.

CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs respectfully request this Court issue an order

granting Plaintiffs leave to serve the described contention interrogatories. DATED: July 1, 2005 Respectfully submitted, LERACH COUGHLIN STOIA GELLER RUDMAN & ROBBINS LLP MICHAEL J. DOWD SPENCER A. BURKHOLZ THOMAS E. EGLER SCOTT H. SAHAM X. JAY ALVAREZ TRIG R. SMITH ANDREA N. SALOW 401 B Street, Suite 1600 San Diego, CA 92101 Telephone: 619/231-1058 LERACH COUGHLIN STOIA GELLER RUDMAN & ROBBINS LLP RAY A. MANDLEKAR

/s/Ray A. Mandlekar RAY A. MANDLEKAR 9601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 510 Los Angeles, CA 90210 Telephone: 310/859-3100 310/278-2148 (fax) Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs DYER & SHUMAN, LLP ROBERT J. DYER III KIP B. SHUMAN JEFFREY A. BERENS 801 East 17th Avenue Denver, CO 80218-1417 Telephone: 303/861-3003 Liaison Counsel
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DECLARATION OF SERVICE BY MAIL I, the undersigned, declare: 1. That declarant is and was, at all times herein mentioned, a citizen of the

United States and a resident of the County of San Diego, over the age of 18 years, and not a party to or interested party in the within action; that declarant's business address is 401 B Street, Suite 1600, San Diego, California 92101. 2. That on July 1, 2005, declarant served the LEAD PLAINTIFFS'

UNOPPOSED MOTION FOR LEAVE TO SERVE CONTENTION INTERROGATORIES REGARDING ADVICE OF COUNSEL DEFENSE by depositing a true copy thereof in a United States mailbox at San Diego, California in a sealed envelope with postage thereon fully prepaid and addressed to the parties listed on the attached Service List. 3. That there is a regular communication by mail between the place of mailing

and the places so addressed. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 1st day of July, 2005, at San Diego, California.

DEBORAH S. GRANGER

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 6/28/2005 Page 1 of 3 Defendant(s) Scott B. Schreiber John A. Freeman Kwame Clement Arnold & Porter 555 Twelfth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20004 202/942-5000 202/942-5999(Fax)

(201-067)

Timothy Atkeson Joshua D. Franklin Arnold & Porter LLP 370 Seventeenth Street, Suite 4500 Denver, CO 80202-1370 303/863-1000 303/832-0428(Fax)

Terry W. Bird Vincent J. Marella Mark Drooks Bird, Marella, Boxer & Wolpert, P.C. 1875 Century Park East, 23rd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90067-2561 310/201-2100 310/201-2110(Fax) David W. Shapiro John F. Cove, Jr. Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP 1999 Harrison Street Oakland, CA 94612 510/874-1005 510/874-1460(Fax) Wesley R. Powell Clifford Chance US LLP 31 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019 212/878-8000 212/878-8375(Fax)

Alfred Levitt Jonathan D. Schiller David Boyd Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP 5301 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 800 Washington, DC 20015-2015 202/237-2727 202/237-6131(Fax) David Boies Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP 333 Main Street Armonk, NY 10504 914/749-8200 914/749-8300(Fax)

James E. Nesland Paul Schwartz Jeff Smith Cooley Godward, LLP 380 Interlocken Crescent, Suite 900 Broomfield, CO 80021-8023 720/566-4000 720/566-4099(Fax)

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 6/28/2005 Page 2 of 3

(201-067)

Bruce F. Black Michael J. Hofmann Holme Roberts & Owen LLP 1700 Lincoln Street, Suite 4100 Denver, CO 80203 303/861-7000 303/866-0200(Fax)

Mark C. Hansen Rebecca Beynon David Schwarz Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, P.L.L.C. 1615 M Street, N.W., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036 202/326-7900 202/326-7999(Fax) Robert N. Miller Stephanie E. Dunn Perkins Coie LLP 1899 Wynkoop Street, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80202 303/291-2300 303/291-2400(Fax)

Eric S. Goldstein Roberta A. Kaplan Marguertie S. Dougherty Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 1285 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019-6064 212/373-3000 212/757-3990(Fax) Frederick J. Baumann James M. Lyons Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP 1200 17th Street, Suite 3000 Denver, CO 80202-5839 303/623-9000 303/623-9222(Fax) Charles A. Stillman Kimo S. Peluso Stillman & Friedman, P.C. 425 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 212/223-0200 212/223-1942(Fax)

Terence C. Gill Marcy M. Heronimus Sherman & Howard L.L.C. 633 Seventeenth Street, Suite 3000 Denver, CO 80202 303/297-2900 303/298-0940(Fax)

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QWEST (LEAD) Service List - 6/28/2005 Page 3 of 3 Plaintiff(s) Robert J. Dyer III Kip B. Shuman Jeffrey A. Berens Dyer & Shuman, LLP 801 East 17th Avenue Denver, CO 80218-1417 303/861-3003 303/830-6920(Fax)

(201-067)

William S. Lerach Spencer A. Burkholz Thomas E. Egler Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP 401 B Street, Suite 1600 San Diego, CA 92101-4297 619/231-1058 619/231-7423(Fax)

Joe R. Whatley, Jr. Whatley Drake, LLC 2323 Second Ave., North Birmingham, AL 35203 205/328-9576 205/328-9669(Fax)

Plaintiff Stichting Pensioenfonds Counsel Jay W. Eisenhofer Geoffrey C. Jarvis Michael J. Barry Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A. 1201 North Market Street, Suite 2100 Wilmington, DE 19801 302/622-7000 302/622-7100(Fax) Clyde A. Faatz Christopher J.W. Forrest Hamilton and Faatz, A P.C. 1600 Broadway, Suite 500 Denver, CO 80202-4905 303/830-0500 303/860-7855(Fax)