throbber
Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 1 of 18 PageID #: 32019
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
`
`GENENTECH, INC.,
`
`Plaintiff and Counterclaim
`Defendant,
`
`C.A. No. 18-924-CFC
`
`PUBLIC VERSION
`
`v.
`
`AMGEN INC.,
`
`Defendant and Counterclaim
`Plaintiff.
`
`AMGEN’S ANSWERING BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO GENENTECH’S
`MOTION FOR SANCTIONS PURSUANT TO
`FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 37(b)
`
`

`

`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 2 of 18 PageID #: 32020
`
`
`
`Table of Contents
`
`
`Page
`
`
`INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1
`I.
`BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 3
`II.
`LEGAL STANDARD ........................................................................................................ 5
`III.
`IV. ARGUMENT ..................................................................................................................... 5
`A.
`Genentech Failed To Establish That Ms. Kwasigroch Is Subject To The
`Court’s Waiver Order ............................................................................................ 5
`Ms. Kwasigroch’s Mental Impressions Are Not Discoverable Because
`They Are Covered By Trial Counsel Privilege ...................................................... 8
`Genentech’s Proposed Fact Findings Are Incorrect ............................................ 11
`Amgen Would be Unfairly Prejudiced If It Were Compelled To Disclose
`Its Trial Counsel Communications And Trial Counsel Work Product ................ 13
`CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 14
`
`B.
`
`C.
`D.
`
`V.
`
`i
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 3 of 18 PageID #: 32021
`
`Table of Authorities
`
`
`Page(s)
`
`
`Cases
`
`Alloc, Inc. v. Pergo, L.L.C.,
`No. 00-C-0999, 2010 WL 3808977 (E.D. Wis. Sept. 23, 2010)..............................................13
`
`Hewlett v. Davis,
`844 F.2d 109 (3d Cir. 1988).......................................................................................................7
`
`Hickman v. Taylor,
`329 U.S. 495 (1947) .................................................................................................................13
`
`Krausz Indus. Ltd. v. Smith-Blair, Inc.,
`No. 5:12-CV-00570-FL, 2016 WL 10538004 (E.D. N.C. Dec. 13, 2016) ..........................9, 11
`
`Provine v. Ambulatory Health Serv. Inc.,
`Civ. No. 4:13-CV-0334, 2014 WL 47771 (M.D. Pa. Jan. 6, 2014) ...........................................5
`
`R.W. Int’l Corp. v. Welch Foods, Inc.,
`937 F.2d 11 (1st Cir. 1991) ........................................................................................................7
`
`In re Seagate Tech., LLC,
`497 F.3d 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2007), abrogated on other grounds by Halo Elecs.,
`Inc. v. Pulse Elecs., Inc., 136 S. Ct. 1923 (2016) ............................................................ passim
`
`Estate of Spear v. Comm’r of Internal Revenue,
`41 F.3d 103 (3d Cir. 1994).........................................................................................................5
`
`Wisconsin Alumni Research Found. v. Apple, Inc.,
`No. 14-062-wmc, 2015 WL5009880 (W.D. Wis. Aug. 20, 2015) ......................................9, 11
`
`Other Authorities
`
`Rule
`37................................................................................................................................................7
`37(b)(2) ......................................................................................................................................7
`
`
`
`
`ii
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 4 of 18 PageID #: 32022
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`Genentech’s motion for discovery sanctions1 should be denied because it is based on
`
`Genentech’s improper attempt to reach trial counsel’s work product and trial counsel’s direct and
`
`indirect privileged communications with Amgen. The Court’s Order included an important and
`
`appropriate limitation on the scope of waiver of the attorney-client privilege resulting from
`
`Amgen’s reliance on opinions of counsel as a defense to Genentech’s allegation of willful
`
`infringement: that waiver did not extend to outside trial counsel’s work product or trial counsel’s
`
`direct or indirect privileged communications with Amgen. D.I. 259. The en banc Federal Circuit
`
`firmly established in Seagate that reliance on opinions of counsel does not waive work product
`
`immunity with respect to trial counsel. See In re Seagate Tech., LLC, 497 F.3d 1360, 1376 (Fed.
`
`Cir. 2007) (“relying on opinion counsel’s work product does not waive work product immunity
`
`with respect to trial counsel.”) (emphasis added), abrogated on other grounds by Halo Elecs., Inc.
`
`v. Pulse Elecs., Inc., 136 S. Ct. 1923 (2016).
`
`Nonetheless, Genentech attempted to obtain deposition testimony from Ms. Kwasigroch
`
`that unavoidably would have exposed trial counsel’s invalidity and non-infringement work product
`
`that Ms. Kwasigroch received from (or developed with) Amgen’s outside trial counsel. Ms.
`
`Kwasigroch is the Amgen in-house counsel representing Amgen in this litigation, has
`
`responsibility for managing the case, is admitted pro hac vice by the Court and is bound by the
`
`Protective Order. In reliance on Seagate and the Court’s limited waiver Order, Amgen’s counsel
`
`appropriately objected to some of the questions posed during Ms. Kwasigroch’s deposition and
`
`instructed Ms. Kwasigroch to protect trial counsel’s work-product immunity and privilege.
`
`
`1 Genentech filed a motion and supporting brief in lieu of utilizing the Court’s discovery dispute
`resolution procedure, so Amgen is responding in kind.
`1
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 5 of 18 PageID #: 32023
`
`Genentech turned a blind-eye to the important limitations in the Court’s Order, provoking
`
`this unnecessary and inappropriate motion for sanctions. The motion—and Genentech’s attempts
`
`to break Amgen’s trial counsel work product immunity and privilege (together, Amgen’s “trial
`
`counsel privilege”)—should be denied for three reasons.
`
`First, Genentech failed to lay a foundation during Ms. Kwasigroch’s deposition to establish
`
`that Ms. Kwasigroch fell within the scope of the waiver defined by the Court’s Order. Ms.
`
`Kwasigroch’s testimony demonstrated that she does not fall within the scope of the waiver defined
`
`by the Court. Counsel’s objections and instructions reflected Genentech’s failure to lay the
`
`required foundation, so there was no violation of the Order.
`
`Second, counsel’s privilege objections and instructions to Ms. Kwasigroch were consistent
`
`with the Court’s Order and appropriate under Seagate. Ms. Kwasigroch’s mental impressions
`
`concerning the non-infringement and invalidity of the patents-in-suit were created by receiving
`
`and refining trial counsel’s work product. Ms. Kwasigroch could not testify about those mental
`
`impressions without waiving the trial counsel privilege—and Seagate squarely holds that Amgen
`
`is entitled to maintain its trial counsel privilege notwithstanding its reliance on opinions of counsel.
`
`Third, Genentech’s proposed findings of fact are wrong: the proposed findings are
`
`contradicted by Ms. Kwasigroch’s sworn testimony. Therefore, regardless of how the Court views
`
`the merits of the parties’ positions on the scope of the privilege waiver, it would be wrong for the
`
`Court to adopt Genentech’s proposed findings.
`
`Genentech’s motion should be denied for each of the foregoing reasons, which are
`
`explained in more detail below.
`
`2
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 6 of 18 PageID #: 32024
`
`II.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`On June 20, 2019, the Court issued an order setting forth the scope of subject matter waiver
`
`of Amgen’s attorney-client privilege concerning the (i) infringement and/or invalidity of U.S.
`
`Patent No. 8,574,869 (“the ’869 patent”); and (ii) the validity of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,627,196 (“the
`
`’196 patent”), 7,371,379 (“the ’379 patent”), and/or 10,160,811 (“the ’811 patent”). D.I. 259.
`
`The Order expressly states that “[t]he waiver does not extend to communications with
`
`outside trial counsel.” Id. at 1.2 In that regard, the Order rejected Genentech’s proposal, which
`
`would have extended the waiver to Amgen’s trial counsel’s direct and indirect communications
`
`concerning the non-infringement and invalidity of the sparging patent, and the invalidity of the
`
`dosing patents. Id.
`
`Regarding depositions, the Order specifically extends waiver discovery only to “any in-
`
`house counsel involved in (i) obtaining the Opinion Letters; or (ii) providing advice with respect
`
`to (a) infringement or validity of the ’869 patent or (b) the validity of ’196, ’379 or ’811 patents to
`
`any business decisionmakers at Amgen.” Id. at 2, ¶6.
`
`In August 2019, the Court denied Amgen’s motion for reargument and ordered Amgen to
`
`produce documents falling within the scope of the privilege waiver by September 4, 2019. D.I.
`
`345. The Court reiterated that its Order on waiver “denied the motions to the extent they sought
`
`communications with outside ‘trial counsel,’” and observed that “[o]ne recognized exception [to
`
`waiver] is communications with trial counsel. See In re Seagate Tech., LLC, 497 F.3d 1360, 1373
`
`(Fed. Cir. 2007).”). Id. at 2 n.2. Shortly after the issuance of the Order on reargument, Genentech
`
`requested the depositions of 19 Amgen employees, including Ms. Kwasigroch. (Declaration of
`
`Benjamin Lin in Support of Amgen Inc.’s Responsive Brief (“Lin Decl.”), Ex. 1 (Robert Gunther
`
`
`2 See also Order on Reargument, D.I. 345 at 2 n.2 (same).
`3
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 7 of 18 PageID #: 32025
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 7 of 18 PageID #: 32025
`
`Aug. 28, 2019 email).) Amgen complied with the Order by (i) producing documents subject to
`
`the C01u1’s findings on waiver. and (ii) making its in—house attorneys and business decisionmakers
`
`available for deposition. So far, Genentech has taken the depositions of
`
`—. totaling approximately 23.5 hours on the record. And
`
`eesessesses—. and see-e1 essse
`
`Amgen employees are scheduled to occ1u‘ soon. Besides the present dispute. there are no pending
`
`discovery disputes regarding the deposition testimony provided by any other Amgen witnesses
`
`who have appeared for deposition pursuant to the Corut’s Order on waiver.
`
`Genentech took the deposition of Ms. Kwasigroch on September 17. 2019. At the
`
`assesses assesses essesssseesses—
`
`
`
`Genentech also established that Ms. Kwasigroch
`
`4
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 8 of 18 PageID #: 32026
`
` (See also Declaration of Lois Kwasigroch in Support of Amgen Inc.’s Responsive
`
`Brief (“Kwasigroch Decl.”), ¶¶ 1-9.)
`
`Genentech did not inquire in detail about the sparging patent, but
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`(Kwasigroch Decl., ¶¶ 6-7.)
`
`In spite of Ms. Kwasigroch’s testimony explaining that her focus was working with outside
`
`trial counsel to develop district court defenses, Genentech attempted to elicit testimony from her
`
`that implicated the information and litigation strategies that trial counsel communicated to Ms.
`
`Kwasigroch, which led to the present dispute. (See, e.g., Ex. 2 at 74:3-11; 94:4-13.)
`
`III. LEGAL STANDARD
`
`In deciding whether taking facts as established is an appropriate sanction for a discovery
`
`violation, courts are to assess the culpability of the offending party and the prejudice to the party
`
`seeking sanctions. See Estate of Spear v. Comm’r of Internal Revenue, 41 F.3d 103, 111 (3d Cir.
`
`1994). “Any sanction imposed should be just and must be specifically related to the particular
`
`claim or claims at issue in the order to provide discovery violated by the offending party.” Provine
`
`v. Ambulatory Health Serv. Inc., Civ. No. 4:13-CV-0334, 2014 WL 47771, at *4 (M.D. Pa. Jan. 6,
`
`2014).
`
`IV. ARGUMENT
`
`A.
`
`Genentech Failed To Establish That Ms. Kwasigroch’s Role Or Conduct Made
`Her Subject To The Court’s Waiver Order
`
`Genentech’s motion for sanctions fails to prove any violation of the Court Order because
`
`Genentech never established that Ms. Kwasigroch’s role or conduct brought her within the group
`
`of in-house counsel who are subject to discovery under the Order on waiver.
`
`5
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 9 of 18 PageID #: 32027
`
`Genentech requested, and the Court found, that the Order extends to “in-house counsel
`
`involved in (i) obtaining the Opinion Letters; or (ii) providing advice with respect to (a)
`
`infringement or validity of the ’869 patent or (b) the validity of ’196, ’379 or ’811 patents to any
`
`business decisionmakers at Amgen.” D.I. 259 at 2, ¶6. Ms. Kwasigroch does not fall into this
`
`group of individuals.
`
`. Id.
`
` (Id.; see also Kwasigroch Decl., ¶¶1-9.)
`
`Genentech did not inquire in detail about the sparging patent during the deposition,
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`.
`
`(Kwasigroch Decl., ¶¶6-7.)
`
`Discovery provided by other Amgen employees confirms Ms. Kwasigroch’s testimony that
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`6
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 10 of 18 PageID #: 32028
`
` (Lin Decl., Ex. 3 (Stuart Watt Sept. 23, 2019 Deposition Transcript) at
`
`
`
`63:21-64:1.)
`
`Under the language of the Court’s Order on waiver, Ms. Kwasigroch is not one of the
`
`Amgen in-house attorneys who are subject to the Order on waiver discovery. See D.I. 259 at 2,
`
`¶6. Genentech bore the burden of laying a foundation that Ms. Kwasigroch fell within the group
`
`of in-house attorneys who may be included within the scope of the Order on waiver, and it failed
`
`to do so. Counsel’s objections and instructions appropriately reflected Genentech’s inability to
`
`meet the requirements for waiver discovery.3
`
`Genentech’s motion fails as a threshold matter because it has not shown any violation of
`
`any order. R.W. Int’l Corp. v. Welch Foods, Inc., 937 F.2d 11, 15 (1st Cir. 1991) (explaining that
`
`a motion under Rule 37 “clearly requires two things as conditions precedent to engaging the gears
`
`of the rule’s sanction machinery: a court order must be in effect, and then must be violated, before
`
`the enumerated sanctions can be imposed,” and reversing order granting sanctions for failure to
`
`answer questions during deposition because movant failed to clear “the initial hurdle” of showing
`
`that a discovery order was violated); see also Hewlett v. Davis, 844 F.2d 109, 113 (3d Cir. 1988)
`
`(“Rule 37(b)(2) offers a wide range of sanctions for noncompliance with an order to compel
`
`discovery.”) (emphasis added).
`
`
`3 Amgen employees who fall within the scope of waiver discovery defined by the Court, including
` testified concerning their mental impressions relating to the non-
`infringement and invalidity of the ’869 sparging patent, and the invalidity of the ’196, ’379 and
`’811 patents, to the extent that they were able to do so without divulging trial counsel
`communications and trial counsel work product. Genentech has not disputed the sufficiency of
`their testimony.
`
`7
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 11 of 18 PageID #: 32029
`
`B. Ms. Kwasigroch’s Mental Impressions Are Not Discoverable Because They
`Are Covered By Trial Counsel Privilege
`
`The Court specifically found that “the waiver does not extend to communications with
`
`outside trial counsel.” D.I. 259 at 1; D.I. 345 at 2 n.2. Consistent with the holding in Seagate, this
`
`includes work product communicated from trial counsel to Amgen concerning the non-
`
`infringement and/or invalidity of the relevant patents. In re Seagate Tech., LLC, 497 F.3d at 1376
`
`(“Relying on opinion counsel’s work product does not waive work product immunity with respect
`
`to trial counsel.”).4 In light of Ms. Kwasigroch’s
`
`
`
`, it was not practicable for her to separate her personal views
`
`on the issues of non-infringement and invalidity from those of Amgen’s trial counsel. Any
`
`testimony regarding Ms. Kwasigroch’s mental impressions about non-infringement or invalidity
`
`would indirectly disclose trial counsel work product and attorney-client communications. See id.
`
`Therefore, Ms. Kwasigroch’s mental impressions on these topics are not discoverable.5
`
`The testimony of Ms. Kwasigroch shows that her assessment of the relevant patents is
`
`derived from her interactions with trial counsel.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`4 The Court heard a joint argument with C.A. No. 17-1407-CFC (“the Avastin case”) on June 18,
`2019. In the Avastin case, the Court issued a similar order on waiver, which similarly noted the
`Court’s intent to follow Seagate. See C.A. No. 17-1407-CFC, D.I. 407 (“[t]he waiver does not
`extend to Amgen’s outside trial counsel.”).
`5 Other Amgen employees, including
`, whose roles and responsibilities
`differ from Ms. Kwasigroch’s, testified about their mental impressions concerning non-
`infringement and invalidity to the extent they were able to do so without disclosing trial counsel
`communications and work product. Genentech has not disputed the sufficiency of their testimony.
`8
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 12 of 18 PageID #: 32030
`
`
`
`
`
` (Id. at 80:4-14; Kwasigroch Decl., ¶¶1-9; Ex. 3 at
`
`63:21-64:1.)
`
`Ms. Kwasigroch’s mental impressions concerning the invalidity of the sparging and dosing
`
`patents are based upon, and inextricably intertwined with, outside litigation counsel trial strategy
`
`and therefore protected by trial counsel privilege. (Kwasigroch Decl., ¶¶1-9). Other courts have
`
`applied Seagate in this manner. For example, in Wisconsin Alumni Research Found. v. Apple,
`
`Inc., No. 14-062-wmc, 2015 WL5009880 (W.D. Wis. Aug. 20, 2015), the court relied on Seagate
`
`to find that the plaintiff was not entitled to information as to why in-house counsel “chose to
`
`discuss … certain topics to the extent protected by [defendant’s] larger attorney-client and work
`
`privileges, nor what was in his mind more generally, and certainly not what privileged
`
`communications he had with [defendant’s] prosecution, IPR or litigation counsel.” Id. at *1
`
`(emphasis added). Notably, Genentech endorses this interpretation of Wisconsin Alumni Research
`
`Foundation’s holding. It recently argued to this Court that “Wisc. Alumni Research Foundation
`
`v. Apple, Inc., No. 14-062-wmc, 2015 WL 5009880 (W.D. Wis. Aug 20, 2015), relied on Seagate
`
`to prohibit discovery of in-house counsel on his communications with trial counsel.” See D. I. 270
`
`at 7.
`
`In the context of waiver resulting from an advice of counsel defense, other district courts
`
`have also applied Seagate to exempt from waiver communications between in-house counsel and
`
`trial counsel. See, e.g., Krausz Indus. Ltd. v. Smith-Blair, Inc., No. 5:12-CV-00570-FL, 2016 WL
`
`10538004, at *12 (E.D. N.C. Dec. 13, 2016) (“any communications solely between Smith-Blair’s
`
`9
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 13 of 18 PageID #: 32031
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 13 of 18 PageID #: 32031
`
`in-house counsel and attomeys from [trial counsel at] Smith Anderson are not subject to the
`
`waiver.” .
`
`The questions that Genentech’s counsel posed to Ms. Kwasigroch that elicited privilege
`
`objections were objectionable because they could not be answered by Ms. KwasigIoch without
`
`divulging work product that tn'al counsel communicated to, or developed with, Ms. Kwasigroch.
`
`For example, after establishing that Ms. Kwasigroch—
`
`— (Ex. 2 at 18:24-25), Genentech’s counsel attempted to
`
`delve into Amgen’s trial strategies:
`
`
`
`(Ex. 2 at 94:4—13.) Similarly, Genentech tried to elicit testimony on the ongoing development of
`
`Amgen’s trial invalidity positions on the dosing patents:
`
`(Ex. 2 at 7423-11.)
`
`Genentech’s counsel’s repeated attempts to delve into Amgen’s trial c01msel privilege were
`
`inappropriate and inconsistent with Genentech’s representations to this Comt that it lmderstood
`
`that the Order on waiver left intact Amgen’s trial counsel plivilege. See D1. 270 at 4 (“The limited
`
`10
`
`

`

`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 14 of 18 PageID #: 32032
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 14 of 18 PageID #: 32032
`
`exception to this rule, articulated by the Federal Circuit in Seagate, concerns litigation advice from
`
`outside trial counsel. Id. at 1373.”) (footnote omitted).
`
`Moreover, Genentech misused the discovery process by improperly probing the witness
`
`about topics that are entirely outside of the scope of waiver. Although the June Order expressly
`
`limited the scope waiver to the assessment of invalidity of the ’196, ’379, or ’811 patents (the
`
`dosing patents), Genentech neveltheless asked questions about noninfringement of the dosing
`
`patents—a topic outside the scope of waiver:
`
`
`
`(Ex. 2 at 60:12—22.) As illustrated by these exemplary exchanges, Amgen’s c01msel properly
`
`objected to Genentech’s inquiries designed to obtain indirectly through Ms. Kwasigroch Amgen’s
`
`district court litigation strategy.
`
`Cormsel’s objections and instructions were consistent with the Corut’s Order finding a
`
`limited waiver, were necessary to protect Amgen’s trial cormsel privilege, and were authorized by
`
`the holding in Seagate.
`
`In re Seagate Tech., 497 F.3d at 1376 (“Relying on opinion counsel’s
`
`work product does not waive work product irmnunity with respect to trial c01msel.”). See also
`
`Wise. Alumni Research Found., 2015 WL 5009880 at * 1; Kraus: Indus. Ltd, 2016 WL 10538004,
`
`at *12.
`
`C.
`
`Genentech’s Proposed Fact Findings Are Incorrect
`
`Genentech’s proposed fact findings should not be adopted by the Court for the additional
`
`reason that they are factually incorrect and contradicted by Ms. Kwasigroch’s sworn testimony.
`
`ll
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 15 of 18 PageID #: 32033
`
`Taking them in reverse order, Genentech’s third proposed fact finding is wrong because
`
`Ms. Kwasigroch testified that she has a basis to believe that the ’196, ’379, and ’811 patents are
`
`invalid. Ms. Kwasigroch has been
`
`
`
`.” (Ex. 2 at 80:4-14.) And she
`
`testified
`
`that
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`(Ex. 2 at 93:10-14.) Accordingly, Ms. Kwasigroch’s bases for believing the dosing patents are
`
`invalid are contained in Amgen’s invalidity contentions served in this lawsuit.
`
`The second proposed factual finding is also clearly inaccurate in light of the same
`
`testimony. It would be erroneous to find that Ms. Kwasigroch was not aware of any invalidity
`
`argument or prior art that was not presented to and considered by the PTAB, because she
`
`
`
`
`
`Genentech’s first proposed factual finding lacks foundation. Ms. Kwasigroch testified that
`
`. (Ex. 2 at 80:4-14; 93:10-14.)
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` Accordingly, she had no basis—other than communications with trial counsel—for
`
`forming an opinion regarding whether there were errors in the PTAB’s analysis. As a result, it
`
`12
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 16 of 18 PageID #: 32034
`
`would be misleading and inaccurate for the Court to find that Ms. Kwasigroch was unaware of, or
`
`found no, errors in the PTAB’s analysis.
`
`D.
`
`Amgen Would be Unfairly Prejudiced If It Were Compelled To Disclose Its
`Trial Counsel Communications And Trial Counsel Work Product
`
`The Court should also deny Genentech’s motion because its interpretation of the Court’s
`
`waiver Order would unfairly prejudice Amgen’s trial preparations and its ability to defend this
`
`lawsuit. “While a broad waiver of privilege as to opinion counsel is necessary to prevent
`
`exploitation and ensure full disclosure, the adversarial process requires that trial counsel be
`
`afforded room to ‘prepare ... legal theories and plan ... strategy without undue and needless
`
`interference.’” Alloc, Inc. v. Pergo, L.L.C., No. 00-C-0999, 2010 WL 3808977, at *4 (E.D. Wis.
`
`Sept. 23, 2010) (internal citations omitted). It would be impossible for Amgen’s trial counsel to
`
`correspond freely, and to develop litigation strategies with Amgen, if counsel for Genentech could
`
`access those strategies through deposition testimony from Ms. Kwasigroch. The Federal Circuit
`
`has recognized that “mental process work product such as a plans, strategies, tactics, and
`
`impressions” is afforded “nearly, absolute protection.” In re Seagate Tech., 497 F.3d at 1375
`
`(citations omitted). “Extending the scope of waiver to include trial counsel, thereby giving
`
`opposing counsel access to trial counsel’s thoughts and strategies, would result in ‘inefficiency,
`
`unfairness and sharp practices,’ and both litigants and the administration of justice overall would
`
`suffer.” Alloc, Inc., 2010 WL 3808977, at *4 (quoting Hickman v. Taylor, 329 U.S. 495, 510–11
`
`(1947)).
`
`
`
`
`
`13
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 17 of 18 PageID #: 32035
`
`V.
`
`CONCLUSION
`
`Amgen has complied with its disclosure obligations by offering witnesses for deposition
`
`on topics defined by the scope of waiver in the Court’s Order. Because the sanctions sought by
`
`Genentech are inconsistent with the Court’s Order and are at odds with well-understood contours
`
`of the attorney-client privilege set forth in Seagate, the Court should deny Genentech’s motion.
`
`14
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC Document 420 Filed 10/15/19 Page 18 of 18 PageID #: 32036
`
`
`
`
`
`Michelle Rhyu
`Susan Krumplitsch
`Daniel Knauss
`Cooley LLP
`3175 Hanover Street
`Palo Alto, CA 94304-1130
`P 650-843-5287
`skrumplitsch@cooley.com
`mrhyu@cooley.com
`dknauss@cooley.com
`
`Orion Armon
`Cooley LLP
`380 Interlocken Crescent, Suite 900
`Broomfield, CO 80021-8023
`(720) 566-4119
`oarmon@cooley.com
`
`Eamonn Gardner
`Cooley LLP
`4401 Eastgate Mall
`San Diego, CA 92121-1909
`(858) 550-6086
`egardner@cooley.com
`
`
`
`Dated: October 8, 2019
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`/s/ Neal C. Belgam
`Neal C. Belgam (No. 2721)
`Eve H. Ormerod (No. 5369)
`Smith Katzenstein & Jenkins LLP
`1000 West Street, Suite 1501
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 652-8400
`nbelgam@skjlaw.com
`eormerod@skjlaw.com
`
`Lois Kwasigroch
`Nancy Gettel
`Brian Kao
`Amgen Inc.
`One Amgen Center Drive
`Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-1799
`P 805-447-1000
`loisk@amgen.com
`ngettel@amgen.com
`bkao@amgen.com
`
`Attorneys for Defendant Amgen Inc.
`
`15
`
`
`
`

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket