Declaration of Michelle L. Briggs — In re Bank of America California Unemployment Benefits Litigation (Dkt. 287-1, S.D. Cal. No. 3:21-md-02992)

Record facts

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California · No. 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB · Doc. 287-1 · 2024-07-19 · Docket on CourtListener

Full text

BRIGGS DECL. ISO OPP. TO OBJS. AND MOT.   
 
CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB 
TO REV. DISCOVERY ORDER 
 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
JAMES W. MCGARRY (pro hac vice) 
JMcGarry@goodwinlaw.com 
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP 
100 Northern Avenue 
Boston, MA  02210 
Tel.: +1 617 570 1000 
Fax: +1 617 523 1231 
 
SABRINA M. ROSE-SMITH (pro hac vice) 
SRoseSmith@goodwinlaw.com 
MATTHEW L. RIFFEE (pro hac vice) 
MRiffee@goodwinlaw.com 
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP 
1900 N Street, NW 
Washington, DC 20036 
Tel.: +1 202 346 4000 
Fax: +1 202 346 4444 
 
YVONNE W. CHAN (pro hac vice) 
YChan@jonesday.com 
JONES DAY 
100 High Street 
Boston, MA  02110 
Tel.: +1 617 960 3939 
Fax: +1 617 449 6999 
Attorneys for Defendant  
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. 
 
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA  
SAN DIEGO DIVISION 
IN RE: BANK OF AMERICA 
CALIFORNIA UNEMPLOYMENT 
BENEFITS LITIGATION 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Case No. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB 
DECLARATION OF MICHELLE 
L. BRIGGS IN SUPPORT OF 
DEFENDANT’S OPPOSITION TO 
PLAINTIFFS’ OBJECTIONS TO 
AND MOTION TO REVERSE IN 
PART MAGISTRATE JUDGE’S 
APRIL 24, 2024 DISCOVERY 
ORDER 
 
Date:   
July 19, 2024      
Time:  
1:30 p.m.       
Ctrm:   
2D      
Judge:  
Hon. Gonzalo P. Curiel      
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB     Document 287-1     Filed 05/31/24     PageID.2957     Page
1 of 4

 
BRIGGS DECL. ISO OPP. TO OBJS. AND MOT.   
 
CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB 
TO REV. DISCOVERY ORDER 
 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
 
 
 
 
Filed/Lodged Concurrently with: 
1. Mem. of Points and Auth. ISO 
Opp. to Obj. and Mot. to Rev. 
Discovery Order 
2. Declaration of Dustin Anderson 
 
 
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB     Document 287-1     Filed 05/31/24     PageID.2958     Page
2 of 4

 
1 
 
BRIGGS DECL. ISO OPP. TO OBJS. AND MOT.   
 
CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB 
TO REV. DISCOVERY ORDER 
 
 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
I, Michelle L. Briggs, state and declare as follows: 
1. 
I am a partner with the law firm of Goodwin Procter LLP, and counsel 
of record for Defendant Bank of America, N.A. (“BANA”) in the above-captioned 
lawsuit.   
2. 
I have personal knowledge of the facts set forth in this declaration, and 
if called upon to do so, I could and would competently testify thereto. 
3. 
I make this declaration in support of BANA’s Opposition to Plaintiffs’ 
Objections to and Motion to Reverse in Part Magistrate Judge’s April 24, 2024 
Discovery Order. 
4. 
On May 25, 2023, Judge Burns issued an Order Granting in Part and 
Denying in Part Motion to Dismiss Master Consolidated Complaint (Dkt. 126) (the 
“MTD Order”).  On June 16, 2023, Judge Burns issued a Scheduling Order 
Regulating Discovery and Other Pre-Trial Proceedings (Dkt. 139) that required the 
parties to complete discovery pursuant to an expedited schedule.   
5. 
In order to facilitate the compressed discovery schedule, Magistrate 
Judge Berg has been working closely with the parties over the past year to negotiate 
various discovery disputes, including disputes regarding written discovery, ESI 
custodians and search terms, and deposition scheduling, among other issues.  The 
parties have had 26 Informal Discovery Conferences (“IDCs”) and/or status 
conferences with Magistrate Judge Berg, occurring approximately every two weeks 
since Judge Burns issued the MTD Order.  Many of the conferences have lasted 
several hours. 
6. 
To date, BANA has produced more than 275,000 documents. 
7. 
Pursuant to Magistrate Judge Berg’s April 24, 2024 Discovery Order 
(Dkt. 268), BANA is in the process of reviewing and producing ESI from three 
additional senior executive custodians, including BANA’s former Chief Operations 
and Technology Officer, Catherine Bessant, BANA’s President of Regional Banking, 
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB     Document 287-1     Filed 05/31/24     PageID.2959     Page
3 of 4

 
2 
 
BRIGGS DECL. ISO OPP. TO OBJS. AND MOT.   
 
CASE NO. 21-MD-02992-GPC-MSB 
TO REV. DISCOVERY ORDER 
 
 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
Dean Athanasia, and BANA’s Head of Client Services and Credit Assistance, 
Christine Channels. 
8. 
The vendor costs to review and produce ESI from these three additional 
senior executive custodians will vary greatly depending on how reasonably targeted 
the search parameters are, how responsive the documents are, how many documents 
require redactions, and how many documents will need to be logged for privilege. 
9. 
Based on BANA’s preliminary review of Bessant, Athanasia, and 
Channels’ ESI identified by BANA’s own reasonable search terms, BANA 
anticipates a smaller review population than for prior custodians—both due to de-
duplication and fewer documents identified by search terms—and fewer documents 
to redact and log for privilege than for prior custodians. 
10. 
BANA anticipates that the vast majority of ESI identified for review 
from these three executives is not relevant to the issues in this case.     
 
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States that the 
foregoing is true and correct.  Executed on May 31, 2024, in Newport, Rhode Island. 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
 
 
 
MICHELLE L. BRIGGS 
 
 
 
Case 3:21-md-02992-GPC-MSB     Document 287-1     Filed 05/31/24     PageID.2960     Page
4 of 4

File and source

File

gov.uscourts.casd.709615.287.1.pdf

Size

143,227 bytes

SHA-256

e7cbb9101bb5b3e77c8c2a690be27d0d0ce952056894c503218c96acddc2c80e

Our copy

gov.uscourts.casd.709615.287.1.pdf

Original

PACER (login required)