Gardner
Gardner v. Starkist Co.
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 WARREN GARDNER, et al., Case No. 19-cv-02561-WHO
Plaintiffs,
ORDER GRANTING IN PART
v. DENYING IN PART MOTION TO
ISSUE LETTER ROGATORY
STARKIST CO., Re: Dkt. No. 113 Defendant.
12 Plaintiffs are purchasers of defendant StarKist Co. (“StarKist”) tuna from various states who bring this class action lawsuit alleging that StarKist promises consumers that its tuna products are dolphin-safe and sustainably sourced and that those promises are false and misleading. Plaintiffs move for the issuance of a letter rogatory to compel the production of documents from StarKist’s parent company, Dongwon Industries Co. Ltd. (“Dongwon”), a company headquartered and incorporated in the Republic of Korea. Plaintiffs contend that Dongwon possesses information of relevance to this litigation, including documents relating to: (i) Dongwon’s procurement of raw tuna for StarKist; (ii) Dongwon’s use of fishing methods such as purse seine nets, fish aggravating devices…