No Privilege for “Litigation Funding Agreement”

The court granted defendants' motion to compel the production of a litigation funding agreement and rejected plaintiff's claim that the agreement was privileged. "[Plaintiff] maintains that ownership of the [patent-in-suit] and who is funding the instant litigation are not relevant issues in the case, and that turning over the litigation funding agreement would not lead to the discovery of relevant evidence. [Plaintiff] also believes that the litigation agreement is privileged material. . . . This Court finds that the litigation funding agreement is relevant and is not privileged, and [plaintiff] is ordered to produce it. . . ."

Cobra International v. BCNY International, et. al., 0-05-cv-61225 (FLSD November 4, 2013, Order) (Matthewman, M.J.)

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No Privilege for Communications with “Astrologist”

The court granted in part plaintiff's motion to compel discovery regarding defendant's consulting astrologist and rejected defendant's claim of privilege. "[D]efendant cites no authority for the proposition that astrology constitutes a religion or belief system to which a privilege could attach. . . . [Defendant's founder's] consultations with [an astrologer] about the astrological wisdom of using certain attorneys, or about taking litigation or business actions on certain dates, is not the type of communication to which a religious privilege would attach. . . . Defendant offers no evidence that [the astrologer] was 'hired,' or the scope of any purported 'consulting' arrangement. And, if there really was some consulting arrangement for the purposes of this litigation, defendant fails to explain why it allowed the emails to be produced and [its founder] to be questioned about this communications with [the astrologer]."

Trading Technologies International, Inc. v. CQG, et. al., 1-05-cv-04811 (ILND November 4, 2013, Order) (Schenkier, J.)