Supreme Court of California

This appeal raised the issue of the extent to which California's right to privacy provision protects purchasers of potentially defective DVD players from having their identifying information disclosed to the plaintiff during civil discovery proceedings in a consumers' rights class action against the seller. The court finds, contrary to the court of appeals' ruling, that the trial court properly evaluated the alternatives, balanced the competing interests, and permitted disclosure of contact information regarding Pioneer's complaining customers unless, following proper notice to them, they registered a written objection.

Appellate Information

• Decided 01/25/2007
• Published 01/25/2007

Judges

• CHIN, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Hughes Hubbard & Reed, William T. Bisset, Charles Avrith, David A. Lombardero and Alicia D. Mew, Los Angeles, for Petitioner., Sidley Austin, Jeffrey A. Berman, James M. Harris and Steven A. Ellis, Los Angeles, for Employers Group as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Jocelyn D. Larkin, Brad Seligman, Berkely, and Sarah Varela for Asian Law Caucus, Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund, Equal Justice Society, Equal Rights Advocates, The Impact Fund, Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Public Counsel and Western Center on Law and Poverty as Amici Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Lange & Koncius, Joseph J.M. Lange, Jeffrey A. Koncius, El Segundo;  Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman, Sanford P. Dumain, Michael R. Reese, Ann M. Lipton, Jeff S. Westerman, Sabrina S. Kim, Los Angeles;  Robert I. Lax & Associates and Robert I. Lax for Real Party in Interest., The Sturdevant Law Firm, James C. Sturdevant, San Francisco, Mark T. Johnson and Sylvia Sokol, San Francisco, for Consumer Attorneys of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest., David R. Labahn, Sacramento, for California District Attorneys Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest.


• For Appellees:
  
• No appearance for Respondent.