NOUC
NOUC
NOUC
7
JOE H. TUFFAHA (Bar No. 253723)
8 joe.tuffaha@ltlattorneys.com
PRASHANTH CHENNAKESAVAN (Bar No. 284022)
9 prashanth.chennakesavan@ltlattorneys.com
LTL ATTORNEYS LLP
10
300 South Grand Avenue, Suite 3950
11 Los Angeles, CA 90071-3426
Telephone: (213) 612-8900
12 Facsimile: (213) 612-3773
1
NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
WILLIAM B. PITT, an individual, Action Filed: February 17, 2022
1 MONDO BONGO, LLC, a California Trial Date: None set.
limited liability company, MARC-
2 OLIVIER PERRIN, an individual, SAS
MIRAVAL PROVENCE, a French limited
3 liability company, SAS FAMILLES
PERRIN, a French limited liability
4 company, ROLAND VENTURINI, an
individual, GARY BRADBURY, an
5 individual, WARREN GRANT, an
individual, SAS PETRICHOR, a French
6 limited liability company; VINS ET
DOMAINES PERRIN SC, a French
7 company; SAS MIRAVAL STUDIOS, a
French limited liability company; SASU
8 LE DOMAINE, a French limited liability
company; SAS DISTILLERIES DE LA
9 RIVIERA, a French limited liability
company, and ROES 1-10.
10 Cross-Defendants.
11 TENUTE DEL MONDO, B.V., a
Netherlands private limited company
12
Cross-Complainant,
13 vs.
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NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
TO THE COURT, ALL PARTIES AND THEIR COUNSEL OF RECORD:
1 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on April 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as the
2 matter may be heard, in Department 3 of the above-captioned Court, located at 111 North Hill
3 Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Defendant and Cross-Complainant Nouvel, LLC (“Nouvel”) will
4 and hereby does move the court for an order compelling non-party Campari America LLC
5 (“Campari”) to produce its person(s) most knowledgeable and produce documents pursuant to
6 Code of Civil Procedure (“CCP”) § 1987.1, CCP § 2020.030, and CCP § 2025.480 (“Motion”).
7 PLEASE ALSO TAKE NOTICE that at the date and time set for the hearing on said
8 Motion, Nouvel shall and hereby does move, pursuant to CCP § 1987.2, CCP § 2030.030, and
9 CCP § 2025.480, for an award of monetary sanctions against Campari in a sum to be determined
10 on the grounds that Campari has failed to comply with the deposition subpoena and any opposition
11 to such motion would lack in substantial justification pursuant to CCP §§ 2023.030(a) and
12 2025.480(j).
13 The Motion and request for sanctions are based on this Notice, attached Memorandum of
14 Points and Authorities, Declaration of Joe Tuffaha, Request for Judicial Notice, concurrently filed
15 Separate Statement as required under C.R.C. Rule 3.1345, all records and papers on file, matters
16 of which the Court may take judicial notice, and such other evidence or argument of counsel, as
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NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
Dated: July 29, 2024
1 Respectfully submitted,
2 By: /s/ Joe H. Tuffaha
3 LTL ATTORNEYS LLP
Joe H. Tuffaha (Bar No. 253723)
4 joe.tuffaha@ltlattorneys.com
Prashanth Chennakesavan (Bar No. 284022)
5 prashanth.chennakesavan@ltlattorneys.com
300 South Grand Avenue, Suite 3950
6 Los Angeles, CA 90071
Telephone: (213) 612-8900
7 Facsimile: (213) 612-3773
8 CRAVATH, SWAINE & MOORE LLP
Keith R. Hummel (admitted pro hac vice)
9 Justin C. Clarke (admitted pro hac vice)
Jonathan Mooney (admitted pro hac vice)
10 375 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
11 Telephone: (212) 474-1000
Facsimile: (212) 474-3700
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NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES ................................................................... 8
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NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
1
Cases
2
Garcia v. Bellflower Unified School Dist. Governing Bd.,
3 220 Cal. App. 4th 1058 (2013) .................................................................................................... 18
13 Twin Lock, Inc. v. Superior Ct. In & For Los Angeles Cnty.,
52 Cal.2d 754 (1959) ................................................................................................................... 19
14
Yelp, Inc. v. Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, Inc.,
15 289 Va. 426 (2015) ..................................................................................................................... 20
16 Statutes
6
NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
Code of Civil Procedure § 2025.230. .................................................................................. 19, 20, 21
1 Code of Civil Procedure § 2025.260 ............................................................................................... 20
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NOUVEL’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES
2 I. PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
5 specified topics and to produce documents. The scope of the subpoena is narrow, seeking
7 Campari and Chateau Miraval. Campari has refused to designate a witness to appear for the
8 scheduled deposition and has refused to produce documents. Instead, Campari has erroneously
10 Campari’s challenge fails because Campari has not claimed that it has no California
11 representative who (1) can appear at a deposition or (2) has control over the responsive
12 documents, and has failed to follow the statutory procedure of designating a person most
14 filings that it is a resident of California (contrary to its assertions otherwise here). Campari’s
15 additional objections to the document requests and deposition topics are also without merit.
16 Accordingly, Nouvel respectfully requests an order compelling Campari to comply with Nouvel’s
19 In 2008, Nouvel, a California LLC then owned by Angelina Jolie, and Mongo Bongo, a
20 California LLC owned by Brad Pitt, jointly purchased Chateau Miraval, an estate and vineyard in
21 the south of France, through the holding company Quimicum. (Nouvel’s First Amended Cross
24 Provence—which is run by Cross-Defendant Marc Perrin. (Id. ¶ 74.) In the next decade, Miraval
25 Provence became highly profitable, generating tens of millions of euros per year in profits.
26 (Id. ¶ 79.)
27 After Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016, Pitt and Mondo Bongo began a retaliatory
28 campaign to exclude Nouvel from participating in the jointly-owned business. (FACC ¶ 93.) As
8
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 part of this campaign, Pitt has caused Chateau Miraval to enter into disadvantageous business
2 deals that financially benefit him and his friends (id. ¶ 14), while keeping Nouvel and Jolie in the
3 dark about Chateau Miraval’s finances and operations (id. ¶¶ 3, 93, 143, 151.) To date, Pitt has
4 squandered Chateau Miraval’s profits on wasteful vanity projects (id. ¶ 115 (“€1,106,658 on a
5 swimming pool, and €2,963,207 on ‘garment works’ . . . €1 million per year for years on end
6 reconstructing stone walls using stone masons from Croatia”)); allowed Miraval Provence to
8 property in the name of Miraval Provence (id. ¶¶ 119, 126); diverted Chateau Miraval’s resources
9 to his own side businesses that exploit Miraval’s name, image and premises (id. ¶ 130–44); and
10 given away the controlling share of Miraval Provence to Familles Perrin (id. ¶¶ 150–53) – all for
12 On September 24, 2021, Jolie sold Nouvel to Tenute del Mondo, B.V. (“Tenute”), a
13 subsidiary of the Stoli wine and spirits conglomerate. (FACC ¶ 159.) In an effort to peaceably
14 coexist as joint owners, representatives of Tenute spoke with representatives of Mondo Bongo and
15 Marc Perrin to discuss the future of Chateau Miraval. (Id. ¶ 163.) During these meetings, Tenute
16 introduced a detailed plan for Miraval to leverage Stoli’s established distribution network in an
17 effort to diversify and expand Miraval’s presence worldwide. (Id. ¶¶ 160, 164.) Indeed, Tenute
18 purchased Nouvel with the expectation of working with Pitt to harness the Stoli Group’s
19 distribution expertise and expand Miraval’s production and profitability. (Id. ¶ 162.) Initially,
20 Perrin eagerly acceded to this plan. (Id. ¶¶ 163–64.) However, Pitt could not tolerate anyone else
21 exercising control over Chateau Miraval and fiercely opposed any such collaboration. (Id. ¶ 166.)
22 To cement his total control over Miraval, Pitt ordered Perrin to stop speaking to Nouvel, Tenute,
24 Pitt’s campaign to exclude Nouvel, Tenute and Stoli from participation in Miraval came to
25 a head when Pitt caused Chateau Miraval to enter into an exclusive ten-year distribution contract
26 with Campari America LLC (“Campari”)—closing the door entirely on Tenute, Stoli and Nouvel’s
27 participation in Miraval. Nouvel alleges that Pitt has deprived Nouvel of information about the
28 Chateau Miraval business to hide his poor financial decisions and obvious acts of self-dealing.
9
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 (FACC ¶ 93.) Chateau Miraval’s contractual ties to Campari, or its affiliates, at the hands of Pitt
2 may be yet another installment in his systematic ploy to cause economic harm to Nouvel. 1
3 To discern facts regarding the distribution agreement, on May 2, 2024, Nouvel served a
5 qualified to testify regarding nine topics at a deposition scheduled for June 3, 2024, and to produce
6 documents. (Ex. 1 2). The document requests and deposition topics are narrowly tailored to seek
7 information regarding this agreement and Campari’s possible involvement in Pitt’s scheme to
9 Campari responded to the subpoena by letter dated May 29, 2024. (Ex. 3). The letter
10 challenges service of the subpoena on the grounds that Campari is purportedly not domiciled, and
11 therefore not subject to compulsory process, in California. Campari also asserts that Nouvel’s
12 service on its registered agent in California is insufficient for the same reason. The letter further
13 attaches objections to the substance of the subpoena requests, addressed in the accompanying
14 Separate Statement. Campari did not designate any witnesses and did not appear for the scheduled
15 deposition. By email on May 31, 2024, counsel for Nouvel sought confirmation as to whether
16 Campari would be producing documents pursuant to the subpoena and whether Campari would be
17 appearing for the scheduled deposition. (Ex. 4.) Counsel for Campari responded by email on the
18 same day stating that “Campari intends to stand on its objections and is not appearing” at the
19 scheduled deposition. (Id.) Counsel for Nouvel and for Campari subsequently met-and-conferred
20 by phone on June 6, 2024 and July 9, 2024. (Tuffaha Decl. ¶ 11.) However, Campari has not
21 moved from its position and maintains its refusal to appear for a deposition and produce records.
22
23
24
25 1
Nouvel also suspects that Cross-Defendants and Campari may have conspired with Southern
26 Glazer, the largest U.S. alcohol distributor, to harm Nouvel. That entity is reportedly facing
several government investigations and lawsuits regarding alleged anti-competitive conduct and
27 abuse of its monopoly power, which exposes Chateau Miraval to reputational damage.
28 2
The exhibits are attached to the concurrently filed declaration of Joe Tuffaha.
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NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 III. LEGAL STANDARD
2 California Code of Civil Procedure section 1987.1 states in relevant part: “If a subpoena
3 requires the attendance of a witness or the production of books, documents, electronically stored
4 information, or other things . . . at the taking of a deposition, the court, upon motion reasonably
5 made by any . . . [ party] . . . may make an order directing compliance with it.” Cal. Code Civ.
6 Proc. § 1987.1(a)-(c) (applicable to deposition subpoenas under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2020.030);
7 see Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2025.480(a). A motion to compel should be granted where “good
8 cause justif[ies] the discovery sought”. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 2031.310(b)(1). Good cause is
9 established through a “fact-specific showing of relevance”. Kirkland v. Super. Ct., 95 Cal. App.
10 4th 92, 98 (2002) (citation omitted). For discovery purposes, information should be regarded as
11 “relevant” to the subject matter if it might reasonably assist a party in evaluating the case,
12 preparing for trial or facilitating settlement. See Gonzalez v. Superior Court, 33 Cal. App. 4th
13 1539, 1546 (1995); see also Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 2017.010 (“[A]ny party may obtain discovery
14 regarding any matter, not privileged, that is relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending
15 action or to the determination of any motion made in that action, if the matter either is itself
17 evidence.”).
18 IV. ARGUMENT
11
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 no interest) (id. ¶ 115–16); Chateau Miraval’s valuable intellectual property assets were
2 misappropriated (id. ¶ 119); and Pitt gave away the controlling share of Miraval Provence to
3 Familles Perrin (id. ¶¶ 148–150, 152). Pitt has systematically entered into ventures and deals that
4 seek to harm Nouvel and divert Chateau Miraval’s resources to prevent Nouvel from receiving the
6 After months of promising discussions between Perrin and Stoli concerning the growth of
7 the Miraval brand and establishment of a successful distribution network, the discussions abruptly
8 ceased. (FACC ¶¶ 163–66.) Shortly thereafter, Pitt caused Chateau Miraval to enter into a 10-
9 year exclusive distribution agreement with Campari. Nouvel does not know what the terms of this
10 agreement are—whether they are favorable to Chateau Miraval (and subsequently to Nouvel as a
11 50% owner), provide for payments or kickbacks that will benefit Pitt or Mondo Bongo or contain
12 an endorsement component from which solely Pitt will profit—and whether this agreement is yet
13 another installment of Pitt devaluing Chateau Miraval’s worth as part of his rancorous crusade
14 against Nouvel. Nouvel has no knowledge of the contract’s provisions, or negotiations leading up
15 to its completion, nor does it understand how, in the midst of the dispute between Plaintiffs and
16 Nouvel, Campari secured the right to be the sole distributor of one of the most successful rosés on
17 the market.
18 Nouvel’s RFPs are narrowly tailored in scope to obtain exactly this information. Nouvel’s
19 RFPs seek documents concerning the contracts and agreements between Campari and Chateau
20 Miraval, documents concerning Campari’s involvement in efforts by Pitt to harm Nouvel, Tenute,
21 and Stoli and documents in Campari’s control concerning this litigation. The RFPs are not unduly
22 burdensome and are directly proportional to the needs of the case because they seek information
23 about Miraval—the subject matter around which the entire litigation is centered. The Court
24 should order Campari to produce documents responsive to Nouvel’s RFP Nos. 1, 3, and 5–11, as
26
27
28
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NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 1. Documents Concerning Contracts and Agreements with Campari
3 Nouvel RFP Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7 seek all documents and communications concerning the
4 contracts and agreements between Campari and Chateau Miraval, Miraval Provence, Mr. Pitt,
5 Mondo Bongo, Mr. Perrin and/or Familles Perrin, and, specifically, the exclusive distribution
6 agreement executed in or around September 2023 between Campari and Chateau Miraval:
13 • RFP No. 5: All of Your, Campari Group’s, or any of Your of its parents’,
subsidiaries’, or affiliates’ agreements, including contracts, term sheets,
14 letters of intent, or memoranda of understanding, with Chateau Miraval,
Miraval Provence, Mr. Pitt, Mondo Bongo, Mr. Perrin and/or Familles
15 Perrin.
21 Pitt and his co-conspirators have consistently entered into ventures for their own gain at
22 the expense of Nouvel, ranging from Miraval Studios to a cosmetics line to other alcohol brands,
23 whereby Chateau Miraval’s name, image and assets are used to benefit Pitt’s self-serving
24 enterprises from which Nouvel sees no profit. (FACC ¶¶ 130–144.) Understanding the
25 framework under which Pitt bound Chateau Miraval’s most successful and profitable product to a
26 long-term, exclusive agreement with Campari is relevant to whether Pitt has agreed to yet another
27 venture on unfavorable terms to harm Nouvel. (See id.) These requests are narrowly tailored to
28 the “financial terms including financial statements, distributions, and revenue” and “contracts,
13
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 term sheets, letters of intent, or memoranda” with Campari, and especially the “exclusive
2 distribution agreement executed in or around September 2023”—the scope and terms of Campari’s
3 relationship and contractual (and financial) tethers to Chateau Miraval are directly related to the
4 allegations made in Nouvel’s FACC concerning the Cross-Defendants scheme to exploit Chateau
6 Information regarding this distribution agreement is especially critical given that Perrin
7 and Nouvel’s parent, Tenute, were actively planning a joint effort to grow and develop the Miraval
8 brand, including by utilizing Stoli’s strong distribution network and global presence. (FACC
9 ¶¶ 163–65.) However, these conversations abruptly ceased at the hands of Pitt’s commitment to
10 stonewalling Tenute and Stoli, and Perrin’s fear of losing unchecked use of Chateau Miraval’s
11 name, brand and value. (Id. ¶¶ 148–49.) These requests are relevant to ascertaining Pitt’s
12 reasoning for entering into a long-term exclusive distribution contract and whether Campari was
13 aware of Pitt’s malicious intent to harm Nouvel and thwart any cooperation with Tenute and Stoli
15 The requests concerning these communications also seek information from a specific set of
16 individuals and entities. RFP No. 3 seeks “[a]ll Communications between You and Chateau
17 Miraval, Miraval Provence, Mr. Pitt, Mondo Bongo, Mr. Perrin, Familles Perrin, Mr. Venturini,
18 Mr. Bradbury, or Mr. Grant”. Nouvel is seeking documents concerning the specific individuals it
19 alleges were in charge of or part of the continued stratagem to misappropriate Chateau Miraval’s
20 assets for their personal gain. Miraval Provence is the partnership between Familles Perrin, led by
21 Marc Perrin, and Chateau Miraval to make and market Chateau Miraval’s wine (FACC ¶¶ 11,
22 74)—the subject of the distribution agreement with Campari. Nouvel alleges that Marc Perrin,
23 Familles Perrin and Miraval Provence diverted Chateau Miraval resources to illegitimate projects
24 and misappropriated the value of Chateau Miraval’s intellectually property assets. (FACC ¶¶ 22,
26 determine whether this was another instance of Pitt’s self-dealing. Similarly, Nouvel alleges that
27 Mr. Venturini, Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Grant worked with Pitt and Mondo Bongo to similarly divert
28 Chateau Miraval resources to projects that lack any legitimate purposes and benefit entities in
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NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 which Pitt or Mondo Bongo holds an ownership interest, but Nouvel does not. (FACC ¶¶ 21–22,
2 111–19, 126, 129.) The communications that Nouvel seeks are narrowly tailored to the key
3 individuals/entities at issue in this litigation that Nouvel alleges caused harm to it, making this
7 RFP Nos. 6 and 8 concern Campari’s involvement in efforts by Pitt to harm Nouvel,
15
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 In another instance, Pitt “was supportive” of Perrin’s suggestion to give Familles Perrin a
2 controlling share in Miraval Provence, the revenue-generating asset of Chateau Miraval, for no
3 compensation. (Tuffaha Decl. ¶ 12; RJN at 4.) Perrin has admitted to causing Familles Perrin to
4 improperly take control of Miraval Provence “to prevent a hostile takeover” accompanied by
5 Nouvel’s change in control. (Tuffaha Decl. ¶ 12; RJN at 4.) Understanding the origin and nature
6 of the business relationship between Chateau Miraval and Campari, and Campari’s knowledge of
7 the dispute between the direct and indirect shareholders of Chateau Miraval, will allow Nouvel to
8 ascertain whether Campari was complicit in Pitt’s stratagem. These requests are sufficiently
9 particularized given that Nouvel cannot ascertain the full extent of Pitt and his coconspirators’
12 RFP No. 9 seeks documents concerning the litigation and RFP Nos. 10 and 11 seek
2 These requests are therefore relevant and particularized because they seek documents tethered to
7 burden, vagueness and ambiguity are without merit. As explained in Section IV.B., Nouvel
9 irrelevant. And the targeted scope of these requests undermines any argument that collecting
12 The Court should also disregard Campari’s general objections and the boilerplate
15 work product doctrine and right to privacy objections, (Ex. 3 at 2), are unpersuasive. The
16 protective order in place in this matter allows for clear procedures by which Campari may
17 properly designate the documents it produces as confidential. (See Protective Order, attached to
18 Ex. 1, at 8 (“Any Information that may be produced by a non-Party witness in discovery in the
20 “Confidential” under the terms of this Stipulation and Protective Order, and any such designation
21 by a non-Party shall have the same force and effect, and create the same duties and obligations, as
22 if made by one of the undersigned Parties hereto”.)) As to attorney client privilege and work
23 product, Campari may produce redacted documents and provide a privilege log, as is customary in
24 commercial litigation.
25 Party production and Nouvel’s possession. Campari’s general objection that “the
26 requested documents, to the extent they exist, should be obtained from the parties in the case”,
27 (Ex. 3 at 3), should be disregarded because Nouvel is entitled to seek production from both
28 Campari and parties to the litigation. See Moore v. Mercer, 4 Cal. App. 5th 424, 447 (2016)
17
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 (“[T]he broad scope of permissible discovery is equally applicable to discovery of information
2 from a nonparty as it is to parties in the pending suit”). Furthermore, the requests that Nouvel has
3 propounded to parties to this litigation differ in time, scope, and custodians from those which
4 Nouvel propounds to Campari. (Tuffaha Decl. ¶ 7.) Similarly, Campari’s general objection that
7 Nouvel may seek information and documents from parties or non-parties, even that which Nouvel
8 already has in its possession. Garcia v. Bellflower Unified School Dist. Governing Bd., 220 Cal.
9 App. 4th 1058, 1066 (2013) (finding no abuse of discretion in trial court’s order for defendant to
11 Date range. Campari objects to the timeframe of Nouvel’s subpoena and contends that
12 Nouvel “fails to specify why the time period beginning on January 1, 2019 is relevant to any or all
13 of the requests.” (Ex. 3 at 3.) This objection is unpersuasive. Jolie divorced Pitt in 2016, which
14 marked the beginning of Pitt’s campaign to harm Nouvel. Because of Pitt’s efforts to hide
15 information regarding the business from Nouvel, Nouvel does not know the full extent to which
16 any other entity has been involved in Pitt’s schemes. Accordingly, the time period beginning on
17 January 1, 2019 seeks to capture Campari’s involvement with Pitt’s early efforts to harm Nouvel.
19 objects to Nouvel’s requests because they seek “documents from persons or entities whose actions
20 and/or knowledge are not properly attributable to Campari America, in whole or in part, and/or
21 whom Campari America does not control, including but not limited to Campari Group (which
22 does not exist as a legal entity), Davide Campari - Milano N.V., and Campari France”. (Ex. 3
24 seeks records and deposition testimony. This procedure requires production of records in control
25 of the subpoenaed party, not merely in his or her custody. See Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1985(a)
26 (witness subpoenaed to attend hearing must bring “any books, documents, electronically stored
27 information, or other things under the witness’s control”) (emphasis added) (applicable to
18
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 B. Nouvel Properly Served Campari.
2 Campari challenges service of the subpoena on the ground that Campari is not incorporated
4 objections fail because (1) Campari is subject to California discovery, and (2) Campari is required
5 to identify a California PMK objections are untimely because it failed to designate a person most
8 Campari challenges service of the subpoena on the ground Campari is not incorporated or
9 headquartered in California 3 and therefore not subject to process in California. In support of this
10 conclusion, Campari cites CCP § 1989 and two California cases: Twin Lock, Inc. v. Superior Ct. In
11 & For Los Angeles Cnty., 52 Cal.2d 754,761-62 (1959) and Toyota Motor Corp. v. Super. Ct., 197
14 not—as Campari suggests—serve as blanket immunity from service for corporations registered to
15 do business in the state. In Twin Lock, the defendants gave notice that they would depose certain
16 non-resident officers of plaintiff Twin Lock in California. At issue was whether the applicability
17 of section 1989 was limited to persons summoned by means of a subpoena, or whether it also
18 applied to persons summoned by notice of deposition. The court held that section 1989 applied to,
20 In Toyota, the plaintiffs noticed depositions of five Toyota employees as individuals. All
21 five employees resided in Japan. The trial court issued an order compelling Toyota to produce
22 them for depositions in California, but the Court of Appeal reversed, holding that the residency
23
24 3
Contrary to its assertion that it is not headquartered in California, Campari asserted in a federal
court filing from March 7, 2024, that Campari’s “principal place of business [is] at 1255 Battery
25
Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, California 94111.” (Ex. 1 to RJN (Campari Complaint) at ¶ 3.)
26 Because “[a] corporation’s residence is generally deemed to be where its principal place of
business is”, Campari is a resident of California, and therefore amenable to process there. Pac.
27 Gas & Elec. Co. v. State Bd. Of Equalization, 134 Cal. App. 2d 149, 152–53 (1955); In re Morelli,
11 Cal. App. 3d 819, 831 (1970) (“[R]esidence under Code of Civil Procedure, section 1989
28 clearly is residence in fact and not domicile.”).
19
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 limitation set forth in CCP § 1989 applies to discovery, and that CCP § 2025.260 does not permit
3 place more distant than that permitted by CCP § 1989. (197 Cal.App.4th at 1109, 1113-14.). The
4 court of appeal expressly stated: “We express no opinion, however, as to whether our analysis or
5 the conclusions we have reached in this opinion would or should extend or apply to a court order
6 made pursuant to section 2025.230 which provides for the circumstance where ‘[ ] the deponent
7 named is not a natural person . . . .’” Toyota, 197 Cal. App. 4th 1125 n. 20.
8 Nouvel has not issued subpoenas to any individual Campari employee. It has issued a
9 subpoena duces tecum pursuant to Code Civ. Proc. § 2020.510 to Campari—the corporate entity.
10 Because Campari is not a natural person, it is required to designate an officer, director, managing
11 agent, employee, or agent to appear at the deposition, produce responsive documents, and sit for a
12 deposition about the documents. The practice is routine in this State. The responding party has a
13 duty to produce the person most knowledgeable (“PMK”) who is currently in its employ. A PMK
14 deponent must comply with document requests. Cf. Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 1987.1 (applicable to
15 deposition subpoenas under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2020.030); Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §
16 2025.480(a), (k). When a request for documents is made, the witness or someone in authority is
17 expected to make an inquiry of everyone who might be holding responsive documents or everyone
19 Notably, Campari has not claimed that it has no California representative who can appear
20 at a deposition. The out-of-state authority on which Campari relies highlights that the analysis
21 focuses on the location of relevant witnesses. In Yelp, Inc. v. Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, Inc., 289
22 Va. 426 (2015), Yelp, a California company, received a third-party subpoena duces tecum in
23 Virginia, where it is registered to do business. Id. at 431. The court concluded that only
24 employees in California had access to the documents. Id. at 431 n. 1; see also id. at 440,
25 concurrence n. 2 (Mims, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part) (noting that majority relies
26 on conclusion that only California employees had access to the documents). Applying Virginia
27 statute, the court concluded that the trial court lacked the authority to compel Yelp to make a non-
20
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 Campari has presented no evidence—such as an employee declaration—that it has no
2 California employees, or that California-based employees do not have access to the documents. It
3 dances around the issue by claiming without supporting evidence that responsive documents are
4 “not located in the state.” (Ex. 3 at 1.) Campari misses the point. Under California law, the issue
5 is not whether documents are “located” in the state. Where a party issues a “records and
6 testimony” subpoena pursuant to Section 2020.510, the responding party has an obligation to
8 custody. (See Code Civ. P. § 1985 (a) [a witness must bring documents “under the witness’s
10 Campari has designated a registered agent to accept service; has not demonstrated it has no
11 California employees; and has not demonstrated that its California employees do not have access
15 Nouvel seeks to depose the person(s) most knowledgeable (“PMK”) at Campari regarding
16 Nouvel’s Categories of Examination for Deposition, which sought to depose the PMK(s) as to (1)
17 the distribution agreement at issue (Topics 2–3), (2) Campari’s involvement in Pitt’s scheme to
18 harm Nouvel (Topic 1, 5), and (3) Campari’s communications related to or concerning this
19 litigation (Topics 6–9). California law plainly requires that Campari designate a PMK before
20 lodging an objection. See Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 2020.310(e) (“If the deponent is an organization,
21 the subpoena shall describe with reasonable particularity the matters on which examination is
22 requested. The subpoena shall also advise the organization of its duty to make the designation of
23 employees or agents who will attend the deposition, as described in Section 2025.230.”); Cal.
24 Code Civ. Proc. § 2025.230 (“[T]he deponent shall designate and produce at the deposition those
25 of its officers, directors, managing agents, employees, or agents who are most qualified to testify
26
4
27 In contrast, a subpoena for records alone under Section 2020.410 is directed at a “custodian.”
Thus, where only records are subpoenaed, a responding corporation would only have an obligation
28 to produce documents within the custody of its California employees.
21
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 on its behalf as to those matters to the extent of any information known or reasonably available to
2 the deponent.”); see also Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 2020.510(a)(1) (providing that the requirements
3 of CCP § 2020.310 are applicable to records and testimony subpoenas). Campari has a statutory
4 duty to designate the PMK(s) for each of the topics Nouvel lists in its Subpoena for Testimony and
6 comply with document requests. Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 1987.1 (applicable to deposition
7 subpoenas under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2020.030); Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2025.480(a), (k).
8 Campari has done neither. Campari’s objections based on service grounds are thus premature.
9 V. MONETARY SANCTIONS
11 Nouvel’s RFPs amounts to misuse of the discovery process. Cal. Code Civ. P. § 2023.030(a).
12 Misuses of the discovery process include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) failing to
14 unsuccessfully and without substantial justification, a motion or to limit discovery. See Cal. Code
17 The court shall impose a monetary sanction … against any party, person, or attorney
who unsuccessfully makes or opposes a motion to compel an answer or production,
18 unless it finds that the one subject to the sanction acted with substantial justification
or that other circumstances make the imposition of the sanction unjust.
19
20 In this case, Campari failed to comply with Nouvel’s subpoena to provide a PMK
21 regarding certain categories and produce documents. Despite meet-and-confer efforts, Campari
22 has maintained its refusal to comply with the subpoena on the basis of its erroneous challenge to
23 service (see Tuffaha Decl. ¶¶ 10-11), Campari has provided neither any dates for deposition nor
24 produced any documents. Therefore, Campari has engaged in misuse of the discovery process and
25 monetary sanctions are appropriate. As such, Nouvel requests monetary sanctions against
27
28
22
NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
1 VI. CONCLUSION
2 Based on the foregoing, Nouvel respectfully requests that the Court order Campari to
3 comply with Nouvel’s subpoena by designating and producing a witness or witnesses most
4 qualified to testify regarding the nine specified deposition categories. In addition, Nouvel requests
5 that the Court order Campari to produce all documents responsive to the subpoena’s Requests for
6 Production Nos. 1, 3, and 5-11. Finally, Nouvel requests that the Court sanction Campari in an
8
Dated: July 29, 2024
9
Respectfully submitted,
10
By: /s/ Joe H. Tuffaha
11
CRAVATH, SWAINE & MOORE LLP
12 KEITH R. HUMMEL (admitted pro hac vice)
13 (N.Y. Bar No. 2430668)
JUSTIN C. CLARKE (admitted pro hac
14 vice) (N.Y. Bar No. 5076096)
JONATHAN MOONEY (admitted pro hac vice)
15 (N.Y. Bar No. 5648191)
Worldwide Plaza
16 375 Ninth Avenue
17 New York, NY 10001
Telephone: (212) 474-1000
18 Facsimile: (212) 474-3700
28
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NOUVEL'S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY RESPONSES FROM NON-PARTY CAMPARI AMERICA
Journal Technologies Court Portal
Reservation Type:
Motion to Compel Discovery (not Further Discovery) - 1 Number of Motions:
moving party, 1 motion 1
Case Number: Case Title:
22STCV06081 WILLIAM B. PITT, et al. vs ANGELINA JOLIE, et al.
Filing Party: Location:
Nouvel, LLC (Defendant) Stanley Mosk Courthouse - Department 3
Fees
Description Fee Qty Amount
Motion to Compel Discovery (not Further Discovery) - 1 moving party, 1 0.00 1 0.00
motion
TOTAL $0.00
Payment
Amount: Type:
$0.00 NOFEE