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Extracted Text (OCR)
Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 732 Filed 07/14/22 Page18 of 25
The Honorable Alison J. Nathan
November 22, 2021
Page 18
F. Compliance with the subpoena would not be unreasonable or oppressive.
Three of the motions argue that compliance with the subpoena would be unreasonable
and oppressive because the accusers were guaranteed confidentiality under the EVCP Protocol.
EVCP Mot. at 9-12; Accuser-2 Mot. at 4-6; Witness-3 Mot. at 2-3. The government does not
make such an argument. Gov. Mot. at 1-6. Some motions even imply that the confidentiality of
the materials is reason enough to quash the subpoena. Accuser-2 Mot. at 4-6; Witness-3 Mot. at
2-3.
First, even if the materials are confidential, this Court cannot quash the subpoena on that
basis alone. Rule 17 addresses the process for subpoenaing “personal or confidential information
about a victim.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 17(c)(3). If confidential materials couldn’t be subpoenaed, Rule
17(c)(3) would be superfluous.
In fact, under the express language of Rule 17, the only difference between a subpoena
for confidential information and a subpoena for non-confidential information is that the former
can be issued “‘only by court order” with notice to the victim. Fed. R. Crim. P. 17(c)(3). The
terms of Rule 17 do not require a heightened justification before a defendant can subpoena
confidential information, and they do not demand special treatment for motions to quash when
confidential information is at issue. /d.°
® Courts in this district have even authorized defense subpoenas when the information
sought is arguably privileged. E.g., United States v. Rajaratnam, 753 F. Supp. 2d 317, 324-25
(S.D.N.Y. 2011) (denying motion to quash defense subpoena for tax returns even though the
returns might be privileged, saying “cases demonstrate . . . a potential exception to the tax return
privilege where, as here, the interests in truth and a criminal defendant’s rights are both
implicated’’).
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00011441.jpg |
| File Size | 674.1 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 93.9% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 1,978 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 18:08:06.430477 |