Section 1081.206 - Availability of documents for inspection and copyingFor purposes of this section, the term documents includes any book, document, record, report, memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, chart, logs, electronic files, or other data or data compilations stored in any medium.
(a)Documents to be available for inspection and copying.(1) Unless otherwise provided by this section, or by order of the hearing officer, the Office of Enforcement will make available for inspection and copying by any respondent documents obtained by the Office of Enforcement prior to the institution of proceedings, from persons not employed by the Bureau, in connection with the investigation leading to the institution of proceedings. Such documents will include:(i) Any documents turned over in response to civil investigative demands or other written requests to provide documents or to be interviewed issued by the Office of Enforcement;(ii) All transcripts and transcript exhibits; and(iii) Any other documents obtained from persons not employed by the Bureau.(2) In addition, the Office of Enforcement will make available for inspection and copying by any respondent:(i) Each civil investigative demand or other written request to provide documents or to be interviewed issued by the Office of Enforcement in connection with the investigation leading to the institution of proceedings; and(ii) Any final examination or inspection reports prepared by any other Office of the Bureau if the Office of Enforcement either intends to introduce any such report into evidence or to use any such report to refresh the recollection of, or impeach, any witness.(3) Nothing in paragraph (a) of this section limits the right of the Office of Enforcement to make available any other document, or limits the right of a party to seek access to or production pursuant to subpoena of any other document, or limits the authority of the hearing officer to order the production of any document pursuant to subpoena.(4) Nothing in paragraph (a) of this section requires the Office of Enforcement to produce a final examination or inspection report prepared by any other Office of the Bureau or any other government agency to a respondent who is not the subject of that report.(b)Documents that may be withheld.(1) The Office of Enforcement may withhold a document if:(i) The document is privileged;(ii) The document is an internal memorandum, note, or writing prepared by a person employed by the Bureau or another Government agency, other than an examination or supervision report as specified in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section, or would otherwise be subject to the work product doctrine and will not be offered in evidence;(iii) The document was obtained from a domestic or foreign governmental entity and is either not relevant to the resolution of the proceeding or was provided on condition that the information not be disclosed;(iv) The document would disclose the identity of a confidential source;(v) Applicable law prohibits the disclosure of the document;(vi) The document reflects only settlement negotiations between the Office of Enforcement and a person or entity who is not a current respondent in the proceeding; or(vii) The hearing officer grants leave to withhold a document or category of documents as not relevant to the subject matter of the proceeding or otherwise, for good cause shown.(2) Nothing in paragraph (b)(1) of this section authorizes the Office of Enforcement in connection with an adjudication proceeding to withhold material exculpatory evidence in the possession of the Office that would otherwise be required to be produced pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section.(c)Withheld document list. The hearing officer may require the Office of Enforcement to produce a list of documents or categories of documents withheld pursuant to paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (vi) of this section or to submit to the hearing officer any document withheld, except for any documents that are being withheld pursuant to paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section, in which case the Office of Enforcement must inform the other parties of the fact that such documents are being withheld, but no further disclosures regarding those documents will be required. The hearing officer may determine whether any withheld document should be made available for inspection and copying. When similar documents are withheld pursuant to paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (vi) of this section, those documents may be identified by category instead of by individual document. The hearing officer retains discretion to determine when an identification by category is insufficient.(d)Timing of inspection and copying. Unless otherwise ordered by the hearing officer, the Office of Enforcement must commence making documents available to a respondent for inspection and copying pursuant to this section no later than 14 days after service of the notice of charges.(e)Place of inspection and copying. Documents subject to inspection and copying pursuant to this section will be made available to the respondent for inspection and copying at the Bureau office where they are ordinarily maintained, or at such other place as the parties, in writing, may agree. A respondent will not be given custody of the documents or leave to remove the documents from the Bureau's offices pursuant to the requirements of this section other than by written agreement of the Office of Enforcement. Such agreement must specify the documents subject to the agreement, the date they must be returned, and such other terms or conditions as are appropriate to provide for the safekeeping of the documents. If the Office of Enforcement determines that production of some or all the documents required to be produced under this section can be produced in an electronic format, the Office of Enforcement may instead produce the documents in an electronic format.(f)Copying costs and procedures. The respondent may obtain a photocopy of any documents made available for inspection or, at the discretion of the Office of Enforcement, electronic copies of such documents. The respondent is responsible for the cost of photocopying. Unless otherwise ordered, charges for copies made by the Office of Enforcement at the request of the respondent will be at the rate charged pursuant to part 1070 of this chapter. The respondent will be given access to the documents at the Bureau's offices or such other place as the parties may agree during normal business hours for copying of documents at the respondent's expense.(g)Duty to supplement. If the Office of Enforcement acquires information that it intends to rely upon at a hearing after making its disclosures under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the Office of Enforcement must supplement its disclosures to include such information.(h)Failure to make documents available-harmless error. In the event that a document required to be made available to a respondent pursuant to this section is not made available by the Office of Enforcement, no rehearing or redecision of a proceeding already heard or decided will be required unless the respondent establishes that the failure to make the document available was not harmless error.(i)Disclosure of privileged or protected information or communications; scope of waiver; obligations of receiving party.(1) The disclosure of privileged or protected information or communications by any party during an adjudication proceeding does not operate as a waiver if:(i) The disclosure was inadvertent;(ii) The holder of the privilege or protection took reasonable steps to prevent disclosure; and(iii) The holder promptly took reasonable steps to rectify the error, including notifying any party that received the information or communication of the claim and the basis for it.(2) After being notified, the receiving party must promptly return, sequester, or destroy the specified information and any copies it has; must not use or disclose the information until the claim is resolved; must take reasonable steps to retrieve the information if the party disclosed it before being notified; and may promptly present the information to the hearing officer under seal for a determination of the claim. The producing party must preserve the information until the claim is resolved.(3) The disclosure of privileged or protected information or communications by any party during an adjudication proceeding will waive the privilege or protection, with respect to other parties to the proceeding, as to undisclosed information or communications only if:(i) The waiver is intentional;(ii) The disclosed and undisclosed information or communications concern the same subject matter; and(iii) They ought in fairness to be considered together.