The plaintiff municipality brought a motion under Rule 30.10 for the production of financial records from non-party financial institutions relating to the defendant Snowball.
The action involves an alleged $23 million fraud scheme manipulating the plaintiff's procurement processes.
Snowball, a former employee, opposed the motion, arguing the records were not relevant, production was not necessary before discovery, and it would violate her privacy rights.
The court found the records were highly relevant to tracing the defrauded funds and assessing liability, and that pre-discovery production was necessary for the forensic accountants to complete their investigation.
The court also rejected the privacy arguments, finding no constitutional or statutory protection that would override the open court principle and the need for disclosure.
The motion was granted.
