Case 1:12-cv-00667-CKK Document 25 Filed 11/01/13 Page 1 of 3 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA _________________________________________________ ) ELECTRONIC PRIVACY ) INFORMATION CENTER ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Civil No. 1:12-cv-00667 (CKK) ) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION ) ) Defendant. ) ________________________________________________ ) JOINT STATUS REPORT Pursuant to the Court’s Order on August 30, 2013, Plaintiff Electronic Privacy Information Center (“EPIC”) and Defendant Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) have conferred and hereby submit the following joint status report: 1. Plaintiff filed this action on April 27, 2012, seeking injunctive and other appropriate relief under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552, including the release of certain agency records, related to the use of cell site simulator (or “StingRay”) technology, requested by EPIC on February 10, 2012 (“EPIC FOIA Request”). 2. The Parties subsequently filed a Joint Proposed Schedule on June 27, 2012, and completed briefing regarding Defendant’s Motion for an Open America Stay on August 30, 2012. 3. On October 3, 2012, Defendant sent Plaintiff the first production of documents via USPS. The Defendant has since produced documents on a rolling basis through July 30, 2013, at which point Defendant’s production was complete. 4. The Court denied Defendant’s Motion for an Open America Stay in a Memorandum Opinion and Order on March 28, 2013 and ordered that production of all “non-exempt records not subject to classification review” be completed by August 1, 2013. The Court 1 Case 1:12-cv-00667-CKK Document 25 Filed 11/01/13 Page 2 of 3 subsequently ordered that “[o]n or before August 30, 2013, the parties shall file a joint status report proposing a schedule for proceeding in this matter.” 5. Between October 3, 2012 and July 30, 2013, the Defendant sent 13 separate sets of documents to the Plaintiff, and produced a total of 4,377 pages in whole or in part. The Defendant reviewed a total of 22,982 pages and withheld in full 18,605 pages. 6. The Parties filed their Joint Status Report on August 29, 2013 and proposed a schedule for the production of a sample Vaughn index for 500 pages of documents selected by the Plaintiff to better enable Plaintiff to evaluate the Defendant’s withholdings under Exemption 3 and Exemption 7(E). Pursuant to its preparation of the draft Vaughn index, the FBI voluntarily agreed to review the 500 pages to determine if there were additional terms that could be released. The Parties also agreed to submit a further Joint Status Report no later than November 1, 2013. 7. On October 1, 2013, Defendant produced a sample Vaughn index and the reprocessed sample pages along with related affidavits. The reprocessed pages include additional terms that had been redacted in Defendant’s original production. 8. Plaintiff has reviewed the sample Vaughn index and the reprocessed pages, and is willing to resolve the remaining legal issues in this case through settlement. Plaintiff believes that it is entitled to fees and costs, and on October 30, 2013, Plaintiff has submitted a detailed bill of fees and costs to the Defendant. Defendant has not yet had adequate opportunity to review the request to determine whether, and to what extent, Plaintiff might be eligible for fees. 9. The Parties now propose that the Court allow for an additional 14 days for continued consideration and discussion of the fee issue. If the Parties have not resolved the fee issue by November 14, 2013, they will file an additional Joint Status Report with the Court regarding 2 Case 1:12-cv-00667-CKK Document 25 Filed 11/01/13 Page 3 of 3 further scheduling. Date: November 1, 2013 Respectfully submitted, MARC ROTENBERG Executive Director STUART F. DELERY ELIZABETH J. SHAPIRO Deputy Branch Director /s/ Alan Jay Butler ALAN JAY BUTLER (DC Bar # 1012128) Appellate Advocacy Counsel Electronic Privacy Information Center 1718 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20009 Tel: (202) 483-1140 Fax: (202) 483-1248 butler@epic.org /s/ Kimberly L. Herb KIMBERLY L. HERB (Illinois Bar # 6296725) Trial Attorney United States Department of Justice Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch P.O. Box 883 Washington, DC 20044 Tel: (202) 305-8356 Fax: (202) 616-8470 Kimberly.L.Herb@usdoj.gov Attorneys for Plaintiff Attorneys for Defendants 3