An Ohio district court invoked Rule 45(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in response to a motion to quash by the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI). The subpoena was issued in connection with a reinsurance-related litigation pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. ODI had produced documents in response to the subpoena, but objected to further compliance. While noting it was questionable whether the information sought was relevant to the New York action in the first instance, the court found “exceptional circumstances” warranted transferring the issue to the SDNY pursuant to Rule 45(f). Aside from the SDNY being in a better position to assess relevancy, the court also noted that discovery in the New York action already closed, and the judge was reluctant to extend the discovery period. The court also found transferring under Rule 45(f) has been deemed appropriate under similar circumstances, such as where ruling on a discovery motion would disrupt the issuing court’s case schedule.
Ohio Dept. of Insurance V. RPM Mortgage, Inc., No. 2:20-mc-00043 (S.D. Ohio Nov. 18, 2020).