Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. v. Superior Court
California Supreme Court
150 P.3d 198 (2007)
Patrick Olmstead (plaintiff) sued Pioneer Electronics (defendant) individually and on behalf of a class over an allegedly defective DVD player, and during discovery Pioneer disclosed 700 to 800 other customer complaints but redacted the complainants' names and contact information, citing the complainants' privacy rights under the California constitution. The trial court granted Olmstead's motion to compel, ordering Pioneer to notify each complainant that their information would be disclosed unless they objected, but the Court of Appeal reversed, holding the constitution required each complainant's affirmative consent; Olmstead sought review in the California Supreme Court.
Whether the right to privacy under the California constitution prohibits the disclosure of personal information through discovery only where an individual has a legally protected privacy interest, a reasonable expectation of privacy, a serious privacy invasion, and a balance of interests favoring nondisclosure.