"[C]ourts maintain broad discretion concerning whether to permit joinder and may sever defendants based on an evaluation of whether joinder would comport with the principles of fundamental fairness, prejudice either side, or confuse and complicate the issues for the parties involved." John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. John Doe Nos. 1-22, 2013 WL 1091315 at * 1 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2013) (quotes and cite omitted). I. BACKGROUND
See Cengage Learning v. Doe 1, No. 18 cv-403 (RJS), 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 239799, at *12 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 17, 2018) (“[C]ourts in this District have found ‘good cause' for expedited discovery to determine the identity of John Doe defendants where the plaintiff has stated a prima facie case and is unable to identify the defendants without a court-ordered subpoena”) (quoting Admarketplace, Inc. v. Tee Support, Inc., No. 13-cv-5635 (LGS), 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129749, 2013 WL 4838854, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 11, 2013)). See also John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Doe, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36359, at *14 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2013) (permitting expedited discovery because the plaintiff could not identify the unknown defendants without a court order); UN4 Prods. v. Doe, No. 17-CV-3278 (PKC) (SMG), 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91582, at *6-8 (E.D.N.Y. June 14, 2017) (ordering expedited discovery because the plaintiff did not have alternative means for obtaining information about the defendants' identities, and because the information requested was crucial to the plaintiff's claims and the outcome of the case); Mirza v. Doe, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 193463, at *25 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 6, 2021) (granting plaintiff's motion for expedited discovery in a defamation action because the plaintiff had demonstrated good cause for the order and knowledge of the defendants' identities was crucial to moving the case forward)
Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. Doe, 329 F.R.D. 518, 521 n.1 (S.D.N.Y. 2019) (citing John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. John Does 1-22, Nos. 12 Civ. 4231 (PAC), 12 Civ. 4232 (PAC), 12 Civ. 4730 (PAC), 2013 WL 1091315, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2013); John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Doe Nos. 1-30, 284 F.R.D. 185, 189 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Next Phase Distrib., Inc. v. John Does 1-27, 284 F.R.D. 165, 171 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Malibu Media, LLC v. John Does 1-11, No. 12 Civ. 3810 (ER), 2013 WL 3732839, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. July 16, 2013)). To recover for any damages, Plaintiffs must know who the Defendants actually are and serve process. “Because [Plaintiffs] ha[ve] alleged a prima facie case . . . and [they] cannot identify John Doe[s] without a court-ordered subpoena, the Court agrees that there is good cause to allow for early discovery.
The only economies gained in this case "accrue[d] exclusively to the benefit of plaintiff[ ], who [was] not required to pay separate filing fees for initiating litigation against each individual defendant." John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. John Doe Nos. 1-22, No. 12 CIV. 4231, 2013 WL 1091315, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2013). But "the desire to avoid paying statutorily mandated filing fees affords no basis for joinder."
Courts in this district routinely find "good cause" for expedited discovery to determine the identity of John Doe defendants where a Plaintiff alleges a prima facie case and is otherwise unable to identify the Defendants without a court-ordered subpoena. See, e.g., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Doe Nos. 1-22, Nos. 12-CV-4231, 12-CV-4232, 12-CV-4730 (PAC), 2013 WL 1091315, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. March 15, 2013); John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Doe Nos. 1-30, 284 F.R.D. 185, 189-91 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Next Phase Distribution, Inc. v. Does 1-27, 284 F.R.D. 165, 171-72 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Digital Sin, 279 F.R.D. at 241-42; Malibu Media, LLC v. Does 1-4, No. 12-CV-2955 (PAE), 2012 WL 3104887, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. July 31, 2012); Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. Doe, No. 18-CV-2651 (AJN), 2018 WL 2229124, at *2-3 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 25, 2018); Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. Doe, No. 18-CV-5590, 2018 WL 3756453, at *2-3 (S.D.N.Y. July 19, 2018). --------
Courts in this district routinely find "good cause" for expedited discovery to determine the identity of John Doe defendants where a Plaintiff alleges a prima facie case and is otherwise unable to identify the Defendants without a court-ordered subpoena. See, e.g., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Doe Nos. 1-22, Nos. 12-CV-4231, 12-CV-4232, 12-CV-4730 (PAC), 2013 WL 1091315, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. March 15, 2013); John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Doe Nos. 1-30, 284 F.R.D. 185, 189-91 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Next Phase Distribution, Inc. v. Does 1-27, 284 F.R.D. 165, 171-72 (S.D.N.Y. 2012); Digital Sin, 279 F.R.D. at 241-42; Malibu Media, LLC v. Does 1-4, No. 12-CV-2955 (PAE), 2012 WL 3104887, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. July 31, 2012); Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. Doe, No. 18-CV-2651 (AJN), 2018 WL 2229124, at *2-3 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 25, 2018); Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. Doe, No. 18-CV-5590, 2018 WL 3756453, at *2-3 (S.D.N.Y. July 19, 2018). --------
Plaintiffs shall have fifteen (15) days from receipt of the information requested from Google to move for further expedited discovery and explain why joinder is appropriate regarding any other Defendants that may exist. See John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. John Doe Nos. 1-22, 2013 WL 1091315 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2013).4. Counsel for Plaintiffs shall provide a copy of this Order to each subpoena recipient.
Nevertheless, " courts maintain broad discretion concerning whether to permit joinder and may sever defendants based on an evaluation of whether joinder would comport with the principles of fundamental fairness, prejudice either side, or confuse and complicate the issues for the parties involved." John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. John Doe Nos. 1-22, 2013 WL 1091315 at * 1 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 15, 2013) (quotes and cite omitted). Voltage argues that the logical relationship test trumps this Court's temporality concerns (that too much time had elapsed between each defendant's download, strongly suggesting no Rule 20 " transaction" between them), and it cites cases like Call of the Wild Movie, LLC v. Does 1-1,062, 770 F.Supp.2d 332 (D.D.C. 2011), in arguing, for example, that joinder benefits BitTorrent defendants by, inter alia, enabling them to see each other's defenses.