WPC Vd'1Ow1x%+犴1>w`o)I GUQ$ObF@.RC+C'6"0~c1[1r,kD}pdr'P~ɋ_Gȷ"?NJݏ34rE:Y[j*"OP'ӱqeejL.#`'(% j3©P?^̟_ 7B*L!FFAfM956@,](2a6]#<.%b'e;79yj)b·ը V?'T .ҁ+ vV:|KDhHAa!ѝv>CBtw kml=dg{Cݔd;?b! +%XQ#l+MaZ vbX,-zujþz'>JM(#0 %U8 0G7U:~ 0U.nTNB U@D ^ w 4   m E f a N 0c 0wM 0 0N 0 0 0i 0D 0D3 1w 0D 1uD 72^UBIb BHP LaserJet 4000 Series PCL 5e,,,,0X<4 9Z+ Courier New ($XOXXX<6X9`("Courier NewTT(27$ !XNXXX  XNXXXN=NXdd=  0  <6X9`(Courier<6X9`("Courier NewTTXXx6X@DQX@<6X9`(CourierTTXXw6X@QX@(9 Z(Times New Roman i4 [x4?,}backup3|xUTABLE A(;3$2#  0  .3  0  (O;$0  2#  a  .3  0` (#(#(b$0  0` (#(#2#   .3  0 ` (#` (#(xir$0  0` (#(#0 ` (#` (#2#(  0  )3  0 (# (#($0  0` (#(#0 ` (#` (#0 (# (#2#(  a  )3  0h(#(#(F$0  0` (#(#0 ` (#` (#0 (# (#0h(#(#2#(   )3  0h(#h(#($0  0` (#(#0 ` (#` (#0 (# (#0h(#(#0h(#h(#2#  0  )3  0(#(#({$0  0` (#(#0 ` (#` (#0 (# (#0h(#(#0h(#h(#0(#(#2#  a  )3  0p(#(#(F$0  0` (#(#0 ` (#` (#0 (# (#0h(#(#0h(#h(#0(#(#0p(#(#2#     )3  0p(#p(# xGaeimquy}Bullet ListBullets List(#$  0  3#37=CIQYag1.a.i.(1)(a)(i)1)a) i)L:\JUDGES\Boudin\TEMPLATE\OPINIONS\ALDRICH.WPT<6X9`(*Courier 12pt10cpi _  __  1BecauseweagreethattheFBI'saffidavitsestablishthat  copiesofallpotentiallyresponsivedocumentsincluding  documentsoriginatingfromtheFBI'sWashington,D.C.offices \ wouldhavebeenstoredinthe_CRS_ԀandthattheFBIadequately 2 searchedthe_CRS_,weneednotconsider_Sephton_'scontentionthat X theFBIhadanobligationtosearchofficesotherthanitsNewYork . office,theofficetowhichthe_FOIA_Ԁrequestwasdirected.- - d !XDXXX  _TRXܐ3'X3' Letter3'Letter3'LetterT ? * !      XXXXD ,X XUnitedStatesCourtofAppeals# XX ,#   CX XFortheFirstCircuit# XX Cx# #XDXX X#  A') ` dE< ` A   No.051820 K  @hh#GRAEME_SEPHTON_,  G     `     h      p @ Plaintiff,Appellant,   @tt)v. O  @l l FEDERALBUREAUOFINVESTIGATION, K  @<< Defendant,Appellee.  A') ` dE<R` A S @ APPEALFROMTHEUNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURT 8    `    @0 0 FORTHEDISTRICTOFMASSACHUSETTS 4 @` ` [Hon.MichaelA._Ponsor_,U.S.DistrictJudge]  A') ` dE<;` A < @'Before !q   @@((Selya,Lipez,andHoward,CircuitJudges.  A') ` dE<N ` A O "     DanielJ._Stotter_,withwhomBromleyNewton,_LLP_,Robert 4!$ _Wolkon_,and_Wolkon_Ԁ&_Pascucci_,_LLP_wereonbrief,forappellant.  "Z%   KarenL.Goodwin,AssistantUnitedStatesAttorney,with "0& whomMichaelJ.Sullivan,UnitedStatesAttorney,wasonbrief, #' forappellee. $( *'ddd Xdd Xdd X(#(#,( dd ,( dd ,( dd +  '^"+'^"  SIr'", @38806@SMarch31,2006 H(#.  RHC)n$/" @38806 @ R(r'"0  (  *J&1?   8#D#XXdd8*,X` XX*  *!%",US ,  (:!&), ` HOWARD,CircuitJudge .In1996,apassengerairliner  boundforPariscrashedintheAtlanticOceantenminutesafter x departingfromNewYork.Allonboardperished.Followingan $t investigationbymultiplefederalagencies,includingtheFBI,the   NationalTransportationSafetyBoardconcludedthattheprobable |  causeofthecrashwasanexplosioninoneofthefueltanks.A ( x  groupofthevictims'familymembersformedanunofficial $  organizationtoconductanindependentinvestigationintothe   crash.Amemberofthatorganization,Graeme_Sephton_,broughtthe ,|  presentactionundertheFreedomofInformationAct(_FOIA_),5 ( U.S.C.552,seekingrecordsfromtheFBIconcerningits  investigation.Afteralmostfiveyearsoflitigationandthe 0 disclosureofnearly600pagesofdocuments,thedistrictcourt , concludedthattheFBIhadsatisfieditsobligationtoconducta  "reasonable"searchfordocumentsresponsiveto_Sephton_'s_FOIA_ 4 request,andaccordinglygranteditsummaryjudgment.See_Sephton_ 0 v.FBI,365F.Supp.2d91(D.Mass.2005).Forsubstantiallythe   reasonsofferedbythedistrictcourt,weaffirm. 8!"  ` Thedistrictcourt'sopinionprovidesacomprehensive "4$ descriptionofthelengthyproceduralandfactualhistoryofthis $& case.Seeid.at9396.Wethereforeconfineournarrativetothe <&!( essentials. '8#*  ` InSeptember1998,_Sephton_ԀsentalettertotheFBI'sNew )$, YorkfieldofficetheofficethathadcoordinatedtheFBI's @+&. investigationrequestingalistofallforeignmaterialremoved  orrecoveredfromthevictims'bodiesandtheresultsofany \ forensicanalysesperformedbytheFBIonsuchmaterials.TheFBI X initiallylocated21pagesofresponsivedocuments,butitresisted   disclosureofthosedocumentsonthegroundsthattheirdisclosure `  eitherwouldinterferewithanongoinginvestigation,see5U.S.C.  \  552(b)(7)(A),orviolatethesecrecyoffederalgrandjury   proceedings,seeid.552(b)(3). d   ` Afterexhaustinghisadministrativeremedies,Sephton `  filedafederalactioninJuly2000seekingdisclosureofthe   withhelddocumentsandaninjunctionorderingtheFBItoconducta h thorough,goodfaithsearchofitsrecordsforalldocuments d responsivetohisrequest.Thepartiesspentthenextfiveyears  litigatingthiscaseinthedistrictcourtandinthiscourt. l Alongtheway,theFBIrelinquishedthe21pagesofinitially h withhelddocumentsandconductedfurthersearchesyieldingover550  pagesofadditionaldocumentsthatweresubsequentlydeliveredto p  Sephton.Thelitigationproceeded,however,becauseSephton !l" remainedunconvincedthattheFBIhadconductedanadequatesearch. "$ Bythetimethedistrictcourtissueditssummaryjudgmentruling, t$& theFBIhadsubmittedfouraffidavitsattestingtoanddescribing  &p!( itssearchfordocuments. '#*  ` ScottHodes,theActingUnitChiefoftheLitigation x)$, Unit,FreedomofInformationPrivacyActsSection,OfficeofPublic $+t&. _andCongressionalAffairs,describedtheFBI'sCentralRecords  System(_CRS_)andexplainedhowitwassearchedtocomplywith \ _Sephton_'srequest._Hodes_'ssuccessor,Christine_Kiefer_,described X themainfileconcerningthe1996crashandhowthatfile,   containing80,000pages,wasorganizedinto97subfiles.She `  statedthattheFBIhadreviewedthelistofsubfilesandhad  \  identifiedoneparticularsubfile,containingover2,000pages,as   thelikelyrepositoryoftherecords_Sephton_Ԁsought.Shealso d  statedthataparalegalhadsearchedthissubfile"pagebypage." `  Eileen_Rawlinson_,supervisoroftheLegalUnitoftheFreedomof   InformationPrivacyActsGroupinNewYork,explainedhowtheFBI h hadinitiallyoverlooked550pagesofresponsivedocumentsthat d werelaterprovidedto_Sephton_.ShealsodescribedtheFBI's  furthersearchefforts,includinga"linebyline"reviewofthe l previouslyidentifiedsubfileaswellasareviewofcertain h recordslocatedinotherareasofthemainfile.Thefinal  affidavit,fromGregoryCarl,UnitChiefoftheExplosiveUnit, p  ScientificAnalysisSection,LaboratoryUnit,rebuttedcertain !l" claimsmadein_Sephton_'ssummaryjudgmentsubmissions.Carlstated "$ thattheFBILaboratoryhasnot,since1995,maintainedanyrecords t$& systemscontainingrecordsnotreflectedinthe_CRS_.  &p!(  ` Thepartiesdisputedbeforethedistrictcourtwhether '#* theseaffidavitsestablishedasamatteroflawthattheFBIhad x)$, adequatelysearchedfordocumentsresponsiveto_Sephton_'s_FOIA_ $+t&. request.Applyingourprecedent,thedistrictcourtrecognized  thatalthough_Sephton_ԀmightprefertheFBItosearcheveryfile \ thatmightconceivablycontainresponsiveinformation,_FOIA_ X requiresa"reasonable"search,notanexhaustiveone.SeeMaynard   v.CIA,986F.2d547,559(1stCir.1993)("Thecrucialissueis `  notwhetherrelevantdocumentsmightexist,butwhetherthe  \  agency'ssearchwasreasonablycalculatedtodiscovertherequested   documents.")(internalquotationmarksomitted).Thecourt d  reviewedthefourFBIaffidavitsandfoundthattheycollectively `  describe,"inadetailedand_nonconclusory_Ԁfashion,thestructure   oftheagency'sfilesystem,thescopeofthesearchperformed,and h themethodbywhichitwasconducted."_Sephton_,365F.Supp.2dat d 97(settingforththeMaynardstandardforestablishingthe  adequacyofanagency'ssearchatthesummaryjudgmentstage).The l courtfurtherfoundthat_Sephton_'saffidavitswereinsufficientto h rebutthepresumptionofgoodfaiththat_FOIA_Ԁattachestoagency  affidavits.Id.at97,100;seeMaynard,986F.2dat560(holding p  thatwhenanagencyseekssummaryjudgmentbasedonreasonably !l" detailedaffidavitsestablishingthatitconductedareasonably "$ thoroughsearch,"the_FOIA_Ԁrequestercanrebuttheagency's t$& _affidavit[s_]onlybyshowingthattheagency'ssearchwasnotmade  &p!( ingoodfaith").ConcludingthattheFBI'ssearchhadmetthe_FOIA_ '#* standard,thecourtgranteditsmotionforsummaryjudgment. x)$, _Sephton_,365F.Supp.2dat101. $+t&.  ` Onappeal,_Sephton_Ԁchallengesthedistrictcourt'sruling  thattheFBI'ssearchwasadequate.Ourreviewofthisrulingis \ denovo.SeeChurchof_Scientology_Ԁ_Int'l_v.U.S.Dep'tofJustice, X 30F.3d224,228(1994).Becauseweagreethatthe_FOIA_Ԁstandard   wasmet,forlargelythereasonsexpressedinthedistrictcourt's `  cogentopinion,weseenoutilityinreplicatingitssoundanalysis  \  here.SeeLawtonv.StateMut.LifeAssuranceCo.ofAm.,101F.3d   218,220(1stCir.1996)("[_W]hen_Ԁalowercourtproducesa d  comprehensive,wellreasoneddecision,anappellatecourtshould `  refrainfromwritingatlengthtonootherendthantohearitsown   wordsresonate.").$ #  1      ׀Wewritebriefly,however,toaddressone h argumentraisedby_Sephton_Ԁonappealthathedidnotraisebefore d thedistrictcourt.   ` _Sephton_Ԁcontendsthat,byoperationofFed.R.Civ.P. l 8(d),theFBI'sfailuretofileananswertohis_FOIA_Ԁcomplaint h amountstoanadmissiontoalloftheallegationscontainedinthe  complaint,includingtheallegationthat"theFBIactedinbad p  faithwhen,inresponsetoplaintiff_Sephton_'slegitimate_FOIA_ !l" request...itdidnotconductanadequatesearchofitsrecords "$ ...."TheFBIcountersthat_Sephton_Ԁforfeitedthisargumentby t$& notraisingitbelow.SeeB&TMasonryConstr.Co.v.Public_Srv_.  MutualIns.Co.,382F.3d36,40(1stCir.2004). \  ` Theissueis_foreit_Ԁanddoesnotcallforanexerciseof X ourpowertocorrectplainerrors.SeeChestnutv.CityofLowell,   305F.3d18,20(1stCir.2002)(enbancpercuriam).Atleasttwo `  othercircuitshaveheldthat_FOIA_Ԁdoesnotrequireananswerto  \  thecomplaintsolongastheissuesareotherwisejoined,for   example,bythefilingadispositivemotion.See_Chilivis_v. d  SecuritiesandExchange_Comm'n_,673F.2d1205,1209(11thCir. `  1982)(filingamotiontodismisssatisfies_FOIA_'srequirementthat   theagencyfileanansweror"otherwiseplead");Weberv._T.R._ h Coney,642F.2d91,9394(5thCir.1981)(samewithrespecttoa d motionforsummaryjudgment).Weneedn'texpresslyadoptorreject  thatpropositionhere;inlightoftheaboveprecedentandthe l languageinthestatuteallowinganagencyto"answerorotherwise h plead,"5U.S.C.552(a)(4)(C),itwasnotplainerrorforthe  districtcourttoconsidertheissuesjoinedupontheFBI'sfiling p  ofamotionforsummaryjudgment. !l"  ` Affirmed .