16. Southern California Gas Company,
50 Cal. 3d 31 (1990), 784 P.2d 1373.
The Court vacated a Commission decision ordering Southern California Gas Company to disclose the contents of an opinion of counsel regarding the enforceability of gas supply contracts. The Court concluded that the attorney/client privilege applies to Commission proceedings. (The Court’s analysis suggests that other provisions of the Evidence Code do not.) The Court also held that the Commission exceeded its authority by ruling that the company had, by implication, waived its attorney/client privilege. Notably, the Court concluded that when Legislature enacted Section 582 and other statutes vesting the Commission with broad investigatory powers, the Legislature assumed those powers would still be limited by the attorney-client privilege.