Brigham Young University v. Pfizer, Inc.

262 F.R.D. 637, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101052, 2009 WL 3615080
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedOctober 28, 2009
DocketNo. 2:06-CV-890
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 262 F.R.D. 637 (Brigham Young University v. Pfizer, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brigham Young University v. Pfizer, Inc., 262 F.R.D. 637, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101052, 2009 WL 3615080 (D. Utah 2009).

Opinion

ORDER AND MEMORANDUM DECISION GRANTING IN PART PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SANCTIONS

BROOKE WELLS, United States Magistrate Judge.

Plaintiffs Brigham Young University and Dr. Daniel Simmons (collectively BYU) have filed a motion for sanctions concerning discovery under Federal Rule 37(b) against Defendant Pfizer, Incorporated et al. BYU asks this Court to enter the following sanctions: (1) striking Pfizer’s Answer; (2) ordering Pfizer to pay BYU’s costs and fees associated in “discovering Pfizer’s discovery abuses;”1 (3) “entering a spoliation instruction that all the documents Pfizer has destroyed or otherwise withheld support BYU’s contention that Dr. Simmons’s COX-2 clones worked;”2 (4) finding Pfizer in contempt of court; (5) ordering the deposition of witnesses, including Pfizer’s attorneys Mr. O’Mally and Ms. Schnider, who will be asked to explain any discovery abuses; and (6) “entering a jury instruction that, in the event BYU proves at trial that Dr. Simmons’s contribution to Pfizer’s development of Celebrex provided Pfizer with a head start and/or first to market advantage, that BYU’s damages for the head start Dr. Simmons’s biological material and other trade secrets provided Pfizer should be calculated at, at least, $10 million per day.”3 The magnitude of these requested sanctions are very serious.

After considering the parties’ memoranda and certifications4 and having heard oral argument, the Court enters the following order. Because Defendants have committed discovery abuses, the Court finds it appropriate to enter sanctions. As outlined in greater detail below the Court declines, however, to enter what it deems to be the most severe sanctions at this time. Thus Plaintiffs’ motion for sanctions is GRANTED in PART.

BACKGROUND

This ease arises from the historical discovery of an enzyme eyclooxygenase-2, or in short, COX-2. The discovery of this enzyme led to the development of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Celebrex and Bextra which have enjoyed tremendous success.5 Plaintiffs claim that Dr. Daniel Simmons had a key role in the discovery of the COX-2 enzyme that then translated into “blockbuster” drugs for Defendants. BYU and Dr. Simmons entered into a Research Agreement with Searle/1933 Monsanto in 1991. The pharmaceutical industry has undergone many changes since this agreement in the early 1990s when this case had its origins. This includes many mergers and acquisitions involving Defendant Pfizer. The Court does not delve into the details of all these transactions but finds it sufficient to note that Pfizer is the successor to the COX-2 legacy that includes the disputes in this case.

Defendants contest the involvement of Dr. Simmons with the discovery of the COX-2 enzyme and the subsequent selective inhibitors that resulted in the blockbuster drugs.6 According to Defendants, Dr. Phillip Needle-man, Monsanto’s Chief Scientific Officer at the time, and his colleagues, were also seeking to selectively inhibit COX-2 and engaging in the same type of research as Dr. Simmons.7 In essence, Pfizer claims that Dr. [640]*640Simmons “had nothing to do with the creation of Celebrex, the compound.”8

The parties entered into a tolling agreement in 2001, but were unable to resolve their dispute through mediation. In October of 2006 Plaintiffs filed suit seeking inter alia, correction of inventorship concerning certain patents9 and for actual damages and punitive damages to be determined at trial.

BYU served its First Request for Production of Documents on February 13, 2007.10 Nearly a year later on January 10, 2008, BYU filed a Motion to Compel Immediate Production of Documents.11 Of concern in BYU’s motion was Pfizer’s reliance on meeting BYU’s discovery requests with documents produced in other COX-2 cases (namely the Rochester12 and Teva13 litiga-tions). In opposing BYU’s motion Pfizer represented that “in July 2007, Pfizer produced the complete Teva production to BYU.”14

In its motion BYU sought scientific notebooks and other documents from Pfizer and Monsanto research scientists.15 BYU further sought “[a]ll documents relating to any COX-related litigation including, but not limited to, communications, notes, briefs, memo-randa, deposition transcripts, interrogatory responses, expert witness testimony and reports, or electronic media.”16 This included the exhibits and transcripts from depositions of Dr. Philip Needleman in the Rochester litigation. Next, BYU sought production of financial documents and biological materials. For example, BYU’s Request Number 46 sought Pfizer’s production of “All recombinant constructs and clones (including but not limited to plasmids and viruses) of murine COX-1 and COX-2 as well as samples of all antibodies purportedly generated by Monsanto and its collaborators.”17 Finally, BYU’s motion requested COX related communications with other scientists and memo-randa and internal communications relating to Monsanto’s organization and resources put into the COX projects during the relevant time frame.

I. The Court’s Order Granting BYU’s Motion

The Court heard argument on BYU’s motion, and a few other related motions, on March 19, 2008.18 On March 26, 2008, the Court entered its order granting BYU’s motion (the discovery order). The Court ordered Pfizer to “provide a complete production, after a full search for all documents in Defendants’ possession, custody or control, responsive to BYU’s First Request for Production of Documents.”19 Some of the specifics of the Court’s order included ordering Pfizer to:

• “produce all documents produced in the ... Rochester, Merck and Teva litigation matters.”20
• produce legible copies of certain scientific notebooks.
• provide the requested biological materials which included logs concerning any “repairs and malfunctions of freezer labs”21 that contained “Dr. Simmons’ Biological materials.”22
• “produce all correspondence and agreements with any third parties relating to [641]*641COX, its COX II projects or any use of biological materials provided by Dr. Simmons.” 23
• provide “all internal correspondence including email, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports (including those to Boards of Directors) and other corporate documents referring or relating to plaintiffs DIP and COX II projects.”24

Finally, the Court ordered Pfizer to comply with the order within 60 days and “certify, in writing that its production in response to BYU’s Discovery Requests is complete.”25 If discovery was unavailable, Pfizer was instructed to “discuss the nature and extent of its search, the efforts used and by whom such searches were performed.”26

In its order the Court expressed some of its concerns with the discovery process.

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262 F.R.D. 637, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101052, 2009 WL 3615080, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brigham-young-university-v-pfizer-inc-utd-2009.