Castle v. Jallah

142 F.R.D. 618, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11538, 1992 WL 172671
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedJuly 23, 1992
DocketCiv. A. No. 91-422-N
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 142 F.R.D. 618 (Castle v. Jallah) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Castle v. Jallah, 142 F.R.D. 618, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11538, 1992 WL 172671 (E.D. Va. 1992).

Opinion

[619]*619OPINION AND ORDER

REBECCA BEACH SMITH, District Judge.

Plaintiff, a Virginia inmate, has submitted a pro se complaint, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, to redress alleged violations of his constitutional rights.

Defendants’ Response to Plaintiffs Amended Complaint

By order filed March 18, 1992, this court granted plaintiff leave to file an amended complaint to include new counts and join additional defendants. The court directed the newly-joined defendants to file responsive pleadings within twenty-three (23) days from the date of that order. The Attorney General’s Office then notified this court that defendant Seay was no longer an employee of the Department of Corrections and that he had left the state and could not be located. On that basis, the Attorney General’s Office stated that it could not accept service of the complaint as against Seay. The Attorney General’s Office also notified the court that the Department of Corrections had no record of an officer employed at Powhatan Correctional Center by the name of Willis. Accordingly, because the court never obtained personal jurisdiction over Seay and Willis, they are not defendants in this action. The Clerk is DIRECTED to correct the docket sheet to reflect this fact. If plaintiff can provide the court with additional information as to the whereabouts of these officers, he may file a new complaint against them.

By motion filed April 7, 1992, the remaining defendants1 requested an extension of time in which to file their response. By order dated April 17, 1992, for good cause shown, the court granted defendants’ request for an extension of time and directed them to file responsive pleadings or an appropriate motion within twenty-three (23) days from the date of that order.

On May 11, 1992, defendants filed a motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s amended complaint. Accompanying the motion were several exhibits which purported to be affidavits. However, Exhibits I, IV, and V contain neither the affiant’s signature nor a notary’s attestation. Exhibit III likewise lacks an attestation. Accordingly, the Clerk has marked these documents filed subject to defect. Only exhibits II, VI, and VII have been filed without defect. Although counsel for defendants stated in a letter of May 8, 1992, that proper copies of these documents would be submitted as soon as they were received, defendants’ time in which to respond has expired, and the court still has not received corrected versions of these affidavits.

If defendants wish the court to consider their defective exhibits, they are DIRECTED to submit proper copies within twenty (20) days from the date of this order. If defendants, fail to do so within twenty days, the court will order the defective exhibits stricken from the record. At that time, the court will give plaintiff a chance to respond to those defense exhibits which have been properly submitted.

Williams’ Motion for a Protective Order

Warden Williams has requested a protective order as to plaintiff’s request for a subpoena duces tecum for the following documents:

1. Copies of any statements maintained by the Internal Affairs Unit concerning the incidents of December 8, 1990, and January 6, 1991;

2. Copies of any statements obtained from Officers Jallah, Widner, Seay, White and Bailey in the possession of Institutional Investigator Sgt. Cassel or the Internal Affairs Unit; and

3. Copies of the following confidential Departmental Operating Procedures (DOPs):

a. 403 (staff training);

b. 421 (reporting institutional incidents);

c. 422 (emergency response plans);

d. 422.5 (emergency response team);

[620]*620e. 422.17 (riot or major disturbance or response plans);

f. 431 (use of physical force);

g. 432 (use of restraining devices).

Plaintiff also had requested access to (a) certain medical records and (b) copies of any entries in the institutional log book concerning medical attention and any incidents involving plaintiff Castle between December 7, 1990, and January 15, 1991. By order entered April 17, 1992, the court denied plaintiffs motion for the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum for item (a), his medical records, based on Williams’ assertion that plaintiff could review the records by appointment in the medical department.2 Williams made no mention, however, of plaintiff’s request for a subpoena duces tecum as to (b), above. On this basis, the court assumes that Williams has no objection to providing plaintiff with access to these documents. It therefore DIRECTS the Clerk to issue a subpoena duces tecum as to these documents.

Also by order dated April 17, 1992, the court directed Warden Williams to submit a supplemental memorandum in support of his motion for a protective order as against plaintiff’s request for a subpoena duces tecum3 Williams complied on May 13, 1992, by submitting a supplemental memorandum and an affidavit in support thereof.4 Plaintiff then submitted a memorandum in opposition to Williams’ request for a protective order.

Under Rule 26(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, “[pjarties may obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending action____ It is not ground for objection that the information sought will be inadmissible at trial if the information sought appears reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.” Although Williams is no longer a party, the scope of discovery from a nonparty by means of a subpoena duces tecum under Rule 45 is coextensive with that of a motion for production from a party under Rule 34. 9 Charles A. Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 2457, at 431-32 (1970). In addition, pro se litigants are entitled to the use of discovery procedures in civil rights cases on the same terms as litigants represented by counsel. Kirby v. Blackledge, 530 F.2d 583, 588 (4th Cir.1976). Finally, the burden is on the person objecting to discovery—in this case, Warden Williams— to show that discovery should not be allowed. Mueller v. Walker, 124 F.R.D. 654, 656 (D.Or.1989); 8 Wright & Miller, supra, § 2214, at 644.

Williams has asserted a governmental privilege to bar disclosure of certain factual statements and DOPs to which plaintiff seeks access. Rule 501 of the Federal Rules of Evidence

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Bluebook (online)
142 F.R.D. 618, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11538, 1992 WL 172671, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/castle-v-jallah-vaed-1992.