Colonial Gas Co. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.

144 F.R.D. 600, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21139, 1992 WL 364520
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedMarch 5, 1992
DocketCiv. A. No. 89-1106-WD
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 144 F.R.D. 600 (Colonial Gas Co. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colonial Gas Co. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 144 F.R.D. 600, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21139, 1992 WL 364520 (D. Mass. 1992).

Opinion

ORDER ON MOTIONS TO COMPEL PRODUCTION AND TO STRIKE REPORT

BOWLER, United States Magistrate Judge.

Pending before this court are defendant Aetna Casualty & Surety Company’s motion to compel (Docket Entry #56) and motion to strike (Docket Entry # 72). Plaintiff Colonial Gas Company (“plaintiff”) objects to production on the grounds of attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine. (Docket Entry #60). The procedural history and factual background are summarized below.1

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. (“defendant”) originally filed its motion to compel with an accompanying affidavit and memorandum in June, 1991. (Docket Entry ## 56-58). The defendant seeks to compel production of 311 allegedly privileged documents. The plaintiff objects to production and submitted an affidavit in support thereof. (Docket Entry ## 60-61). By Order issued September 24, 1991, this court directed the defendant and the plaintiff to confer and for the plaintiff to file a report as to the remaining documents in dispute. (Docket Entry # 64). 139 F.R.D. 269.

On October 15, 1991, the plaintiff submitted a report summarizing the plaintiff’s interpretation of the disputed documents with an accompanying affidavit. (Docket Entry ## 67-68). On November 12, 1991, the defendant filed a motion to strike the plaintiff’s report (Docket Entry #72) to which the plaintiff objects (Docket Entry #73).

On November 25, 1991, this court held a hearing and took the motions to strike (Docket Entry # 72) and to compel (Docket Entry # 56) under advisement. After further review, on January 3, 1992, this court directed the plaintiff to produce the disputed documents for in camera inspection on or before January 21, 1992. (Docket Entry #79). On January 17, 1992, the plaintiff submitted the documents for in camera review.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

In this action, the plaintiff alleges breach of a number of comprehensive general liability insurance contracts (collectively: “CGL policies”), unfair and deceptive trade practices under Mass.Gen.L. ch. § 93A and unfair and deceptive settlement practices under Mass.Gen.L. ch. § 176D. The plaintiff maintains that the defendant, its general liability insurance carrier, improperly de[603]*603nied the plaintiff coverage under its CGL policies for a $600,000 dollar payment made by the plaintiff to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (“DPH”).2 The plaintiff made the payment in connection with Massachusetts’ statutory program to compensate owners of urea-formaldehyde foam insulated homes. Mass.Gen.L. ch. 111, § 5 note (St.1985, ch. 728; hereinafter: the “UFFI Act”).

From 1977 to 1979, the plaintiff, through an independent contractor, insulated approximately 400 Massachusetts homes with urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (“UFFI”). (Docket Entry # 1, ¶¶ 10 & 12). In 1979, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health (“the Commissioner”) banned the sale and distribution of UFFI. Mass.Regs.Code tit. 105, §§ 650.000 et seq. In 1980, the Commissioner created a procedure requiring dealers, installers, distributors, and manufacturers of UFFI to repurchase the UFFI if homeowners claimed to suffer adverse health effects. Mass.Regs.Code tit. 105, § 650.222 (the “UFFI repurchase regulations”).3

By letters dated February 5 and April 5, 1981, the parties discussed the plaintiff’s coverage in connection with the UFFI repurchase regulations. By letter dated December 11, 1981, the defendant formally reserved its right to disclaim coverage in connection with a class action suit brought by UFFI homeowners against the plaintiff’s predecessor, Cape Cod Gas. (Docket Entry # 68). As averred by the plaintiff’s counsel, the plaintiff therefore first contemplated coverage litigation with the defendant in 1981. By letters dated December 7, 1982, and October 19, 1984, the defendant reiterated its disclaimer. (Id.).

Effective July 1, 1986, the UFFI Act authorized the DPH to create a “UFFI Trust Fund” to finance the testing and removal of UFFI from residential dwellings. In November 1985, in anticipation of the UFFI Act, the DPH contacted the plaintiff and requested a voluntary contribution of $950,000 dollars. (Docket Entry # 1, 1121). Shortly thereafter, the plaintiff contacted the defendant about coverage under the CGL policies. Similar to its earlier representations, the defendant, by letter dated June 20, 1986, disclaimed coverage. (Docket Entry # 68).

A number of homeowners commenced litigation against the plaintiff under theUFFI repurchase regulations. On December 14, 1987, after negotiating with the DPH, the plaintiff paid $600,000 dollars into the UFFI Trust Fund. (Docket Entry # 61). The plaintiff’s payment relieved the plaintiff of liability under the UFFI repurchase regulations with the exception of bodily injury not reasonably discoverable by the homeowner. (Docket Entry # 1, 1124).

The subject matter of the asserted attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine includes communications between the plaintiff and plaintiff’s counsel, Scott Lewis, Molly H. Sherden and other attorneys of the law firm Palmer & Dodge, Boston, Massachusetts. On April 25, 1991, the defendant deposed Mr. Lewis, the plaintiff’s designated representative under Fed. R.Civ.P. 30(b)(6), in connection with the DPH negotiations.4 During discovery, the plaintiff supplied the defendant with approximately 20,000 documents and, as noted above, refused to supply 311 others on the grounds of attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine. In particular, the plaintiff produced to the defendant all of the documents in its possession concerning the UFFI claims against the plaintiff. (Docket Entry # 61). The plaintiff also produced to the defendant all of the documents in its possession regarding its negotiations with the DPH. (Docket Entry #61).

[604]*604DISCUSSION

I. Attorney-Client Privilege

As noted in this court’s prior Order (Docket Entry # 64), the attorney-client privilege protects communications made between an attorney and a client for the purpose of obtaining legal advice. Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449 U.S. 383, 389, 101 S.Ct. 677, 682, 66 L.Ed.2d 584 (1981); Matter of John Doe Grand Jury Investigation, 408 Mass. 480, 562 N.E.2d 69, 70 (1990) (attorney-client privilege survives client’s death). Although the privilege promotes unfettered communications between the attorney and the client, Id. 562 N.E.2d at 70, the privilege runs contrary to full disclosure of relevant information and is, therefore, narrowly construed. Commonwealth v. O’Brien, 377 Mass. 772, 388 N.E.2d 658, 661 (1979) (privilege may extend to preliminary communications looking to representation even if representation is not undertaken). Finally, the plaintiff, as the party asserting the privilege, has the burden of proof. Federal Trade Comm’n v. Shaffner, 626 F.2d 32, 37 (7th Cir.1980).

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Bluebook (online)
144 F.R.D. 600, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21139, 1992 WL 364520, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colonial-gas-co-v-aetna-casualty-surety-co-mad-1992.