Constand v. Cosby

232 F.R.D. 494, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3509, 2006 WL 222836
District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided January 31, 2006·No. Civ.A. No. 05-1099·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

EDUARDO C. ROBRENO, District Judge.

Before the Court are the parties’ motions to compel further deposition testimony (docs, no. 49 and 50) and plaintiffs motion for sanctions (doc. no. 48).

Discovery in this case began with the exchange of interrogatories and requests for production, and the taking of the depositions of plaintiff and defendant. During the course of discovery, several issues arose which the parties brought to the Court’s attention for resolution via letter.1 The instant dispute over the parties responses at deposition was raised in an October 5, 2005 letter from defense counsel requesting assistance from the Court. Plaintiff submitted a response letter on October 6, 2005 in which she also raised issues regarding these depositions.

On November 4, 2005, the Court held a telephone conference to address the proper procedure by which the parties’ discovery disputes regarding depositions could be resolved. The conference did not address the merits of the dispute, but was intended to afford the parties an opportunity to comment on a procedure within which the Court could evaluate the parties’ conflicting arguments. See Nov. 4, 2005 Tr. at 2. At the end of the conference, the Court entered its November 4, 2005 interim order setting forth the procedure discussed and sealing the parties’ motions to compel and the responses pending review by the Court. See Case Mgmt. Order 2 (doc. no. 47). These motions to compel and the motion for sanctions were filed under seal pursuant to that order.

I. MOTIONS TO COMPEL

The parties’ motions to compel further deposition testimony involve questions left unanswered because of assertions of the attorney client privilege or objections by counsel, including instructions not to answer.2 To date, the depositions of both parties remain incomplete subject to the motions to compel. Consistent with the Court’s ruling of January 13, 2006, the parties’ depositions shall continue to be conducted in private.3 4The notes of [497] testimony of the depositions taken pursuant to the order of this date shall be sealed until further order of the Court. Upon completion of the depositions, as set forth below, the Court will determine whether there is good cause for the seal to continue to attach to the motions and the notes of deposition testimony attached to the motions, as well as to the entire transcripts of the depositions in accordance with the November 4, 2005 Order. Moreover, the deposition questioning pursuant to the Court’s ruling on these motions to compel will be limited to the questions listed in the parties’ motions to compel and those questions that reasonably arise from the answers. These reconvened depositions of plaintiff and defendant shall not extend beyond the scope that is permitted by the order of this date.

A. Plaintiffs Motion to Compel.

1. Alleged prior acts of sexual assault.

The information sought through plaintiffs motion to compel can be placed in one of three categories: (1) core information about the alleged incident between plaintiff and defendant that is directly relevant; (2) information about the Jane Doe witnesses; and (3) information about other alleged sexual affairs, use of prescriptions or controlled substances and trust arrangements with unrelated third parties involving the defendant, that do not involve already identified Federal Rule of Evidence 415 witnesses.4

Comprehensive discovery is the staple of modern American litigation practice. The ability to develop the parties’ cases pretrial results in efficiency and leads to a trial on the merits. While liberal, the scope of discovery is not unbound. Discovery comes at a cost both in financial terms and in its impact on the privacy interests of parties. Additionally, particular care should be employed when requiring the production of sensitive personal information concerning persons who are not parties to the dispute. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b) strikes a balance between these competing interests. Rule 26(b)(1) provides:

Parties may obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, that is relevant to the claim or defense of any party.... For good cause, the court may order discovery of any matter relevant to the subject matter involved in the action. Relevant information need not be admissible at the trial if the discovery appears to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence. All discovery is subject to the limitations imposed by Rule 26(b)(2)(i), (ii), and (iii).

Additionally, relevant information may nevertheless be cloaked with a mantle of confidentiality, upon a showing of good cause. See Pansy v. Borough of Stroudsburg, 23 F.3d 772 (3d Cir.1994). See generally Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 26(c).

Information in category one, i.e. core information about plaintiff and defendant’s relationship, clearly is relevant non-privileged discovery central to the parties’ claims and defenses. It is without question that any alleged history of sex or use of prescriptions or controlled substances between plaintiff and defendant is core to this action. Therefore, defendant is required to answer the following questions pursuant to plaintiffs motion to compel: 13, 27, 28 and 34.

For good cause, the Court may order discovery of relevant evidence if it appears reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence. See Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 26(b)(1). Information in category two, i.e. information about defendant’s alleged encounters with the Jane Doe witnesses, is relevant and may lead to the discovery of admissible evidence of defendant’s propensity for sexual assault, if any, or his modus operands if any, under Rule 415. The admissibility of propensity evidence in sexual assault cases is governed by Rule 415.

Rule 415 states:

In a civil case in which a claim for damages or other relief is predicated on a party’s alleged commission of conduct constituting an offense of sexual assault or child molestation, evidence of that party’s commission of another offense or offenses of sexual [498] assault or child molestation is admissible and may be considered as provided in Rule 413 and Rule 414 of these rules.

(emphasis added).5 The language of the rule itself does not define the scope of inquiry. The Third Circuit, however, has filled the gap. See Johnson v. Elk Lake Sch. Dist., 283 F.3d 138 (3d Cir.2002).

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Constand v. Cosby, 232 F.R.D. 494, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3509, 2006 WL 222836 (E.D. Pa. 2006).

232 F.R.D. 494 (Constand v. Cosby) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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