Continental Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Delta Corp. of America

71 F.R.D. 697, 23 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 200, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15120
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMay 13, 1976
DocketNo. CIV-75-0630-D
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 71 F.R.D. 697 (Continental Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Delta Corp. of America) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Continental Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Delta Corp. of America, 71 F.R.D. 697, 23 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 200, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15120 (W.D. Okla. 1976).

Opinion

ORDER

DAUGHERTY, Chief Judge.

This is a breach of contract action arising from an agreement between the parties in regard to financing mobile homes. Plaintiff is a lending institution and Defendant appears to be engaged in the business of providing various services in regard to loans on mobile homes. Plaintiff brought the action alleging Defendant breached the agreement between the parties by failing to provide services pursuant to same. After the case was at issue and shortly before it was set for trial, Defendant was permitted to assert a Counterclaim based on an alleged breach of the agreement between the parties by Plaintiff. It is asserted in said Counterclaim that Plaintiff was obligated by the agreement to pay Defendant service fees on all mobile home loans made by Plaintiff during a certain time period and it is alleged Plaintiff made a large number of said loans during such period on which service fees were not paid Plaintiff, thus breaching the agreement. Defendant asserts it sustained monetary damages from the alleged breach of Plaintiff.

On April 6, 1976, Plaintiff filed a Notice to Take Deposition and Request for Production of Documents in which Defendant corporation was designated as the deponent and in which it was requested that Defendant designate one or more of its officers, managing agents or other persons to testify as to specified matters in accordance with the procedures outlined in Rule 30(b)(6), Fed.Rules Civ.Proc. Said notice stated said deposition was to be taken in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 28, 1976. Documents related to the matters specified were also requested to be furnished at the time of said deposition.

Defendant following the receipt of said Notice filed an Objection to the Taking of Deposition of the Defendant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Plaintiff thereafter filed a pleading entitled Rule 37(a) Motion of Plaintiff for Order Compelling Dis[699]*699covery. Defendant thereafter filed a Motion for Protective Order Under Rule 26(e). All of said Motions are supported by briefs and all contain certificates required by Local Rule 13(d) that the parties have conferred in good faith in an attempt to resolve this discovery dispute and have been unable to resolve their differences. All three aforementioned pleadings relate to whether Defendant’s officers or agents must appear for deposition in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in this action. It would appear that the proper pleadings should have been the filing originally by Defendant of a Motion for a Protective Order pursuant to Rule 26(c) with the Plaintiff possibly filing a Response thereto. The Court will consider the matters before it on this basis.

Defendant is a Florida corporation with its principal offices in Jacksonville, Florida. Defendant contends the requested depositions should be taken in Jacksonville, Florida. It asserts it has voluntarily submitted one of its officers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for discovery purposes and that the additional discovery sought herein would constitute an undue burden and expense on Defendant. Defendant asserts that the cases hold that the proper place of taking depositions of the officers of a corporate Defendant is at the location of its corporate offices or where said officers reside.

Plaintiff asserts that it is entitled to take the deposition pursuant to notice given a party litigant in accordance with Rule 30(b), supra, and it further contends said Rule contains no geographical limitations. It is urged that the matters to which the discovery requested is directed relate to Defendant’s Counterclaim and in particular request information as to the alleged damages sought by way of same against Plaintiff.

The notice issued by Plaintiff is all that is necessary to require attendance of parties or their officers or managing agents and a subpoena was not required in the circumstances present. See Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil § 2107. As to the place of such examination, the same textwriter states at § 2112 as follows:

“If the person to be examined is a party to the action, a subpoena is not required and the notice is sufficient to require his attendance. Thus the examining party may set the place for the deposition of another party wherever he wishes subject to the power of the court to grant a protective order under Rule 26(c)(2) designating a different place.”

The Court in the case of Grey v. Continental Marketing Associates, Inc., 315 F.Supp. 826 (N.D.Ga.1970) appears to have considered the same issue now present in the instant case wherein it is stated:

“As to the motion to modify notice of taking depositions, it appears to the court that this motion is in effect a motion for a protective order under Rule 30(b) and it will be treated as such for purposes of this order.15 Although the federal rules
do not prevent plaintiff’s designating any place he chooses for the taking of a defendant’s deposition, the cases indicate that it is presumed that a defendant will be examined at his residence or at his place of business or employment; if another place is named and defendant files a timely objection the objection should be sustained absent some unusual circumstance to justify putting the defendant to such inconvenience.16 See 4 Moore, Fed-
eral Practice, ¶ 30.07(1-3). No such unusual circumstances appearing in the instant case, plaintiff will not be permitted to require defendants to come to this district to be deposed. Plaintiff may, of course, arrange to take depositions at a time when defendants will be in this state, if possible, but otherwise plaintiff must take any depositions he wishes at the defendants’ residence or place of business.”

[700]*700In the instant case, the Court determines that the law as applied in the above cited case appears applicable herein. However, the Court has sua sponte considered whether Defendant herein should be considered to be the same as a party plaintiff in regard to the matters sought to be discovered which relate to its Counterclaim asserted herein. If the Counterclaim is a compulsive counterclaim pursuant to Rule 13(a), Fed.Rules Civ.Proc., then Defendant should not be considered to be in the same position as a party plaintiff which selected the forum. However, if the Counterclaim is a permissive counterclaim pursuant to Rule 13(b), supra, it would appear Defendant should be considered to be in such position.

Plaintiff’s claim asserted in its Complaint is based on allegations that it paid Defendant a sum of money between July 1, 1970, and August 1, 1971, to service 85 separate mobile home loans for various periods of time not exceeding 12 years. It alleges that the services rendered by Defendant in connection with such loans became unsatisfactory and by May of 1975, Plaintiff was required to assume such services itself. It urges it is entitled to recover from Defendant an amount representing an alleged unearned service fee calculated as of June 1, 1975, as to all loans still in effect. In the Pretrial Order filed on February 3, 1976, Plaintiff asserts its rights are based on a contract entered into by the parties dated April 2, 1970.

Defendant’s Counterclaim filed February 19, 1976, urges the contract of April 2, 1970, was in effect until September 1, 1971, during which time it contends Plaintiff breached same by failing to pay Defendant a service fee on all mobile home loans made by Plaintiff during the time period in question.

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Bluebook (online)
71 F.R.D. 697, 23 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 200, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15120, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/continental-federal-savings-loan-assn-v-delta-corp-of-america-okwd-1976.