Cunningham v. Smithkline Beecham

255 F.R.D. 474, 72 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 972, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7833, 2009 WL 250401
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedFebruary 3, 2009
DocketNo. 2:07-CV-174
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 255 F.R.D. 474 (Cunningham v. Smithkline Beecham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cunningham v. Smithkline Beecham, 255 F.R.D. 474, 72 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 972, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7833, 2009 WL 250401 (N.D. Ind. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

ANDREW P. RODOVICH, United States Magistrate Judge.

This matter is before the court on the Motion to Compel Smithkline Beecham to Produce Substantive Responses and Documents to Plaintiffs’ Third Request for Production of Documents, and Request for Sanctions [DE 101] filed by the plaintiffs on May 5, 2008. For the reasons set forth below, the Motion to Compel is GRANTED, and the Request for Sanctions is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

Background

The background to this cause of action was described in the orders of June 25, 2008 and October 1, 2008, and is repeated here as necessary. This case arises from the suicide of 14-year old Scott Cunningham in March 2001. In their complaint, the plaintiffs, Scott Cunningham’s mother, father, and brother (the Cunninghams), allege that his suicide was caused by the prescription anti-depressant marketed under the name Paxil and manufactured by the defendant Smithkline Beecham, doing business as Glaxosmithkline (Smithkline).

The Cunninghams allege that beginning in 1994, Smithkline became aware that Paxil was ineffective for the treatment of depression in adolescents and that the drug increased the risk of suicide in adolescent patients. During the period of 2000 to 2004, the Cunninghams claim eight Smithkline sales representatives made over 52 sales calls on the prescribing physician, Dr. Sudhakar Garlapati. (Pltf.Reply, p. 9) The Cunning-hams assert Smithkline knew Paxil was dangerous, but in 2003 instructed sales representatives not to disclose the information to doctors. (Pltf.Comp. p. 8) The Cunninghams further contend that Smithkline knew that, despite the lack of approval for use in treating adolescent depression, so-called “off-label” prescriptions of Paxil were sufficient to make the drug the second most prescribed anti-depressant for children and adolescents. The Cunninghams allege that through a series of conferences, articles, and other promotional efforts, including the use of paid “opinion leaders,” Smithkline promoted the use of Paxil for children.

Count I of the Cunninghams’ complaint claims Smithkline negligently misrepresented the safety and effectiveness of Paxil’s pediatric use through the company’s research, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution practices. Count II alleges Smithkline was negligent in its duty of pharmaco-vigilence because Smithkline failed to monitor the safety of Paxil and to continuously inform the medical profession of its dangers. Count III asserts Smithkline is strictly liable for the death of Scott Cunningham because Smith-kline knew Paxil was dangerous for pediatric use but failed to warn the medical profession. Count IV claims Smithkline is liable for a breach of express warranty because Smith-kline sold Paxil to the medical community as an effective, safe, and proper drug for pediatric use. Count V seeks punitive damages alleging Smithkline represented Paxil was safe and effective for pediatric use through fraudulent marketing. Counts VI, VII, and VIII are actions for loss of companionship and income, survival, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The discovery disputes addressed here involve the requests for production of documents served upon Smithkline. The motion to compel seeks substantive responses and documents from Smithkline regarding the revenue and profits from the sale of Paxil and the advertising, promotional, and educational materials Smithkline disseminated to the medical community between 2000 and 2004. Specifically, Requests for Production 1-4 seek the revenue and profits from the sale of Paxil in Indiana and the United States. Requests for Production 6-13 seek the advertising, promotion, and education budgets and spending on Paxil programs for pediatric use in Indiana and the United [477]*477States. Request for Production 14 seeks documents pertaining to all Paxil pediatric prescriptions written in Indiana. Request for Production 16 requests the complete files of every Smithkline sales representative who made a sales call on Dr. Garlapati. Request for Production 23 seeks promotional videotapes or visual aids for Paxil that contain references to children or adolescents. Requests for Production 25 and 26 seek any education campaign materials disseminated to the medical community that discussed the correlation of suicide and Paxil.

In the Reply in Support of their Motion to Compel filed on June 4, 2008, the Cunning-hams have agreed to limit discovery of Requests for Production 1-4 to financial information from sales in Indiana. (Pltf.Reply, p. 4) Accordingly, Requests for Production 1 and 3 are no longer at issue in this dispute.

The remaining requests for production derive from the delay in discovery caused by Smithkline’s failure to adequately provide responses to Requests for Production 2, 4, 6-14, 16, 23, 25, and 26. The deadline for fact discovery was April 7, 2008. The Cunning-hams served their Third Request for Production on Smithkline on March 6, 2008. (Pltf.Motion, Exh. A) Smithkline responded to the Cunninghams’ Third Request for Production on April 8, 2008. (Pltf.Motion, Exh. B) Smithkline produced no documents in this response and objected to all requests for production on the grounds that the discovery was overly broad, unduly burdensome, irrelevant, inadmissible, and protected by attorney-client or work product privilege. (Pltf.Motion, Exh. B).

On April 14, 2008, a phone conversation between the Cunning-hams’ counsel and Smithkline’s counsel took place regarding the inadequacies in Smithkline’s responses.1 On April 24, 2008, the Cunninghams’ counsel informed Smithkline the responses to the Third Request for Production were inadequate and requested Smithkline to respond properly by April 28, 2008.2 Counsel for Smithkline responded by letter on April 28, 2008, and assured more detailed responses to the discovery requests would be provided “in a reasonable time.” (Pltf.Motion, Exh. L, p. 3) When Cunninghams’ counsel did not receive a response from Smithkline by May 5, 2008, she filed the motion to compel on May 5, 2008, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to resolve the discovery dispute. (Declaration of Nicole Maldonado, p. 2) On May 15, 2008, Smithkline’s counsel refused to produce any of the requested discovery by claiming it was overly broad, unduly burdensome, irrelevant, or inadmissible.

Discussion

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure place no time limit for filing a motion to compel discovery. The matter is left to the broad discretion possessed by the district courts to control discovery. Semien v. Life Ins. Co. of North America, 436 F.3d 805, 813 (7th Cir.2006). Smithkline asserts that the motion to compel is untimely because they failed to file it before the close of discovery and because the Cunninghams waited until a month before the close of discovery to serve “extensive and burdensome discovery.”3 (Deft.Reply, p. 6) However, the Cunning-hams served the Third Request for Production on Smithkline more than a month before the close of discovery. Smithkline elected not to respond adequately to previous requests for production and then responded to the third request after the close of discovery. Smithkline’s delay tactics should not unfairly prejudice the Cunninghams. See In re Sul[478]*478

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255 F.R.D. 474, 72 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 972, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7833, 2009 WL 250401, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cunningham-v-smithkline-beecham-innd-2009.