Duluth Lighthouse for the Blind v. C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Co.

199 F.R.D. 320, 56 Fed. R. Serv. 192, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19863, 2000 WL 33175705
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedOctober 12, 2000
DocketCiv. No. 99-1601JRT/RLE
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 199 F.R.D. 320 (Duluth Lighthouse for the Blind v. C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Duluth Lighthouse for the Blind v. C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Co., 199 F.R.D. 320, 56 Fed. R. Serv. 192, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19863, 2000 WL 33175705 (mnd 2000).

Opinion

ORDER

ERICKSON, United States Magistrate Judge.

I. Introduction

This matter came before the undersigned United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to a general assignment, made in accordance with the provisions of Title 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A), upon the Motion of the Defendant C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Co., Inc. (“Bretting”), to exclude the damages report, and expert testimony, of Paul Almirall (“Almirall”), who is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Plaintiff Duluth Lighthouse for the Blind (“Lighthouse”). A Hearing on the Motion was conducted on September 22, ■ 2000, at which time, the Lighthouse appeared by R. Thomas Torgerson, Esq., and Bretting appeared by James F. Harrington, Esq. For reasons which follow, Bretting’s Motion to Exclude is denied.

II. Factual and Procedural History

As fully addressed in our Report and Recommendation of July 24, 2000, this dispute [322]*322arises out of the Lighthouse’s purchase of an ' allegedly defective tissue rewinder (“rewinder”) from Bretting. In order to facilitate the orderly progression of this action toward Trial, we issued a Pretrial Scheduling Order on December 21, 1999, which established deadlines for, among other activities, the service of Rule 26(a)(1) disclosures, and the disclosure of expert witnesses and reports. See, Pretrial Order dated December 21, 1999. Under the terms of that Order, the Lighthouse was required to identify, and disclose, its experts by February 15, 2000, and was required to produce its expert reports by May 1, 2000. Id. in turn, Bretting was required to identify its expert witnesses by March 15, 2000, and to produce its expert reports by June 1, 2000. Id.

On January 14, 2000, the Lighthouse provided its initial Rule 26(a)(1) disclosures to Bretting. See, Affidavit of Mary Sue Anderson, Ex. k- These disclosures revealed the types, and estimated amounts, of the damages that the Lighthouse was seeking. See, Affidavit of R. Thomas Torgerson, Ex. 1. However, at that time, Almirall was not designated as a witness who was expected to proffer testimony on the issue of damages but, rather, was listed as a witness with “knowledge of the Project, the Purchase Agreement, the Financing Agreement, Inter-creditor Agreement, and the representations made by Bretting personnel during sale discussions, installation problems and equipment rejection communications.” •Anderson Aff., Ex. f. Subsequently, on February 11, 2000, the Lighthouse identified Richard Seils, and Walter Dean, as its experts. See, Anderson Aff., Ex. 5. Almirall was not designated as an expert at that time, or at any time thereafter.1

In its initial disclosures, the Lighthouse advised that it was conducting an investigation in order to determine the appropriate amount of damages that it purportedly sustained from Bretting’s sale of the allegedly defective rewinder. By May 5, 2000, Bret-ting had yet to receive the Lighthouse’s damage calculation and, therefore, it requested time total amount of damages, that were being claimed by Lighthouse, by means of a written Interrogatory. See, Anderson Aff, Ex. 7. In response to this Interrogatory, the Lighthouse advised that its damages assessment was ongoing. The Lighthouse contends, however, that, in March of 2000, it made available, to Bretting, the documents upon which its damages calculations are based, including financial, contractual, and manufacturing production data.

On June 12, 2000, Bretting informed the Lighthouse that it considered the Lighthouse’s Interrogatory answer to be unresponsive, evasive, and/or incomplete. See, Anderson Aff., Ex. 8. In response to this assertion, the Lighthouse informed Bretting that Almirall was working to complete its damages analysis, and that he would not complete it before his deposition, which had been, at that time, scheduled for late July.

Subsequently, on August 18, 2000, the Lighthouse produced a report to Bretting, that included Almirall’s damages assessment. According to the Lighthouse, this report was produced as a part of its supplemental answer to Bretting’s damages Interrogatory. Several days later — on August 21, 2000 — the Lighthouse provided, to Bretting, a package of documents that Almirall had relied upon in formulating his damages computation. See, Anderson Aff, Exs. Ur-15. Thereafter, on August 28 through 30, 2000, AlmiralPs deposition was taken. During that deposition, Almirall admitted that he had not begun to prepare his report until July of 2000, and that he had relied upon his training, as a certified public accountant, in preparing his report. See, Anderson Aff., Ex. 16, at 465-67. Almirall also testified that, due to time constraints, his damages report was not complete. Id. at 482-83.

Since Almirall was not designated as an expert, and because his report was produced several months after the pertinent expert deadline, that was contained in our Pretrial Order, Bretting seeks to exclude Almirall’s [323]*323report, and his testimony on damages, at Trial.2 In support of this approach, Bretting focuses upon this Court’s recently published decisions, which address untimely expert disclosures. See, Transclean Corp. v. Bridgewood Serv., Inc., 101 F.Supp.2d 788, 795 (D.Minn.2000); see also, Transclean Corp. v. Bndgewood Serv., Inc., 11 F.Supp.2d 1045, 1064 (D.Minn.1999). In response, the Lighthouse argues that Almirall’s report did not violate the Court’s Pretrial Order, because he is not expected to proffer testimony as an expert witness. Instead, the Lighthouse contends that, as the CEO of the Lighthouse, Almirall is expected to offer his damages testimony as an employee-expert and, therefore, his opinions are not subject to the expert disclosure requirements of Rule 26(a)(2)(B), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

III. Discussion

Given the circumstances presented, we conclude that Almirall is a lay expert witness, under Rule 701, Federal Rules of Evidence,3 which excuses his opinions from the reporting requirements of Rule 26(a)(2)(A), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as Almirall is not a “person who may be used at trial to present evidence under Rules 702, 703, or 705 of the Federal Rules of Evidence.” Rule 26(a)(2)(A), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. As a consequence, notwithstanding Bretting’s view, that the Lighthouse has blindsided it with respect to Almirall’s testimony, we find no violation of the applicable expert disclosure requirements.4

As we have previously explained, in Hartzell Manufacturing, Inc. v. American Chemical Technologies, Inc., 899 F.Supp. 405, 408 (D.Minn.1995):

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199 F.R.D. 320, 56 Fed. R. Serv. 192, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19863, 2000 WL 33175705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duluth-lighthouse-for-the-blind-v-cg-bretting-manufacturing-co-mnd-2000.