Energy Capital Corp. v. United States

45 Fed. Cl. 481, 45 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1179, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 3, 2000 WL 21323
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJanuary 11, 2000
DocketNo. 97-293 C
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 45 Fed. Cl. 481 (Energy Capital Corp. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Energy Capital Corp. v. United States, 45 Fed. Cl. 481, 45 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1179, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 3, 2000 WL 21323 (uscfc 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

DAMICH, Judge.

On June 22, 1999, the Defendant filed a motion to compel that raised three discreet issues. With admirable professionalism, the parties expeditiously completed briefing the contentious legal issues to maintain the schedule set for this case. The Court, after hearing oral argument, ruled on the motion to compel on July 14, 1999. The ruling, however, did not explain the Court’s decision. This opinion is intended to address the interesting issues raised in the motion to compel.

I. Facts

Under a contract called the AHELP agreement, the Plaintiff agreed to provide loans for renovations to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing to make the apartments more fuel efficient. The Plaintiff expected that the loans would save the owners of the HUD-assisted housing a considerable amount of money (millions of dollars). The owners’ savings would let them pay the financing for the loan.

The parties agree HUD terminated the contract following the publication of an article in The Wall Street Journal that wrongly stated HUD awarded the contract to the Plaintiff because of political donations to members of the Democratic party. The Plaintiff is suing for breach of contract and the Defendant has admitted this breach.

The remaining issue in dispute is the amount of damages to which the Plaintiff is entitled. The Plaintiff is pursuing two theories. Primarily, the Plaintiff is seeking “lost profits.” The parties have represented that the Plaintiff will claim more than $10 million in lost profits. The Defendant argues that the claim for lost profits is too speculative. Alternatively, the Plaintiff wants to recover the costs it incurred in preparing to perform under the contract. The Plaintiff has presented a list of costs that totals approximately $1.3 million.

In pursuing discovery on facts related to damages, the Defendant issued several requests for documents. These documents can be grouped into three categories:1 (1) bills [484]*484from the Plaintiffs attorneys; (2) documents related to whether the AHELP program was likely to be successful; and (3) documents provided by the Plaintiffs trial attorneys to expert witnesses who are expected to testify on behalf of the Plaintiff at trial. The Plaintiff objected to these requests for production. For categories one and two, the Plaintiff claimed that the attorney-client privilege made the documents exempt from discovery. For category three, the Plaintiff claimed that the work-product doctrine prevented the production of the documents.

The day after hearing oral argument, the Court announced its decision in an order. The Court required the attorneys’ bills and documents given to the testifying expert witnesses to be produced. For the second category, the Court divided those documents into two groups. When the Plaintiff waived the attorney-client privilege by sharing the documents with third parties, the Court ordered their production. When the Plaintiff did not waive the privilege, then the Court denied the motion to compel. This opinion sets forth the basis for each of the Court’s decisions.

II. Bills Produced by Attorneys

A. Introduction

Energy Capital retained several different law firms to assist it to perform the AHELP contract. For example, the AHELP program required several different legal documents such as the AHELP mortgage note, the AHELP mortgage loan agreement, UCC-1 financing statements, title insurance, an FHA Consent Agreement, and the Consent and Agreement of Prior Lender, etc. Energy Capital also required extensive negotiations not only with HUD, but also with Fannie Mae and its partners/subcontraetors. The Plaintiff has claimed these expenses as an element of “cost” because the law firms’ tasks were related to performing under the contract.2

The United States served requests for production of documents that show the involvement of certain law firms that worked for Energy Capital. These documents include billing records of their various law firms.3

Energy Capital interposed an objection to providing complete and unredacted bills based on “attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine.” Energy Capital is willing to produce redacted bills.4 The United States offers several reasons why the attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine should not prevent the production of relevant information.5

B. Law Regarding Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Doctrine

1. Attorney-client privilege

The assertion of privileges is strictly construed because privileges impede full and free discovery of the truth. Eureka Financial Corp. v. Hartford Accident & Indem. Co., 136 F.R.D. 179, 183 (E.D.Cal.1991). The burden of establishing the attorney-client privilege rests upon the party claiming privilege. Fisher v. United States, 425 U.S. 391, 96 S.Ct. 1569, 48 L.Ed.2d 39 (1976). The court in United States v. United Shoe Machinery Corp., 89 F.Supp. 357, 358-59 (D.Mass.1950), enunciated the requirements necessary to assert the attorney-client privilege as follows:

The privilege applies only if (1) the asserted holder of the privilege is or sought to become a client; (2) the person to whom the communication was made (a) is a member of the bar of a court, or his subordinate and (b) in connection with the communication is acting as a lawyer; (3) the communication relates to a fact of which the attorney was informed (a) by his client (b) without the presence of strangers (c) for the purpose [485]*485of securing primarily either (i) an opinion on law or (ii) legal services or (iii) assistance in some legal proceeding, and not (d) for the purpose of committing a crime or tort; and (4) the privilege has been (a) claimed and (b) not waived by the client.
The attorney-client privilege is triggered only by a client’s request for legal, as contrasted with business, advice and is “limited to communications made to attorneys solely for the purpose of the corporation seeking legal advice and its counsel rendering it.” In re Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum, 731 F.2d 1032, 1037 (2d Cir.1984). Thus, information does not become privileged simply because it came from counsel, and when documents or conversations are created pursuant to business matters, they must be disclosed. Allendale Mut. Ins. Co. v. Bull Data Systems, Inc., 152 F.R.D. 132, 137 (N.D.Ill.1993).

Cabot v. United States, 35 Fed.Cl. 442, 444-45 (1996).

The attorney-client privilege pertains to legal advice. Therefore, it does not protect either factual information or business advice. “[I]t is clear that when an attorney conveys to his clients facts acquired from other persons or sources, those facts are not privileged.” Antoine v. Atlas Turner, Inc., 66 F.3d 105, 110 (6th Cir.1995).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 Fed. Cl. 481, 45 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1179, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 3, 2000 WL 21323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/energy-capital-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-2000.