Estate of Costner v. Phillips Petroleum Co.

121 F.R.D. 690, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15403, 1988 WL 86941
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedAugust 18, 1988
DocketNo. CIV-87-855-P
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 121 F.R.D. 690 (Estate of Costner v. Phillips Petroleum Co.) 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
Estate of Costner v. Phillips Petroleum Co., 121 F.R.D. 690, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15403, 1988 WL 86941 (W.D. Okla. 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER IMPOSING SANCTIONS

PHILLIPS, District Judge.

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS

This case involves inadequate trial preparation by plaintiff’s counsel1 and repeated failures to comply with the scheduling order of this Court.

The Complaint in this personal injury case was filed April 28,1987. On October 8,1987 this Court issued a scheduling order requiring plaintiff's counsel, the law firm of Merritt, Rooney, Collier & Rooney, Inc., to file its final witness list including addresses and expected testimony; and the identity, expected testimony, and curriculum vitae of experts by June 10, 1988. Order Regarding Status/Scheduling Conference p. 1 1Í1Í 3-6 (Oct. 8, 1987) [attached hereto as Exhibit A]. This Court emphasized the critical nature of this deadline date by warning that only listed witnesses could testify unless exceptional circumstances compelled reconsideration. Id. at 1Í 5.

The Court’s October 1987 scheduling order further required that plaintiff’s experts must be made available for deposition examination by July 8, 1988. Counsel were further put on notice that absent exceptional circumstances, failure to comply with the scheduling order would result in expert witnesses not testifying. Id. at 116.

On June 9, 1988, this Court again stressed the importance of the October 1987 scheduling order by denying a joint application to extend deadlines. In that order the Court warned that failure to comply with the scheduling order could result in sanctions, and provided the parties with citations of case examples from this district. Order Denying Extension of Deadlines (June 9, 1988) [attached hereto as Exhibit B].2

Defense counsel made written requests for the plaintiff’s final witness list on May 6 and 19, and on June 10, 1988. Also, on June 7, 14, 17, and 21, 1988, defense counsel unsuccessfully requested correction of interrogatory and deposition deficiencies. On May 17, and June 3, 1988 plaintiff’s counsel made unfulfilled promises to defense counsel that the deadlines would be met. In disregard of this Court’s orders, repeated warnings, and the mandates of the Federal Rules, plaintiff’s counsel did not file a final witness list by the deadline, nor meaningfully make plaintiff’s experts available for deposition examination. Defense counsel finally resorted to filing a Motion to Compel. A hearing on the numerous motions to dismiss, motions to strike and other objections arising out of the plaintiff’s failure to comply with the scheduling order was held on August 11, 1988.

Defense counsel’s allegations were buttressed by the record developed at the August 11, 1988 hearing, which clearly established gross deficiencies by plaintiff’s coun[692]*692sel in violation of this Court’s orders.3 Specifically, the record in this case reveals that plaintiff filed three witness lists on the following dates: April 28, 1988 (the “Preliminary Witness List”); June 17, 1988 (the “Supplemental Witness List”); and July 15, 1988 (the “Revised Witness List”). The latter two lists were clearly in violation of this Court’s June 10,1988 witness list deadline. Moreover, as set forth below, the names on the lists were continually shuffled by plaintiff’s counsel and contained numerous deficiencies.

The April 28, 1988 witness list, while timely filed, contains seventy-nine (79) witnesses with incomplete names, and inadequate addresses and testimonial summaries. For example, three (3) Emergency Medical Technicians on page 3 are listed by only their first names: “Leroy _”, “Lynn _”, and “Fred _”. The address of the plaintiff, Tammie K. Costner, is totally absent on page 1; and on page 2, Bradley James’ address is listed as Keyes, Oklahoma without a street address. On page 13, there is no testimony summary for C.K. Ahrens. Although listing nine (9) experts, curriculum vitae were not attached as ordered by paragraph 6 of the October 1987 scheduling order.

The Supplemental Witness list filed out of time by plaintiff’s counsel on June 17, 1988 demonstrates a similar pattern of violations of this Court’s Order. That list contained eighty-six (86) witnesses, but still contained incomplete names and addresses as on the Preliminary List. Many unidentified witnesses were simply lumped into categories such as:

EMPLOYEES OF DEFENDANT, PHILLIPS PETROLEUM COMPANY

All persons who are employees of such Defendant who have investigated the incident complained of or who have knowledge of the hiring, firing and/or training practices of such Defendant or who may have knowledge concerning the safety practices of such defendant or who may have custody of records concerning same____

Supplemental Witness List, p. 5 (June 17, 1988).

Quite obviously, such a list was of little benefit to defense counsel, particularly in light of the fact that discovery depositions were to end July 8,1988. Order Regarding Status/Scheduling Conference, p. 1 ¶ 2 (Oct. 8, 1987) [Exhibit A],

On July 8, 1988 plaintiff moved this Court to endorse two additional expert witnesses, ostensibly to replace an expert who resigned. However, one of these two experts was proffered to testify on diesel mechanics, despite the fact that no previously endorsed expert was purportedly qualified in that area. This late endorsement appears to be another abuse of scheduling orders. Fed.R.Civ.P. 16(f); Order Regarding Status Scheduling Conference, p. 1 116 (Oct. 8, 1987) [Exhibit A],

On July 15, 1988 a Revised Witness List containing thirty-six (36) witnesses was filed by plaintiff over a month out of time. This “Revised List” still contained incomplete addresses as illustrated above. An expert witness, Bill Burrus, was listed as a miscellaneous witness and no curriculum vita was attached; nor was a vita for Dr. Alexander J. Patton provided, as required.

These witness lists were not only confusing to opposing counsel and the Court, but also to plaintiff’s counsel. Plaintiff’s motion of July 22, 1988 reads in relevant part:

Plaintiff has prepared and filed a Revised Witness List [July 15, 1988 list] which reduces the number of witnesses contained in the list filed on June 17, 1988, and adds no additional witnesses not contained in that list.....

Plaintiff’s Motion For Leave Of Court To File Revised Witness List Nunc Pro Tunc, p. 2, 114 (July 22, 1988).

However, contrary to this representation, this Court finds the names of Bill Dugan on page 4, and Cranstan Flesher on page 5 of the “revised list” that were not on the [693]*693June 17, 1988 list.4 Then, plaintiff’s July 15, 1988 brief reads in relevant part:

All of the witnesses contained on the plaintiff’s reduced witness list filed contemporaneously herewith were contained in plaintiff’s Exhibit [sic] List filed herein on April 28, 1988, except the following witnesses: ... BILLIE JACK WELDON....

[Plaintiff’s] Brief and Response In Opposition To The Motion Of All Defendants To Dismiss Plaintiff’s Use Of Any Witnesses At Trial, pp. 4, 5 (July 15, 1988).'

During the hearing of August 11, 1988 this Court, in reliance on plaintiff’s brief, asked one of plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Ronald V.

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Bluebook (online)
121 F.R.D. 690, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15403, 1988 WL 86941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-costner-v-phillips-petroleum-co-okwd-1988.