Gaura, Frank v. Anderson O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedNovember 25, 2020
Docket3:20-cv-00259
StatusUnknown

This text of Gaura, Frank v. Anderson O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP (Gaura, Frank v. Anderson O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gaura, Frank v. Anderson O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP, (W.D. Wis. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

FRANK GAURA,

Plaintiff, OPINION AND ORDER v. 20-cv-259-wmc ANDERSON, O’BRIEN, BERTZ, SKRENES & GOLLA, LLP,

Defendant.

Pro se plaintiff Frank Gaura has filed this lawsuit against defendant Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP (Anderson O’Brien), under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), 42 U.S.C. §§2000e, et seq. Plaintiff claims that his former employer, Anderson O’Brien, discriminated against him, retaliated against him, and subjected him to a hostile work environment, all on the basis of his national origin. This order resolves four pending discovery-related motions. I am denying plaintiff’s motion for a protective order (dkt. 10) and related motion to stay depositions and to quash (dkt. 30); granting defendant’s motion for a protective order (dkt. 14); and denying in part and reserving in part plaintiff’s motion to compel production of documents identified in defendant’s privilege log (dkt. 21). As explained below, to address plaintiff’s challenge to certain documents listed in defendant’s privilege log, I will review those communications in camera.

OPINION I. Plaintiff’s motion for protective order (dkt. 10) Plaintiff seeks a protective order to avoid producing certain communications in response to defendant’s Requests for Production (RFPs) 1 and 2. In RFP 1, defendant originally sought “All communications between you and any employee or partner of the Anderson O’Brien law firm for the period November 20, 2019, to the present.” In RFP 2, defendant originally sought “All communications between you and Sandra Zenor for the period November 20, 2019, to the present.” After plaintiff objected to the requests, defendant modified both RFPs to include

the language “relating, in any way, to any claim you are making in this lawsuit, including any relief in this lawsuit.” (Pl. Aff. (dkt. 11) ¶ 10; Pl. Ex. 5 (dkt. 10-5).) Plaintiff continues to object to both requests, but he has not shown that he is entitled to a protective order with respect to either. In opposition to RFP 1, plaintiff explains that after his termination from Anderson O’Brien, he communicated with certain employees. He is concerned that if he turns over those communications, then Anderson O’Brien will retaliate against them for disparaging the firm or speaking out in support of plaintiff. Plaintiff understands that he is obliged to produce these

communications but request a protective order or for an in camera review of the responsive documents. Plaintiff provides an example of a former co-worker -- Mrs. Jennifer Lemke -- who was terminated about four months after he was terminated; he claims that the reason she was terminated was because she had supported plaintiff. Plaintiff’s evidence in support of his suspicions is his own affidavit (dkt. 11), and a November 5, 2019, email in which defendant’s director of operations suggested that the firm was aware that Lemke and plaintiff were speaking about plaintiff’s potential claims in this lawsuit (dkt. 10-9). In opposition, defendant explains that after his termination, plaintiff sent out a

communication to Anderson O’Brien employees, informing them that they need to be available for trial. Therefore, they have reason to believe that plaintiff received responses that may provide relevant information and potential witnesses. Defendant further contends that plaintiff’s claimed need to protect fellow employees from retaliation is not only speculative, it is inappropriate attempt to publicly disparage the firm. Defendant is willing to provide documentation related to Lemke’s termination if the court wants to see it. I do not need to review Lemke’s personnel records to resolve this dispute. Plaintiff’s

arguments are speculative. He has not provided a legitimate reason why he should not have to produce the responsive communications, nor has he provided a basis to grant a protective order limiting the information that he would need to produce. Therefore, I am denying plaintiff’s request for a protective order with respect to RFP 1, and I am denying as moot plaintiff’s motion to stay depositions and to quash the subpoena of Lemke. As for RFP 2, plaintiff claims that his communications with Attorney Zenor are either privileged or unrelated and therefore irrelevant to this lawsuit. Plaintiff explains that Attorney Zenor serves as his family’s attorney and is a friend, as well as his former employer. Plaintiff

represents that after his November 20, 2019 termination, he communicated with Zenor for the purpose of obtaining legal advice and represents that there was a phone call between Zenor and a partner at Anderson O’Brien related to his termination. (Pl. Aff. (dkt. 11) ¶ 22.) Plaintiff further explains that while he worked as Zenor’s paralegal, he worked on cases in which one of Anderson O’Brien’s co-managing partners, Nadine Davy, was counsel for the opposing parties. Plaintiff represents that after he was terminated from Anderson O’Brien, he assisted Zenor while he was looking for work, and he continues to communicate with her about clients and cases.

In opposition, defendant does not suggest that plaintiff must produce communications between him and Zenor related to the cases on which he worked for her. Such documents would not relate to this lawsuit, so they would not be responsive to defendant’s narrowed RFP. Instead, defendant contends that plaintiff’s communications with Zenor are relevant and are not privileged. Defendant explains that plaintiff previously identified Zenor as someone with knowledge and information related to his claim for damages, including plaintiff’s claims of emotional distress damages. Further, defendant argues that if plaintiff were working for Zenor

after his termination, then Zenor would be in possession of information related to plaintiff’s duty to mitigate his damages. To challenge plaintiff’s privilege assertion, defendant points out that: (1) Zenor is not representing plaintiff in this matter, (2) plaintiff has not attested that he retained Zenor to represent him in his employment dispute with Anderson O’Brien; and (3) the Anderson O’Brien attorney Zenor called after plaintiff’s termination would testify that at the beginning of their phone call, Zenor explicitly stated that she was not calling as plaintiff’s attorney and that she did not represent him. Finally, defendant reports that even though plaintiff was reminded of his obligation to provide a privilege log outlining the documents he

is withholding on the ground of privilege, plaintiff has refused to do so. Defendant’s view that plaintiff’s communications with Zenor are not privileged because Zenor does not represent him and never intended to represent him does not completely dispose of the question of privilege. Cf. United States v. Keplinger, 776 F.2d 678, 701 (7th Cir. 1985) (absent a relatively clear indication by the potential client to the attorney that he believed he was being represented, no attorney-client relationship can be inferred without some finding that the potential client’s subjective belief is minimally reasonable). That said, even if this court is willing to assume, arguendo, that plaintiff’s subjective believe in this regard is minimally

reasonable, it remains plaintiff’s burden to establish that any of his communications with Zenor actually were privileged. Plaintiff has not met this burden.

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Bluebook (online)
Gaura, Frank v. Anderson O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gaura-frank-v-anderson-obrien-bertz-skrenes-golla-llp-wiwd-2020.