Gotch v. Ensco Offshore Co.

168 F.R.D. 567, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19229, 1996 WL 496178
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedAugust 21, 1996
DocketCivil Action No. 96-0610
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 168 F.R.D. 567 (Gotch v. Ensco Offshore Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gotch v. Ensco Offshore Co., 168 F.R.D. 567, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19229, 1996 WL 496178 (W.D. La. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM RULING

METHVIN, United States Magistrate Judge.

On July 15, 1996, I held a telephone conference with Lawrence N. Curtis, counsel for plaintiff, and Alan K. Breaud, counsel for defendant, in connection with the deposition of Kenneth Pierce which was being taken in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. At the conclusion of the telephone conference, I ordered that the deposition be terminated and ordered the parties to file briefs addressing the proper remedy for an apparent abuse of the discovery process by Mr. Curtis. Despite a prior discovery request, Mr. Curtis had withheld the existence of a recorded statement Mr. Pierce had given plaintiffs investigator. Both parties have filed briefs as required.

Background

Plaintiff alleges that on October 5,1994, he was injured on defendant’s jack-up drilling rig when a 15- to 20-lb. piece of pipe broke loose from the boom of defendant’s crane, fell 80 to 90 feet down the crane’s cable and hit the plaintiff on the head and hand. Plaintiff alleges that he was standing close to the cable and holding it with his right hand at the instruction of the crane operator, Kenneth Pierce, who was also his immediate supervisor.

The instant suit was filed on March 18, 1996. On May 8, 1996, an investigator hired by Mr. Curtis recorded a telephone interview with Pierce which was later transcribed and sent to Mr. Curtis. Prior to the interview with Pierce, defendant had propounded interrogatories to plaintiff specifically requesting whether any statements had been taken in connection with the case, or whether any interviews had been conducted, and seeking information to identify such statements/interviews. In responses submitted May 15,1996, a week after Pierce’s recorded statement was taken, plaintiff denied that any statements had been taken, admitting only that interviews had been conducted with Tony Stovall and Michael Lazard. Mr. Curtis states in his brief that he “believed that answer to be accurate when it was made.” (Memorandum in Opposition to Proposed Discovery Order and Sanctions, p. 3). However, Mr. Curtis [569]*569provides no factual support for this belief, such as information regarding the date on which he requested that his investigator obtain the statement from Kenneth Pierce, or the date he obtained a copy of the transcript of the recorded statement.

On May 22, 1996, plaintiff submitted amended responses to defendant’s discovery requests. In supplemental answer to interrogatory No. 5, plaintiff admitted he had a recorded statement of Tony Stovall taken on or about May 16,1996 by James 0. Stephens of Alexandria, Louisiana. In plaintiffs supplemental answer to interrogatory No. 6, plaintiff stated that “James 0. Stephens, of Alexandria, Louisiana, has interviewed Kenneth T. Pierce. Mr. Pierce was interviewed on May 8,1996.” Mr. Curtis pointedly failed to indicate that, since the interview was recorded (and later transcribed), it also constituted a “statement” as defined in Rule 26(b)(3).1

On July 12, 1996, three days prior to Pierce’s deposition, Messrs. Curtis and Breaud were together for the deposition of another witness. Mr. Breaud asked Mr. Curtis whether he had a statement of Pierce, to which Mr. Curtis replied that he did not remember, but would review his file.

At the deposition of Pierce on July 15, 1996, Mr. Curtis questioned Pierce at length regarding whether he had instructed the plaintiff to hold on to the cable and shake it to get the limit switch (pipe) down. Pierce denied it repeatedly. Plaintiff alleges this is a key issue in the case, both as to defendant’s negligence and the absence of contributory negligence of the plaintiff. At the conclusion of Mr. Curtis’ questioning of Pierce, Mr. Curtis handed Mr. Pierce a copy of the transcript of his recorded statement for the purpose of impeaching him. While the statement has not been produced for consideration by the court (except for the first and last few lines of the statement), there is no dispute that the statement contains eertain representations which contradict Pierce’s deposition testimony.

When Mr. Breaud realized that Mr. Curtis had a statement of Pierce, despite his earlier denials, he contacted the undersigned magistrate judge, and the telephone conference discussed above was held.

Analysis

The record before the court shows that Mr. Curtis intentionally withheld the truth regarding the fact that he had obtained a statement from Kenneth Pierce. Although Mr. Curtis argues on the one hand that his interrogatory answers were an oversight, he admits on the other hand that his omissions were intentional: “plaintiff did not disclose the existence of Pierce’s statement because plaintiff intended to use the statement as impeachment evidence.” (Memorandum in Opposition to Proposed Discovery Order and Sanctions, p. 3). Mr. Curtis’ responses to the interrogatories were false and misleading. Doubtless it was to his strategic advantage to withhold information about the existence of the recorded statement, since it maximized the statement’s impeachment value. However, in obtaining this advantage, Mr. Curtis committed wholesale violations of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as well as the rules of discovery set forth in this court’s Scheduling Order. Mr. Curtis offers a number of arguments to justify his actions and avoid sanctions. Each will be addressed in turn.

Mr. Curtis first contends that there was no' prohibition against plaintiff obtaining a statement from Pierce because he was not then employed with the defendant. As Mr. Breaud points out, this argument is irrelevant and does not address the issue before the court. Mr. Curtis is not being called to task for taking the statement, but for withholding the truth about its existence.

Mr. Curtis’ second argument is that under this court’s Scheduling Order, the plaintiff was not required to disclose the [570]*570existence of the statement prior to using it as impeachment at Pierce’s deposition. This argument is without merit. Paragraph 13(b) of the Scheduling Order provides as follows:

(b) Impeachment Evidence Under Rules 613 and 801 F.R.E.
(1) If a party has made a timely discovery request, the respondent shall make full disclosure of any impeachment evidence it reasonably anticipates offering at trial under Rules 613 or 801 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Disclosure shall be made no later than the deadline indicated.

(Scheduling Order, Record Document 17, p. 11). This provision requires disclosure of actual statements taken by opposing counsel—information normally protected by the work-produet immunity of Rule 26(b)(3)—if counsel reasonably anticipates offering such statements at trial for impeachment purposes. Paragraph 13(b) does not negate the requirement of truthful interrogatory responses under Rule 33 F.R.C.P. as to whether such statements exist.

Under Rule 33(b), each interrogatory is to be answered separately and fully in writing under oath (unless it is objected to) within 30 days. The responses must be signed by the person making them. In this case, plaintiff’s counsel signed the responses to defendant’s interrogatories, and filed supplemental answers pursuant to Rule 26(e) thereafter. The interrogatories requested whether

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
168 F.R.D. 567, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19229, 1996 WL 496178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gotch-v-ensco-offshore-co-lawd-1996.