Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Nebula Glasslam International, Inc.

249 F.R.D. 390, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18553, 2008 WL 630039
District Court, S.D. Florida·Decided March 6, 2008·No. No. 07-22326-CIV·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

ORDER

ROBIN S. ROSENBAUM, United States Magistrate Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

This matter comes before the Court upon Defendant Reichhold, Inc.’s Motion to Permit Privileged Work Product Protected Destructive Testing (“Reichhold’s Motion”). [D.E. 161]. The Court has carefully reviewed Reichhold’s Motion, all responsive and supporting filings thereto, the record in this case, and has heard argument of counsel at a hearing held on March 4, 2008. Additionally, the Court is otherwise fully advised in the premises and, for the reasons articulated below, now denies Reichhold’s Motion.

II. BACKGROUND

The undersigned has previously set forth significant portions of the factual and procedural background of this case recited below. See, e.g., D.E. 146. Because this background is necessary to understanding the Court’s ruling in this Order, however, the Court once again recounts the relevant facts here for convenience.

A. Factual Background

In this ease, Plaintiff Jeld-Wen, Inc. (“Jeld-Wen”), an Oregon corporation, sues Defendants Reichhold, Inc. (“Reichhold”), a Delaware corporation, Nebula Glass International, Inc. (“Glasslam”), a Florida corporation, and Stephen Howes, the owner of Glasslam. D.E. 109-2, UU1-4. Although the Second Amended Complaint alleges twenty different counts, the nucleus of facts giving rise to all of these claims centers around the delamination and yellowing of hurricane impact resistant glass sold by Plaintiff JeldWen.

More specifically, Jeld-Wen entered into a contract with Glasslam under which Glasslam sold Jeld-Wen certain resin and other glass products and licensed to Jeld-Wen Glass-lam’s patented process of producing impact resistant glass, called Safety Plus 1 glass (“Safety Plus”). Jeld-Wen then manufactured windows and doors containing hurricane impact resistant glass made through the Safety Plus creation process, which involved sandwiching together a piece of glass, resin, a thin piece of polyethylene terephthalate polyester (“PET”).film, more resin, and another piece of glass. When prepared properly with effective ingredients, the impact resistant glass was supposed to function for at least ten years. Instead, however, JeldWen’s customers began experiencing Safety Plus failures in the form of delamination and [392]*392discoloration of the glass well before ten years after installation had elapsed.

As it turned out, the resin Glasslam sold to Jeld-Wen was defective in that it either did not contain any ultraviolet light blocker, or it contained too little or ineffective versions of ultraviolet light blocker. Additionally, the resin had not been cooked to the proper temperature. Consequently, sunlight on the Safety Plus glass could cause the resin to fail, resulting in delamination and discoloration. Glasslam purchased the resin it sold to Jeld-Wen from Defendant Reichhold, which manufactured the product.

B. The Procedural History

1. Glasslam I

Upon receiving complaints about delamination and discoloration from customers other than Jeld-Wen, Glasslam investigated and discovered the problems with Reiehhold’s resin. Nebula Glass Int’l, Inc. v. Reichhold, Inc., 454 F.3d 1203, 1206 (11th Cir.2006) (“Glasslam I”). Thus, in 2002, Glasslam filed suit against Reichhold for damages sustained as a result of Reichhold’s defective resin. Id. The case fell to Judge Dimitrouleas, within this Court.

Before trial, this Court limited Glasslam to presenting at trial any future replacement claims unrelated to any of the specific customer complaints Glasslam had identified in its Rule 26, Fed.R.Civ.P., disclosures and interrogatory answers. Accordingly, at the trial, this Court instructed the jury as follows: “Glasslam may only seek to recover damages for those specific claims which have been presented to you during this trial. You should not consider at this time any damages for future claims which have not been specifically presented in this trial.” Id. at 1209. The jury returned a verdict of $22,500,000.00 for Glasslam, which was comprised of $1,271,379.00 in out-of-pocket damages, $14,-665.621.00 in unpaid customer claims, and $6,563,000.00 in lost profits. Id. at 1207. On appeal, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the judgment.

2. Glasslam II

Following the conclusion of Glasslam I, Glasslam filed a second lawsuit against Reichhold in Case No. 05-60704-CIV-DIMI-TROULEAS (S.D.Fla.) (“Glasslam II”). In that action, Glasslam sought compensation for damages incurred as a result of Reich-hold’s defective resin, relating to glass not claimed in Glasslam I. Towards this end, Glasslam alleged six counts in its complaint, including the following three: breach of contract (Count I), breach of express warranty (Count II), and breach of implied warranty (Count III).

In its Order on the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment, the Court held that Reichhold was collaterally estopped from re-litigating the breach-of-duty elements of Counts I, II, and III. Glasslam II, D.E. 108, p. 14. Rather, the ultimate fact determined in Glasslam I — that Reichhold’s resin was defective — could not be disturbed and continued to bind the parties. Id. “Whether the defective resin was the proximate cause of the particular claims for the particular windows” at issue in Glasslam II, however, was not litigated, and, thus, remained for trial. Id. at p. 16.

Instead of proceeding to trial, however, the parties settled the matter and entered into a stipulation 'of dismissal with prejudice. Glasslam II, D.E. 132. Accordingly, the Court dismissed the action with prejudice. Glasslam II, D.E. 134.

3. Jeld-Wen I

Before Glasslam and Reichhold settled Glasslam II, Jeld-Wen sued Glasslam, among others, in Case No. 05-60860-CIV-DIMITROULEAS (S.D.Fla.) (“Jeld-Wen I”). Glasslam then filed a third-party complaint against Reichhold in that action. Jeld-Wen I, D.E. 32.

In Jeld-Wen I, Jeld-Wen alleged seven counts against Glasslam, including the following three: breach of contract (Count I), breach of express warranty (Count II), and breach of implied warranty of merchantability (Count III). Jeld-Wen I, D.E. 1. Glass-lam, in turn, alleged eight claims against Reichhold, including, among others, breach [393]*393of contract (Count I), breach of express warranty (Count II), and breach of implied warranty (Count III). Jeld-Wen I, D.E. 305, p. 6.

By Order dated July 11, 2006, this Court established a protocol to be followed when Jeld-Wen scheduled repairs of its customers’ windows which were the subject of the Jeld-Wen I lawsuit. D.E. 76. Pursuant to this protocol, all parties were to receive notice of such repairs and to be permitted to attend such repairs under the conditions established by the Court in its Order. Id.

During the course of the litigation, Magistrate Judge Torres had an opportunity in an Order to consider the significance to JeldrWen I of Judge Dimitrouleas’s summary judgment decision in Glasslam II.

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Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Nebula Glasslam International, Inc., 249 F.R.D. 390, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18553, 2008 WL 630039 (S.D. Fla. 2008).

249 F.R.D. 390 (Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Nebula Glasslam International, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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