Joshua Driggs v. Andrew T.G. Howlett, M.D., et ux

Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Joshua Driggs v. Andrew T.G. Howlett, M.D., et ux. Read the opinion of the Court — 193 Wash. App. 875
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided March 8, 2016·No. 32855-4·Unpublished

Opinion

FILED MARCH 8, 2016 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

JOSHUA DRIGGS, a single man, ) ) No. 32855-4-111 Respondent, ) ) v. ) ) ANDREW T.G. HOWLETT, M.D. and ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION JANE DOE HOWLETT, and their marital ) community, ) ) Appellants, ) ) PROVIDENCE PHYSICIAN SERVICES ) CO. aka Providence Orthopedic ) Specialties, a Washington Corporation, ) ) Defendants. )

FEARING, J. - During discovery and litigation of a medical malpractice suit, the

trial court sanctioned defendant Andrew Howlett on three occasions. The trial court

sanctioned Dr. Howlett for filing a motion for a protective order six days before a

continued deposition date, despite Howlett receiving notice of the deposition two months

earlier. The trial court sanctioned Howlett twice for violating the terms of two No. 32855-4-111 Driggs v. Howlett

stipulations addressing the conditions under which independent medical examinations

could be conducted. Finally, the trial court assessed sanctions on Dr. Howlett for

disclosing a personal surgery journal immediately before his trial testimony when he

should have earlier produced the document during discovery. The trial court imposed

$5,050 in total sanctions. We affirm all sanctions except sanctions imposed with regard

to one of the independent medical examinations.

FACTS

At fifteen years old, Joshua Driggs developed cancer in his right tibia. An

orthopedic oncologist removed the cancerous section of the bone and inserted an

allograft, which is bone from a cadaver. The orthopedic surgeon attached the cadaver

bone with a plate and screws. Driggs suffered complications and eventually underwent

another surgery by Dr. Andrew Howlett to remove the plate and replace it with an

intramedullary rod through the tibia. Dr. Howlett testified that he informed Driggs,

before the surgery, that he might not install a rod, but instead leave the allograft without

fixation. Driggs denied that Howlett informed him of this possibility.

On March 6, 2009, Dr. Andrew Howlett performed the surgery, removed the plate,

but did not install a rod. Within months, Joshua Driggs returned to Dr. Howlett's office

because of leg pain. Howlett's Physician's Assistant, Brandi DeSaveur, took an X ray of

Driggs' tibia and diagnosed a sprain. When the pain continued, Driggs journeyed to a

hospital emergency room, where new X rays showed a fracture in the cadaver bone. The

2 No. 32855-4-111 Driggs v. Howlett

fracture necessitated additional surgeries that left Driggs with a limp and other

complications.

PROCEDURE

Joshua Driggs sued Dr. Andrew Howlett and his employer, Providence Physician

Services, for professional negligence and lack of informed consent. Driggs contended

that Dr. Howlett violated the standard of care by failing to attach the allograft to fixation.

Driggs also contended that Brandi DeSaveur violated the standard of care by failing to

spot the fracture of the tibia in an X ray. Finally, Driggs alleged that Dr. Howlett should

have and failed to obtain his consent, before surgery, to forgo fixation for the allograft.

Joshua Driggs' counsel requested three hours to conduct a first deposition of Dr.

Andrew Howlett. The parties agreed to begin the deposition at noon and end at 4:30 p.m.

in order to allow counsel time to complete the deposition and to accommodate Dr.

Howlett's counsel's schedule. On May 3, 2013, Joshua Driggs' counsel deposed Andrew

Howlett as planned. At approximately 4:30 p.m., counsel began a new line of

questioning based on a recently produced report of one of Driggs' experts. Dr. Howlett's

counsel objected to the line of questioning and requested that the deposition stop.

Driggs' counsel informed defense counsel that the former intended to schedule a

continued deposition, which plan defense counsel opposed. The first deposition

concluded at 4:37 p.m.

On May 7, 9, 23, and 30, 2013, Joshua Driggs' attorney requested a date from

3 No. 32855-4-III Driggs v. Howlett

opposing counsel for Dr. Andrew Howlett's continued deposition. Defense counsel did

not respond to any of these requests. On June 7, Driggs' attorney informed opposing

counsel tha!, due to a lack of response, the former would serve Dr. Howlett with a

subpoena. On June 11, Driggs served Dr. Howlett with a subpoena and notice of a

continued deposition scheduled for August 12, 2013.

On August 6, 2013, six days before the continued deposition and fifty-six days

after being subpoenaed for the deposition, Dr. Andrew Howlett moved for a protective

order to prevent or limit time on the continued deposition. Dr. Howlett scheduled the

motion for hearing on August 16, 2013, four days after the scheduled deposition. On

August 6, Howlett's attorney sent a letter to Joshua Driggs' counsel unilaterally

cancelling the August 12, 2013, continued deposition "[a]s a result of the pending

protective order and the Court's vacation." Clerk's Papers (CP) at 165. On September 4,

2013, the trial court denied in part and granted in part Dr. Andrew Howlett's motion for a

protective order. The trial court permitted Dr. Howlett's continued deposition and

assessed CR 26 sanctions against Dr. Howlett for Joshua Driggs' reasonable attorney fees

incurred in responding to the motion for a protective order.

On September 6, 2013, Joshua Driggs' counsel offered to accept $800 for terms in

accordance with the September 4 order so long as he received prompt payment without a

hearing. On September 9, Dr. Andrew Howlett moved for reconsideration of the order

denying a protective order and assessing sanctions. On October 29, 2013, the trial court

4 No. 32855-4-III Driggs v. Howlett

denied Dr. Howlett's motion for reconsideration, while finding he violated CR 26(g)

because the request for a protection order was not well grounded in fact and not made in

good faith.

On March 1, 2013, Dr. Andrew Howlett served Joshua Driggs with notice of a CR

35 independent medical examination of Driggs by Russell Vandenbelt, M.D. On June

18, 2013, Driggs sent Dr. Howlett a CR 35 stipulation agreement regarding the

independent medical examination. On July 3, 2013, counsel for Dr. Howlett sent Driggs

a revised version of the CR 35 stipulation. The revised stipulation removed eight of the

twenty-one stipulations contained in Driggs' proposal, including a provision barring

laboratory and mental or psychological tests. The revised stipulation added a paragraph

that read:

If the Plaintiff is going to be asked to complete any forms, those forms shall be delivered to the Plaintiffs attorney not less than five (5) days before the examination. The Plaintiff shall deliver the appropriately completed forms to the Examiner at or before the time of examination.

CP at 289. Joshua Driggs agreed to the revised CR 35 stipulation. Both counsel signed

the stipulation.

On July 18, 2013, Dr. Russell Vandenbelt performed a psychiatric evaluation of

Joshua Driggs. As part of the evaluation, Vandenbelt administered a Minnesota

Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) personality test. Driggs filled bubbles

using a pencil to mark his true or false answers to test questions. On August 20, 2013,

Dr. Vandenbelt produced a psychiatric evaluation of Driggs based in part on the results of

5 No. 32855-4-111 Driggs v. Howlett

the MMPI-2 test.

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