Knight Ex Rel. Estate of Knight v. Presbyterian Hospital Center

650 P.2d 45, 98 N.M. 523
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 5, 1982
Docket5718
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 650 P.2d 45 (Knight Ex Rel. Estate of Knight v. Presbyterian Hospital Center) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Knight Ex Rel. Estate of Knight v. Presbyterian Hospital Center, 650 P.2d 45, 98 N.M. 523 (N.M. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

SUTIN, Judge.

Defendant Presbyterian Hospital Center (PHC) filed an application for an order allowing an interlocutory appeal. The application was granted. This Court ordered plaintiff, Richard L. Knight, personal representative, to show cause why this Court should not summarily reverse the trial court on the basis of Carter v. Burn Construction Company, Inc., 85 N.M. 27, 508 P.2d 1324 (Ct.App.1973). Briefs were filed as ordered. The following statement appears in the application for interlocutory appeal:

FACTUAL BACKGROUND:
John Knight, Plaintiff’s decedent, was involved in a motorcycle accident on May 4, 1980, and was taken to the emergency room of Presbyterian Hospital, where he died within a few hours. Plaintiff instituted this action against Presbyterian Hospital Center (PHC) on December 1, 1980, alleging that the negligence of PHC was a proximate cause of decedent’s death.
PHC personnel contacted PHC’s legal counsel on May 5, 1980, and advised him of the incident involving John Knight. Counsel felt that there was a strong possibility that litigation would ensue. He therefore directed a PHC employee to act on his behalf in obtaining information on the incident, including statements from certain individuals involved in the treatment of John Knight. The employee did obtain such statements and provided them to PHC’s counsel.
On March 11,1981, Plaintiff propounded a set of interrogatories which were answered by PHC on May 4,1981. Interrogatory No. 2 requested the identities of all persons involved in the treatment of John Knight. It was answered in full. Interrogatory No. 3 and PHC’s response thereto are as follows:
INTERROGATORY NO. 3: For each individual named in answer to Interrogatory No. 2, please state whether or not any statements or depositions have been taken of the individual, and, if so, the title, name and address of the individual taking the statement or deposition; whether the statement or deposition was taken by taperecording [sic] or by written means; if taken by taperecording [sic], whether the statement or deposition has been transcribed; and the present location and name and address of the person having present custody of any such statements, depositions, taperecording [sic] or transcriptions.
ANSWER: Statements were taken by our attorney after the incident in question. Statements were written by the various individuals involved. Our attorney, W. Robert Lasater, Box 1888, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87103, presently has custody of these statements. Also on March 11,1981, Plaintiff filed a
Request for Production of Documents in which he sought
[a]ny statements or depositions made by or taken from any employees of Presbyterian Hospital Center regarding any events surrounding the treatment, care and death of John L. Knight, deceased, on or about May 4, 1980.
PHC did not respond to this request.
Plaintiff moved for an order compelling discovery, including production of the statements sought in his March 11 request and referred to in Interrogatory No. 3. At a hearing on the matter, PHC opposed production on the grounds that certain statements were protected as attorney work product.
On April 14, 1982, the trial court entered an order granting plaintiff’s motion to compel. The court found in pertinent part that
[t]he statements taken from the Presbyterian Hospital personnel (nurses, technicians, etc.) immediately after the death of John L. Knight * * * do not constitute attorney work product.
The court ordered that PHC
deliver to Plaintiff copies of all statements which [PHC] took from its employees after the death of John L. Knight, deceased.
PHC seeks review of that portion of the trial court’s order holding that the statements obtained by an employee of PHC for and on behalf of PHC’s legal counsel are not attorney work product. PHC does not seek review of any other aspect of the trial court’s order. It should be noted that certain statements in the possession of PHC’s counsel were made spontaneously by certain individuals involved in the treatment of John Knight after the incident of May 4, 1980; PHC does not seek review of the trial court’s order insofar as it requires that these non-work product statements be turned over to plaintiff. [Emphasis added.]
The question presented is:
Whether statements obtained by a hospital employee from various persons involved in the treatment of a patient constitute attorney work product when those statements are obtained shortly after an incident in the patient’s treatment that raises the possibility of litigation and are obtained for and on behalf of the hospital’s attorney in anticipation of such litigation?

We answer this question in favor of PHC and reverse and remand.

CARTER holds:

that a burden rests upon the party, who seeks the production and inspection by * * * court order of any * * * statements * * * prepared by a lawyer or at his direction for his own use in prosecuting his client’s case, to establish that there is good cause why the desired material should be made available to him. To establish good cause a party must show that the material sought is not available upon the exercise of diligent effort and that it is necessary for the preparation of his case, or that the denial of the production and inspection of the material sought will unfairly prejudice his case or cause him undue hardship or injustice. [Emphasis added.]

This is the rule adopted in Hickman v. Taylor, 329 U.S. 495, 67 S.Ct. 385, 91 L.Ed. 451 (1947). For an extensive review, see Annot. Development, Since Hickman v. Taylor, Of Attorney’s “Work Product” Doctrine, 35 A.L.R.3d 412 (1971).

Under Carter, any statements obtained by a PHC employee at the direction of PHC’s lawyer are subject to production and inspection by Knight if Knight establishes good cause why the desired statements should be made available to him. To establish good cause, Knight must show:

(a) the statements are necessary for the preparation of his case and,
(b) the statements are not available upon the exercise of diligent effort,
or
(a) denial will unfairly prejudice his case,
or
(b) cause him undue hardship or injustice.

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Bluebook (online)
650 P.2d 45, 98 N.M. 523, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knight-ex-rel-estate-of-knight-v-presbyterian-hospital-center-nmctapp-1982.