Kuiper v. Givaudan, Inc.

602 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 78 Fed. R. Serv. 801, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9156, 2009 WL 424249
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedFebruary 7, 2009
DocketC06-4009-MWB
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 602 F. Supp. 2d 1036 (Kuiper v. Givaudan, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kuiper v. Givaudan, Inc., 602 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 78 Fed. R. Serv. 801, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9156, 2009 WL 424249 (N.D. Iowa 2009).

Opinion

AMENDED MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER REGARDING THE PARTIES’ MOTIONS IN LIMINE

MARK W. BENNETT, District Judge.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .1041

.1042 II. LEGAL ANALYSIS.

.1042 A. Rule 104.

.1042 B. Applicable Standards..

.1044 C. Plaintiffs’Motion In Limine .

.1046 D. Givaudan’s Unifíed Motion In Limine.

.1046 1. Risks to consumers .

.1047 2. Health conditions of other American Pop Com employees

.1047 3. Evidence regarding Givaudan employees .

.1048 4. Evidence regarding other cases.

.1049 5. Evidence of other hazardous products or substances ....

.1049 6. Evidence of lung transplants .

.1049 7. Cumulative evidence.

.1050 8. Non-Medical opinions of Dr. Egilman.

.1050 a. Zealous advocate or objective expeH?.

.1052 b. ExpeH testimony on corporate ethics and actions ...

.1052 9. BASF Study.

.1053 10. International Bakers Services litigation evidence .

.1054 11. Argument regarding exposure to diacetyl .

.1054 12. Argument regarding punitive damage allocation.

.1055 13. Bifurcation of evidence..

.1056 E. Givaudan’s Motion In Limine Regarding Mark Rigler.

III. CONCLUSION. .1057

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

On January 30, 2006, plaintiffs Ronald Kuiper and Conley Kuiper (“the Kuipers”) filed their Complaint against defendant Gi-vaudan Flavors Corp. (“Givaudan”) alleging causes of action for negligence (Count I), fraudulent concealment (Count II), civil conspiracy (Count III), and a combined claim for loss of consortium and medical expenses (Count IV). 1 The Complaint alleges that this court has subject matter jurisdiction by virtue of diversity of citizenship of the parties, 28 U.S.C. § 1332. The Kuipers’ lawsuit alleges that Ronald Kuiper developed a respiratory disease, bronchiolitis obliterans, as a result of his exposure to butter flavorings while he was employed at the American Pop Corn Company (“American Pop Corn”) plant in Sioux City, Iowa. Defendant Givaudan subsequently filed a motion to dismiss Counts II and III, the fraudulent concealment and civil conspiracy claims found in the Complaint. Specifically, defendant Gi-vaudan asserted that Count II, the Kui-pers’ fraudulent concealment claim, should be dismissed for failure to plead fraud with *1042 particularity, and that Count III, the Kui-pers’ civil conspiracy claim, should be dismissed because it is based entirely on the fraudulent concealment claim. The court granted defendant Givaudan’s motion to dismiss and dismissed both Counts II and III of the Complaint.

The parties have each filed motions in limine in this case. The Kuipers have filed a motion in limine (Dkt. No. 252) in which they seek the exclusion of evidence of Ronald Kuiper’s allegedly dirty living conditions. Defendant Givaudan has filed a Unified Motion In Limine (Dkt. No. 326) in which it seeks the exclusion or limitation of the following evidence: (1) evidence of claims by consumers or of the alleged risks to consumers; (2) evidence regarding the health conditions of other American Pop Corn Company employees; (3) evidence regarding Givaudan employees; (4) evidence of other cases brought against or resolved by Givaudan; (5) evidence of other allegedly hazardous products or substances; (6) evidence regarding lung transplantation; (7) cumulative evidence regarding medical condition, diagnosis, prognosis and causation; (8) non-medical opinions of Dr. David Egilman; (9) argument that an unpublished 1993 study conducted by BASF provides notice; (10) evidence regarding the International Bakers Services litigation; (11) evidence or argument that there is no safe level of exposure to diacetyl; (12) evidence or argument regarding Iowa’s law on the allocation of punitive damages; and, (13) evidence regarding the net worth or financial condition of Givaudan. Defendant Givau-dan has also filed a motion in limine to exclude the opinions and testimony of the Kuipers’ expert witness, Mark. W. Rigler (Dkt. No. 331). The parties have each filed responses to the other’s motions in limine.

Oral arguments have been requested on some or all of these motions. However, the court’s crowded schedule has not permitted the timely scheduling of such oral arguments, and the court finds that all of the motions have been extensively briefed, so that it is unlikely that oral arguments will enhance the court’s understanding of the issues presented. Therefore, the motions are deemed fully submitted on the written submissions.

II. LEGAL ANALYSIS

A. Rule 104

As a preliminary matter, the court notes that Rule 104 of the Federal Rules of Evidence provides, generally, that “[p]re-liminary questions concerning ... the admissibility of evidence shall be determined by the court....” Fed.R.Evid. 104. Such preliminary questions may depend upon such things as whether the factual conditions or legal standards for the admission of certain evidence have been met. See id., Advisory Committee Notes, 1972 Proposed Rule. This rule, like the other rules of evidence, must be “construed to secure fairness in administration, elimination of unjustifiable expense and delay, and promotion of growth and development of the law of evidence to the end that truth may be ascertained and proceedings justly determined.” Fed.R.Evid. 102. The court concludes that preliminary determination of the admissibility of evidence presented or challenged in the parties’ respective motions in limine will likely serve the ends of a fair and expeditious presentation of issues to the jury. Therefore, the court turns to consideration, in turn, of the admissibility of the evidence put at issue in the parties’ motions in limine.

B. Applicable Standards

The parties base their motions in limine frequently on the alleged irrelevance or *1043 prejudicial nature of certain challenged categories of evidence.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Johnson v. Centrome Inc
N.D. Indiana, 2022
BNSF Railway Company v. Ronald Nichols
379 S.W.3d 378 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Graves v. District of Columbia
850 F. Supp. 2d 6 (District of Columbia, 2011)
Shannon v. Koehler
673 F. Supp. 2d 758 (N.D. Iowa, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
602 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 78 Fed. R. Serv. 801, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9156, 2009 WL 424249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kuiper-v-givaudan-inc-iand-2009.