Lapenna v. Upjohn Co.

110 F.R.D. 15, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 522, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30770
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 3, 1986
DocketCiv. A. No. 82-4050
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 110 F.R.D. 15 (Lapenna v. Upjohn Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lapenna v. Upjohn Co., 110 F.R.D. 15, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 522, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30770 (E.D. Pa. 1986).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

DITTER, District Judge.

Plaintiffs’ complaint, filed September 16, 1982, alleges that plaintiffs’ decedent, Carmen A. Lapenna, died as a result of an intrathecal injection of Depo-Medrol, a product manufactured by the Upjohn Company. During an April 22, 1985, conference call, I stressed that with the exception of limited discovery required by a February 20, 1985, order, counsel should be ready, and proposed listing the case for trial during the summer. For various reasons not pertinent to this discussion, plaintiffs’ counsel requested a delay until late fall. Notwithstanding counsel’s protestations, I entered an order advising counsel that they would be specially listed to start trial on July 8, 1985. This order also provided for a June 20, 1985, conference call to allow a discussion of final trial preparations.

On June 19, 1985, plaintiffs filed a motion to extend the discovery period. During the conference call the next day, plaintiffs’ counsel argued that the trial date must be put off because he had recently learned that Upjohn had obstructed the discovery process by instructing witnesses not to answer questions and by failing to disclose properly-requested information. Counsel argued that because he was now uncertain as to the completeness of Upjohn’s responses, he would have to seek discovery from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a process that was asserted to involve a substantial amount of time. Upjohn objected vehemently to both the accusations that were being leveled against it and also to a continuance of either the trial date or discovery. I stayed the trial of the matter and ordered plaintiffs to file a motion setting forth with particularity the ways in which Upjohn had failed to comply with their discovery requests and describing the relief they believed was appropriate.

[18]*18Presently before me is this motion— which plaintiffs have styled as a motion to compel — and defendant’s response. For reasons that follow, plaintiffs’ motion will be granted in part and denied in part.

The scope of plaintiffs’ motion requires preliminary observation: the motion discusses purported discovery abuses and shortcomings dating back almost to the filing of the case. In evaluating plaintiffs’ assertions, therefore, I must distinguish between complaints that have been timely brought and those which plaintiffs have allowed to stand idle until now. While Rule 37 contains no outside limit on the time within which a motion to compel discovery must be made, a court may impose a reasonableness requirement to prevent delay and harassment and to allow for calendar control. See 4A J. Moore, J. Lucas & D. Epstein, Moore’s Federal Practice, ¶37.02[6], at 43-44 (2d ed. 1984). See also Price v. Maryland Cas. Co., 561 F.2d 609, 611 (5th Cir.1977).

Two examples of plaintiffs’ tardiness spring to the forefront. Plaintiffs complain about the fact that an employee of Upjohn, John Crim, was not produced for the deposition noticed by plaintiff for February 28, 1984. See Plaintiffs’ motion to compel at 6; Memorandum in support of motion to compel at 5 n. 4. Plaintiffs acknowledge that Upjohn took the position that Crim should not be produced because, as a member of Upjohn’s legal department, his testimony would be shielded by the attorney-client privilege or the work-product doctrine. See, e.g., Memorandum in support of motion to compel at 5 n. 4. However, plaintiffs failed to challenge Upjohn’s privilege assertions until now, some 16 months afer they were made. This is especially disingenuous in light of the fact that plaintiffs previously raised contemporaneous complaints about other Upjohn objections that were lodged during the deposition of Dr. Samuel Stubbs, who was noticed to be deposed with Crim.

In a slightly different vein, plaintiffs complain about defense counsel’s instructing Dr. Stubbs not to answer questions at his deposition. See plaintiffs’ motion to compel at 7, 21. As counsel well knows, however, the limitations defense counsel placed on Dr. Stubbs’ testimony were brought to my attention immediately following the Stubbs deposition. I ordered plaintiffs’ counsel to provide me with a transcript of the Stubbs deposition and an itemization of unanswered questions. See Loc.R.Civ.P. 24(b). After considering the contentions of both parties, I ordered Upjohn to produce employees to testify regarding three subject areas. Notably, a substantial number of the questions about which plaintiffs now complain were not included in plaintiffs’ itemization. Compare Letter from Walter C. Ward, Esquire, to the court at III.5 (itemization letter) (complaining about instructions not to answer found at pages 66, 107, 110-11 of the Stubbs’ transcript) with plaintiffs’ motion to compel at 7 (complaining about instructions not to answer found at pages 60, 67, 81, 96-97, 107, 111, 118, 176, 184-85, 210, 219, 221, 223, 224, 246, 272, 344, 345, 354 of the Stubbs’ transcript). I had provided plaintiffs with not only an opportunity but an invitation to air grievances stemming from the Stubbs deposition. For some reason, plaintiffs elected not to use that invitation to pursue some of the claims that they are pursuing now. To the extent plaintiffs are presently seeking answers to questions asked of Dr. Stubbs but not listed in the itemization, they have waived the right to judicial consideration of the merits of their complaints. To hold otherwise would be to encourage piecemeal pre-trial proceedings. With regard to those questions that are included in both the itemization and the motion to compel, plaintiffs’ contentions were carefully considered prior to my issuing the February 20, 1985, order. If plaintiffs were dissatisfied with that order, they certainly could have moved for reconsideration as provided by Rule 20(g) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure.

Accordingly, the claims that I will consider timely brought are those pertaining to the recent depositions of Upjohn employees and those asserting that Upjohn obstructed [19]*19discovery by misleading plaintiffs as to the completeness of its response to requests for production and interrogatories.

The contentions surrounding the recent depositions, in turn, subdivide into two categories. The first category consists of plaintiffs’ complaints that Upjohn’s counsel mproperly instructed the deponents not to mswer several questions. The second catigory encompasses plaintiffs’ claim that in •esponse to questions whether they had cnowledge of, or responsibility for a particilar fact, procedure, or decision, the depo.ents often either answered the question y stating that they could not remember or y shifting responsibility to another emloyee.

In determining whether to compel Upohn to answer questions that several of its mployees were instructed not to answer, I dll review only those questions that have sen specifically identified by plaintiffs in heir moving papers. See Loe.R.Civ.P. .0(b).

Rule 30(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil ’rocedure provides that evidence objected o at a' deposition shall be taken subject to he objection. A bright-line exception to lis rule has been fashioned where the ojection is based on privilege, because disosure would undermine the protection afirded by the privilege and would constiite a waiver of the privilege. See Eggleon v. Chicago Journeymen Plumbers’ Local Union, 657 F.2d 890, 902 (7th Cir. 181), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 1017, 102 S.Ct. 110, 72 L.Ed.2d 134 (1982); Preyer v. United States Lines, Inc., 64 F.R.D. 430 C.D.Pa.1973), aff'd,

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Bluebook (online)
110 F.R.D. 15, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 522, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lapenna-v-upjohn-co-paed-1986.