Lee v. Hutson

600 F. Supp. 957, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22827
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedOctober 11, 1984
DocketCiv. A. C84-179A
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 600 F. Supp. 957 (Lee v. Hutson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lee v. Hutson, 600 F. Supp. 957, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22827 (N.D. Ga. 1984).

Opinion

ORDER

FORRESTER, District Judge.

This case involves an action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that the plaintiffs termination from her former employment in the Cobb County Sheriffs Department violated her rights under the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Additionally, plaintiff has asserted that her rights under Georgia state law have also been violated. The case is now pending before the court on the following motions: a motion by the plaintiff to strike two of the defenses asserted in defendants’ answer; a motion by the plaintiff to disqualify counsel for defendants; a motion by plaintiff to compel discovery; a motion by plaintiff seeking additional discovery; and a motion by plaintiff for partial summary judgment or in the alternative for disqualification of defendants’ counsel. These motions shall be treated seriatim.

I. THE MOTION BY PLAINTIFF TO DISQUALIFY.

On March 28, 1984 the plaintiff moved to disqualify defendants’ counsel Hartin from representing both defendants Bill Hutson, the Sheriff of Cobb County, and Cobb County. The basis for this motion is that plaintiff perceives a conflict of interest between representing the county and the county officer. The defendants’ response to this motion to disqualify is to admit plaintiff’s assertion that the acts of defendant Hutson are also the acts of Cobb County. The defendant argues, therefore, that should plaintiff prevail on the merits of this case, any judgment would be assessed against and paid by the county. However, the defendant Sheriff and the defendant county remain exposed to potentially conflicting interests with respect to the pendent state claims, given the county’s assertion of sovereign immunity as a defense to those state claims.

Joint representation of a municipality and individual defendants has been held to represent a conflict of interest because of the potentially adverse interests of the defendants. Dunton v. County of Suffolk, 729 F.2d 903 (2d Cir.1984); Shadid v. Jackson, 521 F.Supp. 87 (E.D.Tex.1981). The basis for the disqualification lies in the duty of complete loyalty of an attorney to his client and the danger that in cases of joint representation such as this, that loyalty will be divided. DR 5-105 of the Code of Professional Responsibility prohibits an attorney from accepting or continuing employment if the interests of another client may impair the independent professional judgment of the lawyer. 1 Similarly, Rule *959 1.7 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct bars an attorney from multiple representation where the interests of the clients are adverse. 2

The possibility that the interests of the individual defendants and the municipality in a section 1983 action will be adverse has been thoroughly discussed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Dunton v. County of Suffolk, 729 F.2d 903 (1984) and by the district court in Shadid v. Jackson, 521 F.Supp. 87 (E.D.Tex.1981). 3

The court’s observation that the multiple representation in this case creates a potential for divided loyalties does not necessarily require that defense counsel be disqualified. Both DR 5-105 and Model Rule 1.7 allow multiple representation if the attorney believes that he can adequately represent the interests of each of the clients and if each of the clients consents to the multiple representation after a complete and candid consultation as to the possible effects of such representation. See DR 5-105(C); 4 Model Rule 1.7(a)(2) and (b)(2). 5 Therefore, the court shall allow defense counsel an opportunity to obtain the informed consent of each of the defendants they represent. Defense counsel is DIRECTED to explain to each of the defendants the implications of the common representation and the advantages and risks involved. If the clients consent to such joint representation after such a consultation, then such consent shall be .obtained in writing and filed with the court. If the clients express a desire for separate counsel, then a reasonable period of time can be allowed for the acclamation of new counsel, if the substitution is made promptly-

Because DR 5-105 and Model Rule 1.7 protect the interests of the defendants in this action, rather than plaintiffs, and because those defendants should have an opportunity to consent to joint representation by defense counsel, plaintiff’s motion to disqualify is DENIED.

II. THE MOTION TO STRIKE.

Plaintiff has moved the court, on March 29, 1984, to strike defendants’ affirmative defenses numbers 8 and 9 “... for the reason that the same are insufficient as a matter of law.” In its response, the defendants concede that defense number 8 is insufficient as a matter of law. Accordingly, plaintiff’s motion to strike defense number 8 is GRANTED.

*960 As for defense number 9, the defendants agree that Cobb County has no immunity pursuant to section 1983. Owen v. City of Independence, 445 U.S. 622, 100 S.Ct. 1398, 63 L.Ed.2d 673 (1980). However, the defendants argue that municipal immunity does apply to plaintiff’s state claims. Ga.Code § 36-1-4 provides “a county is not liable to suit for any cause of action unless made so by statute.” The plain language of this statute, together with its construction (see Revels v. Tift County, 235 Ga. 333, 219 S.E.2d 445 (1975)), establishes that as to plaintiff’s pendent state law claims defendant Cobb County is entitled to assert the defense of sovereign immunity, so long as the county is not made amenable to suit by another statute. Therefore, as to defense number 9, plaintiff’s motion to strike is DENIED. In summary, plaintiff’s motion to strike is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

III. THE MOTION TO COMPEL.

On April 23, 1984, the plaintiff filed her motion for this court to compel the defendants to produce, pursuant to a request for production of documents, “the complete personnel files of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department (including the disciplinary records) of ... William Moore.” (Deletion in original). The plaintiff contends that pursuant to Rule 26(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the requested material will be relevant for purposes of impeaching Mr. Moore.

The defendants’ response to the motion to compel states first that the defendants will refuse to turn over in civil discovery the personnel files of employees not directly involved in the litigation unless there is a showing of “good cause.” The defendants point to the case of Wharton v.

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Bluebook (online)
600 F. Supp. 957, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lee-v-hutson-gand-1984.