Levine v. Marshall

7 Mass. L. Rptr. 181
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJuly 18, 1997
DocketNo. 951504B
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Mass. L. Rptr. 181 (Levine v. Marshall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Levine v. Marshall, 7 Mass. L. Rptr. 181 (Mass. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

King, J.

This action alleges personal injuries and wrongful death arising out of a car accident. Defendant First Security Services Corporation moves to quash the notices of deposition for David Traniello, Michael Montuori and Dennis Peloquin and/or to limit the scope of their deposition testimony. Defendant Jeffrey Marshall joins the motion as to the deposition testimony of Michael Montuori and Dennis Peloquin regarding their communications with him. The defendants assert that the anticipated areas of inquiry are protected by the attorney-client privilege and by Mass.R.Civ.P. 26(b). For the reasons set forth below, the defendants’ motions will be allowed in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

On December 18,1994, defendant Jeffrey Marshall, an employee of defendant First Security Services Corporation (First Security), was driving an Emmanuel College shuttle van at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Marlborough Street in Boston. The van struck pedestrians Carol and Philip Levine, killing Philip Levine and seriously injuring Carol Levine.

Plaintiff noticed the depositions of Dermis Peloquin and Michael Montuori, employees of First Security involved in the investigation on the night of the accident. Plaintiff also noticed the deposition of David Traniello, a law clerk employed by First Security who unsuccessfully attempted to locate the personnel file of defendant Marshall. First Security filed a motion to quash and/or limit the deposition testimony of all three employees. Marshall joins in the motion to quash and/or limit the deposition testimony of Peloquin and Montuori.

On January 10, 1997, this court ordered the depositions postponed until a ruling on this motion, and, at a May 29, 1997 hearing, ordered the defendants to file for in camera review any privileged documents about which the three witnesses may be asked. The court also directed counsel to furnish the court with [182]*182a complete copy of Mr. Marshall’s deposition transcript. After reviewing the documents filed with the court and after considering the arguments of counsel and the applicable law, the court makes the following rulings.

DISCUSSION

A. Confidential communications with in-house corporate counsel for First Security

Documents about which the witnesses may be asked include a five-page written statement of defendant Marshall and an “internal attorney privilege memorandum,” prepared by Peloquin following his investigation the night of the accident, at the direction of First Security’s in-house counsel.

1. Attorney-client privilege

The attorney-client privilege extends to confidential communications between a client or his representative and a lawyer or his representative for the purpose of obtaining or rendering professional legal services. Mass. Evid. Standard 503 (West 1995). The privilege is “founded on the necessity that a client be free to reveal information to an attorney, without fear of its disclosure, in order to obtain informed legal advice.” Purcell v. District Attorney for the Suffolk District, 424 Mass. 109, 111 (1997). The privilege extends to communications from the client’s agent or employee, Ellingsgard v. Silver, 352 Mass. 34, 40 (1967), and to “those whose intervention is necessary to secure and facilitate the communication between attorney and client.” Foster v. Hall, 29 Mass. 89, 93 (1831) (including interpreters, agents, and attorneys’ clerks).

Communications between employees and corporate counsel acting as such are protected by the attorney-client privilege where the communications concerned matters within the scope of the employee’s duties, the employee was sufficiently aware that the information sought was for the purpose of obtaining legal advice, and the communications were confidential when made and remained so. Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449 U.S. 383, 394-95 (1980) (questionnaire sent to all “foreign general and area managers” concerning accounting audit from company chairman requesting responses directed to company counsel protected by the privilege). “[T]he privilege exists to protect not only the giving of professional advice to those who can act on it but also the giving of the information to the lawyer to enable him to give sound and informed advice.” Id. at 390.

a. Motion of First Security

Marshall’s statement, obtained by First Security investigator Peloquin on the night of the accident at the request of First Security’s counsel, Lawrence T. Curran, is protected by the attorney-client privilege and need not be produced to the plaintiff. Marshall’s statement was produced in confidence at the request of an attorney for the purpose of rendering legal advice to First Security and given to the attorney’s representative.

Peloquin’s investigative report, containing a summary of his conversation that night with Marshall, is similarly protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege. As First Security’s employee directed by in-house counsel to investigate the accident and obtain a statement from Marshall immediately following the accident, Peloquin’s communication to in-house counsel was “necessary to secure and facilitate communication” between First Security’s employee and its attorney. Peloquin’s communication is also protected as he was an employee of First Security reporting to the attorney about actions within the scope of his duties as an investigator for the company.

The plaintiff may depose Peloquin and Montuori, but may not question them regarding their communications related to the accident with First Security’s in-house counsel or with First Security employees. These communications are protected by the attorney-client privilege. See Upjohn, supra, Ellingsgard, supra, and Foster, supra.

b. Motion of Marshall

Marshall joined the motion to quash and/or limit the deposition testimony, asserting the attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine as to the documents filed with the court for in camera review and related communications. “The burden of proving that the attorney-client privilege applies to a communication rests on the party asserting the privilege.” Purcell, supra at 115 (citations omitted). Marshall has not met his burden in this case because he has not established the existence of an attorney-client relationship. Marshall has not shown an explicit agreement with First Security’s in-house counsel for individual legal services relating to the accident. An attorney-client relationship may be implied when a person seeks advice from an attorney within the attorney’s professional competence, and the attorney agrees to give such advice. DeVaux v. American Home Assurance Co., 387 Mass. 814, 818 (1983). The court finds no evidence that Marshall sought advice from First Security’s in-house counsel concerning his own individual liability for the accident.

Moreover, in order to assert an individual attorney-client relationship with in-house counsel, “it must be made explicitly clear to counsel that the advice sought is individually rather than in a corporate capacity.” In re Standard Financial Management Corp., 77 B.R. 324, 328 (Bankr. D. Mass. 1987). See also U.S. v. Sawyer, 878 F.Supp. 295 (D.Mass. 1995), vacated on other grounds, 85 F. 3d 713 (1996). In Sawyer,

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Related

Hickman v. Taylor
329 U.S. 495 (Supreme Court, 1947)
Upjohn Co. v. United States
449 U.S. 383 (Supreme Court, 1981)
United States v. Sawyer
85 F.3d 713 (First Circuit, 1996)
United States v. Sawyer
878 F. Supp. 295 (D. Massachusetts, 1995)
In Re Standard Financial Management Corp.
77 B.R. 324 (D. Massachusetts, 1987)
DeVaux v. American Home Assurance Co.
444 N.E.2d 355 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1983)
Ellingsgard v. Silver
223 N.E.2d 813 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1967)
Foster v. Hall
29 Mass. 89 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1832)
Purcell v. District Attorney for Suffolk District
676 N.E.2d 436 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1997)
Shotwell v. Winthrop Community Hospital
531 N.E.2d 269 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1988)
Sham v. Hyannis Heritage House Hotel, Inc.
118 F.R.D. 24 (D. Massachusetts, 1987)

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7 Mass. L. Rptr. 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/levine-v-marshall-masssuperct-1997.