Mata v. Caring for You Home Health, Inc.

94 F. Supp. 3d 867, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43663, 2015 WL 1408924
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedMarch 27, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. 7:13-CV-287
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 94 F. Supp. 3d 867 (Mata v. Caring for You Home Health, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mata v. Caring for You Home Health, Inc., 94 F. Supp. 3d 867, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43663, 2015 WL 1408924 (S.D. Tex. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

RANDY CRANE, District Judge.

Now before the Court is Plaintiff Norma Lee Mata’s Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment, (Dkt. No. 56). Having considered the Motion, the record, the parties’ responsive briefing, (Dkt. Nos. 58, 61-64), in light of the relevant law, and for the reasons articulated below, the Court is of the opinion that Plaintiffs Motion has merit and summary judgment should be GRANTED in favor of Plaintiff.

I. Background

This is an employment case. Plaintiff is a home healthcare provider, or “attendant,” employed by Defendant Caring For You Home Health, Inc. (“Caring for You”). Defendant Noemi Torre (“Torre”) is the owner of Caring for You. Plaintiff filed the present action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 201-219, alleging that Defendants failed to pay her overtime compensation as required by the FLSA.

Defendants previously filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, which the Court denied. (Dkt. Nos. 20, 29). In her response, Plaintiff requested that the Court sua sponte grant summary judgment in her favor. (Dkt. No. 24 at 14). The Court declined to do so. (Dkt. No. 29). Since the Court’s prior order, Plaintiff has taken depositions (the “Depositions”) of Torre and Christel Vasquez (“Vasquez”), another Caring for You employee. Torre and Vasquez were designated by Caring for You as corporate representatives pursuant to Rule 30(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. After taking the Depositions, Plaintiff filed the instant motion, reurging her request for summary judgment. (Dkt. No. 56).

II. Summary Judgment Standard of Review

A district court must grant summary judgment when there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). A fact is material if it might affect the outcome of the lawsuit under the governing law, and is [871]*871genuinely in dispute only if a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmov-ing party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A party moving for summary judgment has the initial responsibility of informing the court of the basis for its motion and identifying those portions of the pleadings and materials in the record, if any, which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a), (c). Where the movant bears the burden of proof, it must establish ‘beyond peradventure all of the essential elements of the claim or defense to warrant judgment in [its] favor.’ ” Fontenot v. Upjohn Co., 780 F.2d 1190, 1194 (5th Cir.1986) (emphasis in original). Once the moving party carries its burden, the burden shifts to the nonmov-ant to go beyond the pleadings and provide specific facts showing the existence of a genuine issue for trial. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548; Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). In conducting its review of the summary judgment record, the court “may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence” and must resolve doubts and reasonable inferences regarding the facts in favor of the nonmoving party. Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000); Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505; Dean v. City of Shreveport, 438 F.3d 448, 454 (5th Cir.2006). However, the nonmovant cannot satisfy its burden with “eonelusory allegations, speculation, and unsubstantiated assertions which are either entirely unsupported, or supported by a mere scintilla of evidence.” Chaney v. Dreyfus Serv. Corp., 595 F.3d 219, 229 (5th Cir.2010); see also Brown v. City of Houston, 337 F.3d 539, 541 (5th Cir.2003) (“Unsubstantiated assertions, improbable inferences, and unsupported speculation are not sufficient to defeat a motion for summary judgment.”).

III. Proposed Changes to Deposition Testimony

The Court will first address issues surrounding consideration of the deposition testimony of Torre and Vasquez and Defendants’ proposed changes to such testimony.

Rule 30(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides deponents an opportunity to review the transcript or recording of their deposition and, if necessary, make “changes in form or substance” thereto. Fed.R.Civ.P. 30(e)(1). The Rule places an affirmative duty on the deponent or a party to request such a review prior to the completion of the deposition. Id.

There is disagreement between the parties as to whether, prior to completion of the Depositions, Defendants or the deponents requested an opportunity to review and make changes to the deposition transcripts. See (Dkt. Nos. 61, 63). While the evidence before the Court tends to indicate that the deponents failed to comply with the requirements of Rule 30(e), it need not decide the issue due to the improper nature of the proposed changes to the deposition testimony.

Briefly, courts take three different approaches when a party challenges proposed substantive changes to deposition testimony pursuant to Rule 30(e). Devon Energy Corp. v. Westacott, 2011 WL 1157334 (S.D.Tex. Mar. 24, 2011) (collecting cases). The least restrictive approach allows substantive changes, but the prior testimony remains a part of the record and can be used for impeachment purposes. See, e.g., Eicken v. USAA Fed. Savings Bank, 498 F.Supp.2d 954, 961-62 (S.D.Tex.2007). The most restrictive approach allows deponents to correct only typographic [872]*872and transcription errors. See e.g., Trout v. FirstEnergy Generation Corp., 339 Fed.Appx. 560, 566 (6th Cir.2009). Other courts take a “sham affidavit” approach. See, e.g., Hambleton Bros. Lumber Co. v. Balkin Entrs., 397 F.3d 1217, 1225 (9th Cir.2005). The Fifth Circuit has not announced its position with respect to the three approaches. This Court does not explicitly adopt any of the three various approaches except to hold that a party cannot use Rule 30(e) to make substantive, contradictory changes to deposition testimony, at least when supported only by pro forma, conclusory reasons such as “to clarify the record.”

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94 F. Supp. 3d 867, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43663, 2015 WL 1408924, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mata-v-caring-for-you-home-health-inc-txsd-2015.