Messner v. Korbonits

39 Pa. D. & C.3d 182, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 8
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County
DecidedAugust 3, 1982
Docketno. 27
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 39 Pa. D. & C.3d 182 (Messner v. Korbonits) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Chester County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Messner v. Korbonits, 39 Pa. D. & C.3d 182, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 8 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1982).

Opinion

SMITH, J.,

This is a medical-malpractice action arising out of personal injuries, including brain damage, suffered by plaintiff Melis[183]*183sa Lynn Messner at the time o'f her birth on March 1, 1971, and during the treatment she received thereafter.

Original defendants are: Charles W. Korbonits, M.D., the obstetrician who delivered Melissa and treated her mother, plaintiff Beverly O’Connell, during childbirth; Eugene J. Coggins,.M.D., the pediatrician who first treated Melissa following her birth; Milan Q. Felt, M.D., a neurosurgeon to whom defendant Coggins referred Melissa for surgery and other treatment; and Chester County Hospital where Melissa was born and where some of the early treatment was provided. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where later treatment was performed, and A.K. Hodson, M.D., a subsequent treating physician, were joined as additional defendants.

Suit was filed in the present action on or about November 5, 1980. All defendants filed answers and new matter raising the defense of statute of limitations. In reply to the new matter, plaintiffs averred, inter alia, that they neither knew nor had' reason to know of the negligence of defendants or of the causal relationship between defendants’ treatment of Melissa’s injury until September 25, 1979, at the earliest. Plaintiffs also made this averment in their complaint in anticipation of the affirmative defense.

On September 4, 1981, defendants took the deposition of plaintiff Beverly A. O’Connell. During the course of the deposition, Mrs. O’Connell was questioned about her consultations with Richard ' L. Gerson, Esq., and John A. Luchsinger, Esq., attor-. neys she had retained prior to engaging present counsel. It is noted in regard to this deposition the usual stipulations were made by counsel prior to the deposition, including a stipulation that all objections except as to the form of questions and answers were reserved until trial.

[184]*184On February 8, 1982, defendants took the deposition of John A. Luchsinger and, at that time, plaintiffs’ counsel objected to the production of any documents from Mr. Luchsinger’s file that were privileged or reflected his impressions on the merits of plaintiffs’ case. On this occasion plaintiffs’, counsel indicates specifically that he was reserving objections as to the attorney-client privilege and also as to Mr. Luchsinger’s work-product privilege. During the course of the deposition, however, Mr. Luchsinger’s file, “somewhat stripped,” was presented and so, too, certain memoranda of Mr. Luchsinger. As well, an original letter authored by Mr. Gerson that “Melissa had no legal action that he wished to pursue” was presented.

The deposition of Richard L. Gerson was taken on February 9, 1982, and plaintiffs’ counsel objected to the production of documents from Mr. Gerson’s file on the basis of the attorney-client privilege. Plaintiffs’ counsel also objected to, and Mr. Gerson refused to answer, a number of questions involving Mr. Gerson’s communications with plaintiff Beverly O’Connell and his investigation of the casé.

Within the foregoing context, then, we are asked to determine:

1. Does' the attorney-client privilege protect communications made by the attorney to the client?

2. Has plaintiff waived the attorney-client privilege?

3. Is the administration of justice best served by our order requiring counsel to answer questions and produce documents?

The attorney-client privilege is one of the oldest privileges known to the law. It has long been established in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that an attorney may not disclose the confidential com[185]*185munications of a client. Moore v. Bray, 10 Pa. 519 (1899). The specific evidentiary rule that an attorney may not testify “to confidential communications made to him by his client” was incorporated under the statutory law of Pennsylvania by the Act of May 23, 1887, and is now found in section 5928 of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. §5928. In this regard it is noted that the limitation of the statutory language to communications made by the client to the attorney does not define the entire scope of the attorney-client privilege, notwithstanding the holdings of certain of our brethren in the trial court.

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Bluebook (online)
39 Pa. D. & C.3d 182, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/messner-v-korbonits-pactcomplcheste-1982.