MobiMeds, Inc. v. E-MedRX Solutions, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, C.D. Illinois
DecidedJuly 30, 2021
Docket3:19-cv-03224
StatusUnknown

This text of MobiMeds, Inc. v. E-MedRX Solutions, Inc. (MobiMeds, Inc. v. E-MedRX Solutions, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MobiMeds, Inc. v. E-MedRX Solutions, Inc., (C.D. Ill. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, SPRINGFIELD DIVISION

MOBIMEDS, INC. d/b/a ) THE PILL CLUB, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Case No. 19-cv-3224 ) E-MEDRX SOLUTIONS, INC., ) and DEBBIE BRENNAN, ) ) Defendants. )

OPINION TOM SCHANZLE-HASKINS, U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE: This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff Mobimeds, Inc. d/b/a The Pill Club’s (The Pill Club) Motion to Compel Discovery (d/e 33) (Motion). For the reasons set forth below, the Motion is ALLOWED in part and DENIED in part. BACKGROUND The Pill Club is a retail pharmacy in California. The Pill Club signed a contract with Defendant E-MedRx Solutions, Inc. (E-MedRx) to perform services as a Pharmacy Services Administration Organization (PSAO) for The Pill Club. A PSAO processes pharmacy insurance claims submitted to Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that manage pharmacy benefits plans offered by insurers. The Pill Club alleges that E-MedRx and its chief executive officer Defendant Debbie Drennan (Drennan) “engaged in a pattern of fraud and deceit with the purpose of diverting funds meant for the

Plaintiff for their own benefit.” First Amended Complaint and Jury Trial Demand (d/e 13) (Amended Complaint) ¶2. As part of the claims process, E-MedRx was required to provide an

Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to The Pill Club with each payment of an insurance claim so that The Pill Club could track which claims were paid and how much was paid on each claim. See Amended Complaint ¶¶ 9-15. The Pill Club alleges that E-MedRx failed to remit monies due or provide

required EOBs. The Pill Club alleges that E-MedRx owes it at least $2.5 million in unpaid remittances. Amended Complaint ¶ 20. The Pill Club alleges Drennan evaded The Pill Club’s efforts to get

accurate EOBs and payments. The Pill Club alleges Drennan made false and evasive statements from September 2018 through April 2019 to avoid paying The Pill Club. Amended Complaint ¶¶ 21-30. The Pill Club contends that on February 17, 2019, Drennan told The Pill Club

representatives the E-MedRx was the victim of a computer hack. She stated that the FBI was involved and that “it’s not likely to recoup money.” Amended Complaint ¶ 30. The Pill Club alleges that Drennan repeated

the story about the computer hack to The Pill Club’s agents: Furthermore, Drennan has sent multiple emails and other communications to Plaintiff’s agents stating that E-MedRx was the victim of a “hack” through which E-MedRx lost funds allegedly belonging to Defendants; that there was an ongoing FBI investigation into such hack; and that she was in constant contact with an FBI agent named “Brian” regarding the alleged hack. To date, neither Drennan nor E-MedRx have produced evidence of such a hack or informed Plaintiff of any amounts by which Plaintiff may have been damaged as a result thereof.

Amended Complaint ¶ 39. The Pill Club also alleges that Drennan and E-MedRx were so connected that the separate corporate existence of E-MedRx should be disregarded: Moreover, Defendant Drennan’s actions and inaction on behalf of E-MedRx, including but not limited to her assertion of personal problems in an attempt to defer the responsibilities of the corporation demonstrate such unity of interest and ownership in E-MedRx that the separate personalities of the corporation and Drennan no longer exist, and that adherence to the fiction of separate corporate existence would sanction a fraud or promote injustice upon Plaintiff.

Amended Complaint ¶ 41. Based on these allegations, The Pill Club asserted state law claims for breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, an accounting, and violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, 815 ILCS 505/1 et seq. Amended Complaint, Counts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VIII. The Pill Club also asserted a federal claim for violation of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C. § 1964. Amended Complaint, Count VII. The Pill Club asked the Court in its Prayer for Relief “to pierce the

corporate veil of E-MedRx and find Defendant Drennan personally liable for all damages awarded against E-MedRx and Debbie Drennan, personally.” Amended Complaint, Prayer for Relief ¶ 1.i.

E-MedRx moved to dismiss all the claims except one breach of contract claim in Count I of the Complaint. The Court dismissed the accounting claim against Drennan and dismissed the RICO claim with leave to replead. Opinion entered August 17, 2020 (d/e 22) (Opinion 22),

at 44. Defendants also asked the Court to dismiss The Pill Club’s allegation and the Prayer for Relief to pierce the corporate veil of E-MedRx and hold

Drennan personally liable for E-MedRx’s alleged wrongful conduct. The District Court denied this request: Defendants’ request to bar corporate veil piercing against Drennan is denied as premature. Drennan is already subject to the full range of discovery, between being E-MedRx’s CEO and being personally charged with significant claims of wrongdoing vis a vis Plaintiff. Whether Drennan may also be personally liable for damages that E-MedRx is found liable for is an issue better suited for resolution as the case, and discovery, pull back the curtain on the relevant facts.

Opinion 22, at 43. On January 25, 2021, The Pill Club served interrogatories and requests to produce on Defendants. Motion, attached Declaration of A.J.

Barbarito (Barbarito Declaration), Exhibit A, Plaintiff’s Rule 33 Interrogatories (Interrogatories), and Exhibit B, Plaintiff’s First Set of Requests for Production of Documents to Defendants (Production

Requests). Defendants responded on March 3, 2021. The Pill Club wrote Defendants noting deficiencies in the responses. The parties met and conferred but could not resolve their differences. The Pill Club then filed this Motion. The Pill Club asks the Court to compel complete substantive

responses to Interrogatories Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 14, and to Production Requests Nos. 6-27, 29, 31-45, and 62. Defendants oppose the Motion.

ANALYSIS Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) allows parties to obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the claim or defense of any party. Relevant information need not be admissible

at trial if the discovery appears to be reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence. The discovery sought must also be proportional to the needs of the case. The rule gives the district courts

broad discretion in matters relating to discovery. See Brown Bey v. United States, 720 F.2d 467, 470 471 (7th Cir.1983); Eggleston v. Chicago Journeymen Plumbers' Local Union 130, 657 F.2d 890, 902 (7th Cir.1981);

see also, Indianapolis Colts v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, 775 F.2d 177, 183 (7th Cir.1985) (on review, courts of appeal will only reverse a decision of a district court relating to discovery upon a clear showing of an

abuse of discretion). The federal discovery rules are to be construed broadly and liberally. Herbert v. Lando, 441 U.S. 153, 177 (1979); Jeffries v. LRP Publications, Inc., 184 F.R.D. 262, 263 (E.D. Pa. 1999). The party opposing discovery

has the burden of proving that the requested discovery should be disallowed. Etienne v. Wolverine Tube, Inc., 185 F.R.D.

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MobiMeds, Inc. v. E-MedRX Solutions, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mobimeds-inc-v-e-medrx-solutions-inc-ilcd-2021.