Pilates, Inc. v. Georgetown Bodyworks Deep Muscle Massage Centers, Inc.

201 F.R.D. 261, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21613, 2000 WL 33356849
District Court, District of Columbia·Decided April 10, 2000·No. Civ.A. No. 95-1771 WBB·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ORDER

KAY, United States Magistrate Judge.

Pending before the Court was Defendant and Counterplaintiff Willard A. Green’s (hereinafter “Defendant”) Motion to Renew his Motion to Compel Production of Documents (“Motion”) [docket number 68, relating to docket number 43] and Plaintiff and Counterdefendant Pilates, Inc.’s (hereinafter “Plaintiff’) Opposition to the Motion to Renew (“Opposition”) [docket number 69, relating to docket number 46]. The parties submitted a Joint Statement of Issues to be Raised at the Hearing on these matters (“Joint Statement”); a hearing was held on January 12, 2000. This Memorandum Order sets forth the Court’s rulings and an explanation thereof.

The Defendant’s Motion requested this Court to compel several categories of documents and testimony from the Plaintiff, including (1) responses to certain deposition questions propounded to Elyssa Rosenberg and Sean Gallagher; (2) supplemental responses to deposition questions propounded to Elyssa Rosenberg and Sean Gallagher, where the deponent responded with a “need to cheek their files”; (3) documents respon[262]*262sive to document production requests and a deposition request; (4) documents, which are presumably not privileged; and (5) supplementation of the privilege log.

A. Unanswered Deposition Questions

In the case at issue, Plaintiffs counsel objected to a number of deposition questions posed during the depositions of Elyssa Rosenberg and Sean Gallagher.1 In many cases, the deponent then failed to respond to the question.2 Defendant has moved this Court to compel the testimony. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(d)(1) forbids a party to instruct a deponent to refuse to answer a question unless such instruction is necessary to preserve a privilege, to enforce a limitation on evidence imposed by the court, or to permit the making of a motion for a protective order under Rule 30(d)(3).

Where there is no claim of privilege in relation to questions asked on deposition, Rule 30(d)(1) and Rule 26 relating to the scope of discovery should be strictly applied. Preyer v. U.S. Lines, 64 F.R.D. 430 (E.D.Pa. 1973). See also Shapiro v. Freeman, 38 F.R.D. 308 (S.D.N.Y.1965) (the counsel for a party has no right to impose silence or instruct witnesses not to answer); Drew v. International Broth. of Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers, 37 F.R.D. 446 (D.D.C.1965) (the better practice would be for attorneys to note their objections during the deposition and permit their clients to answer the questions, leaving the resolution of objections to pretrial or trial); Ralston Purina Co. v. McFarland, 550 F.2d 967, 973 (4th Cir.1977) (citing Wright & Miller) (action of plaintiffs counsel in directing its principal witness not to answer questions posed during deposition was indefensible and at variance with discovery rules; if plaintiffs counsel had any objection, he should have placed it on the record and the evidence would have been taken subject to such objection.)

The majority of the objections noted by Plaintiffs counsel in this case were not based on any privilege; thus, the witness will be redeposed and directed to answer questions where privilege is not asserted. The parties have agreed that depositions will be reconvened via telephone or in person, in New York, New York.

B. Deposition Questions where Deponent indicated a “need to check records”

During the depositions of Sean Gallagher and Elyssa Rosenberg, the deponents stated their need to check various files before they could respond in full to the question. Defendant has moved for an order compelling deponents3 to “supplement” their previous responses. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure impose no affirmative duty for deponents to supplement deposition testimony and the Court recognizes that witnesses assert a lack of knowledge or memory, if appropriate. Nonetheless, the deponents here affirmatively stated a need to check their files in order to respond. Based on these responses, the Defendant properly assumed that the deponents agreed to check their files and would supplement their responses.

The Court finds that a deponent may not evade responding to deposition questions by indicating a need to check their files. Accordingly, Sean Gallagher and Elyssa Rosenberg will supplement their responses.

C. Document Requests

During the January 12 hearing, Plaintiff agreed to provide the Defendant with copies of all deposition transcripts and exhibits from any prior or pending litigation relating to the trademark “PILATES”, upon receipt of a specific list of deponents provided by the Defendant. Plaintiff further agreed to provide copies of Pilates, Inc. Federal Income [263]*263Tax returns for tax years 1998 and 1999, if filed.

D. Assertion of Attorney-Client Privilege for documents on privilege log

Plaintiff has asserted an attorney-client privilege with respect to documents listed on its privilege log, pertaining to correspondence between attorneys and corporate client entities other than Pilates, Inc. Defendant contends that Plaintiff may not assert the attorney-client privilege for documents between Wee-Tai Horn and his counsel; Lari Stanton and his counsel; Romana Kryanowska and her counsel; or other former owners of the trademarks and their counsel. Defendant contends neither Pilates, Inc. nor Mr. Gallagher are or have been in privity with the former owners of the marks. None of the former owners are or have been an officer, employee, director, partner, shareholder or agent of Pilates, Inc. They allege further the fact that Pilates, Inc. and Mr. Gallagher have in their possession documents which contain an exchange of information between the former owners of the marks and their counsel waives any privilege that may have existed. Finally, as to the documents between Mr. Horn and his counsel, David Kalow, Defendant notes that Mr. Kalow was not serving as Pilates’ or Mr. Gallagher’s counsel at the time the documents were drafted.

During the January 12, 2000 hearing, Plaintiff relied upon a number of cases not previously cited in support of its proposition that Pilates may assert an attorney-client privilege with regard to documents exchanged by third parties.4

Plaintiff does not dispute that “as regards the mere assignment of a trademark, without anything else, there are cases which hold that such a transfer does not automatically include the assignment of the attorney-client privilege.” Plaintiffs Letter # 2. See FDIC v. McAtee, 124 F.R.D. 662, 663 (D.Kan.1988) (“the transfer of assets from one entity to another does not generally transfer the attorney-client privilege”) and SMI Indus. Canada Ltd. v. Caelter Indus., Inc., 586 F.Supp. 808, 815-16 (N.D.N.Y.1984) (holding that the assignment of a trademark/receipt of assets from a law firm’s former client does not confer “former client” status on the assignee).

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Pilates, Inc. v. Georgetown Bodyworks Deep Muscle Massage Centers, Inc., 201 F.R.D. 261, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21613, 2000 WL 33356849 (D.D.C. 2000).

201 F.R.D. 261 (Pilates, Inc. v. Georgetown Bodyworks Deep Muscle Massage Centers, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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