Raso v. CMC Equipment Rental, Inc.

154 F.R.D. 126, 29 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 838, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2970, 1994 WL 108342
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 16, 1994
DocketNo. 93-CV-5282
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 154 F.R.D. 126 (Raso v. CMC Equipment Rental, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Raso v. CMC Equipment Rental, Inc., 154 F.R.D. 126, 29 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 838, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2970, 1994 WL 108342 (E.D. Pa. 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JOYNER, District Judge.

Presently before this Court is a motion for protective order regarding the deposition of Michael A Goldstein and/or motion to quash a subpoena duces tecum by Defendants CMC Equipment Rental and Ralph Gutierrez pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 26(c) and 45(c)(3)(A)(iii). For the foregoing reasons, Defendants’ motion for protective order is denied and Defendants’ motion to quash is granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

The relevant facts which give rise to the present motions are as follows. On August 11, 1992, Plaintiff James Raso, allegedly working within the scope of his employment with Ross Steel Erectors, was near an American Hoist & Derrick 80 ton lattice boom crane which was being operated by Defendant Gutierrez. Defendant Gutierrez is alleged to have been operating the boom crane within the scope of his employment with Defendant CMC Equipment Rental, Inc. a/k/a CMC Crane Rentals (“CMC”). On the aforesaid date, Plaintiff is alleged to have sustained catastrophic and permanently disabling personal injuries when the load on the boom crane fell on Plaintiff James Raso. Plaintiffs, James Raso and Linda Raso filed a complaint on October 4, 1993 against Defendants for personal injuries sustained to James Raso and for loss of consortium to his wife, Linda Raso.

After the accident, CMC’s insurer proceeded to retain Richard J. O’Brien Adjustment Company (“O’Brien”) for the purpose of conducting an investigation regarding the accident. Subsequently, Michael A Goldstein (“Goldstein”), an investigator for O’Brien, began an investigation of the accident, which included interviews with several witnesses, the taking of photographs and the preparation of investigative reports. Goldstein was served with a notice of deposition and a copy of a subpoena duces tecum by Plaintiffs. As a result, Defendants filed a motion for a protective order regarding the deposition of Goldstein and/or a motion to quash the subpoena duces tecum, which are presently before this Court.

DISCUSSION

I. Standards Governing a Motion for Protective Order

A court, upon a showing of good cause, can grant a motion for a protective order to protect parties and witnesses during the discovery process. Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c). However, the burden rests with the moving party to show that there is good cause for the protective order by showing a “particular need for protection.” Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc., 785 F.2d 1108, 1121 (3d Cir. 1986); Davis v. Romney, 55 F.R.D. 337, 340 (E.D.Pa.1972). Good cause must be shown through particular and specific facts, not from “stereotyped and conclusory statements.” Davis, 55 F.R.D. at 340. A court may grant an order that the discovery in question not be had or may otherwise use its discretion to decide what particular restrictions may be necessary. Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(c).

II. The Work Product Privilege

The work product privilege is another tool a party can utilize in order to protect certain materials from discovery. The work product privilege, which derives from Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(3), states that “documents and tangible things otherwise discoverable,” but which were “prepared in anticipation of litigation or for trial by or for another party or by or for that other party’s representative” are not discoverable. In order for the privilege to apply, the party opposing discovery must show that the work product was obtained “in anticipation of litigation.” Rule 26(b)(3) does not require that a suit be formally filed, in fact, “prudent parties anticipate litigation, and begin preparation prior to the time suit is formally commenced.” 8 Charles A Wright & Arthur Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, § 2024 at 198 (1970). The opposing party must show that the document was prepared or obtained because of the prospect of litiga[128]*128tion, not in the regular course of business, and the party can rely on the nature of the document and the facts of the ease in order to meet its burden. 8 Wright & Miller, § 2024 at 198-198; Delco Wire & Cable, Inc. v. Weinberger, 109 F.R.D. 680, 689 (E.D.Pa. 1986).

If the party claiming work product privilege prevails in showing that the material sought to be discovered falls within the privilege, then the party seeking discovery can overcome the work product privilege if there is a showing of “substantial need of the materials ... and [the party] is unable without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the materials by other means.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(3). See Delco Wire & Cable, 109 F.R.D. at 689 (citing Hickman v. Taylor, 329 U.S. 495, 512, 67 S.Ct. 385, 394, 91 L.Ed. 451 (1947)). However, even upon such a showing, Rule 26(b)(3) continues to protect against “disclosure of mental impressions, conclusions, opinion or legal theories of an attorney or other representative of a party concerning litigation.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(3). Notwithstanding, given that the work product privilege is limited to documents and tangible things, a party may discover “relevant facts known or available to the other party, even though such facts are contained in a document which is not itself discoverable.” Eoppolo v. National Railroad Passenger Corp., 108 F.R.D. 292, 294 (E.D.Pa.1985). In Eoppolo, the court held that the defendants could not use the work product privilege as a “shield against discovery by interrogatories or by depositions” of information they had gathered in anticipation of litigation. Id. The court further emphasized that Rule 26(b)(3) pertains to the production of documents and tangible things and not to the knowledge of the other party. Id.

In the instant case, Defendants’ motion for protective order regarding the deposition of Michael A. Goldstein requests that the deposition be limited to subjects not covered by the work product doctrine. As before mentioned, the work product doctrine does not apply to facts within the knowledge of the person who is to be deposed, albeit such facts were obtained from non-discoverable materials. Eoppolo, 108 F.R.D. at 294. Rule 26(b)(3) pertains to documents and tangible things, therefore, the work product doctrine cannot be applied to restrict the deposition of Goldstein to subjects outside his work product. Plaintiffs are entitled to depose Goldstein regarding his investigation into the accident, including his observations made at the accident location, individuals he spoke with while conducting his investigation and the facts he learned during the investigation and from whom such facts were discovered. Accordingly, this Court will deny Defendants’ motion for protective order regarding the deposition of Goldstein.

III.

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154 F.R.D. 126, 29 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 838, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2970, 1994 WL 108342, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/raso-v-cmc-equipment-rental-inc-paed-1994.