Simon v. Castille

174 So. 2d 660
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 28, 1965
Docket1385
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 174 So. 2d 660 (Simon v. Castille) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simon v. Castille, 174 So. 2d 660 (La. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

174 So.2d 660 (1965)

Audrey SIMON, Plaintiff and Relator,
v.
Aaron P. CASTILLE et al., Defendants and Respondents.

No. 1385.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

April 19, 1965.
Rehearing Denied May 19, 1965.
Writ Refused June 28, 1965.

*661 Simon & Trice, by Phil Trice, Lafayette, for plaintiff-relator.

Davidson, Meaux, Onebane & Donohoe, by J. J. Davidson, Jr., Lafayette, for defendant-respondent.

CULPEPPER, Judge.

Plaintiff sued for damages for personal injuries resulting from an automobile accident. For discovery purposes, defendants moved for an order of court, requiring plaintiff to submit to a physical examination, by a physician of defendants' choice, and out of the presence of plaintiff's attorney. To this motion, plaintiff filed an answer, agreeing to the examination, but asking the court to impose the following conditions: (1) That plaintiff's attorney be present during the taking of any medical history and during any portion of the examination, which does not require that she be disrobed; (2) that plaintiff, if she chooses, be accompanied by her husband and/or her own physician during said examination.

Judgment was rendered ordering "* * * said examination is to be made by physician of defendants' choice, out of the presence of plaintiff's attorney." No ruling was made on the request for plaintiff's husband or personal physician to be present.

Pursuant to said order, defendants mailed notice that plaintiff submit to examination by Dr. Kenneth Saer in New Orleans on December 17, 1964. On that date plaintiff appeared in Dr. Saer's office and handed him a written medical history, which had been prepared by plaintiff's attorney, and stated that she would not answer any further questions concerning the history, but would freely answer questions and submit *662 to examination concerning her present physical condition. After reading the document, Dr. Saer stated that he could not conduct the examination under these conditions.

Defendants then filed a motion alleging that plaintiff had refused to submit to a physical examination as previously ordered, in that she had refused to give the doctor any medical history other than that contained in the written document. After hearing, the district judge ruled that plaintiff had not complied with the court's previous order and entered an additional order that further proceedings herein be stayed until plaintiff "* * * will submit herself to a doctor of defendants' choice for the purpose of a physical examination outside of the presence of plaintiff's attorneys.' On application of the plaintiff, we granted a writ of certiorari and the matter is now before us under our supervisory jurisdiction.

The issues before us are: (1) Did the district judge err in ordering plaintiff to submit to the examination outside the presence of plaintiff's attorney; (2) Was the written medical history, and the refusal to give any further medical history to the doctor, a compliance with the court's order to submit to a physical examination.

The applicable statutory provisions are found in that portion of our Code of Civil Procedure dealing with Depositions and Discovery.

LSA-C.C.P. Article 1493 reads as follows:

"In an action in which the mental or physical condition of a party is in controversy, the court in which the action is pending or in which the judgment was originally rendered may order him to submit to a physical or mental examination by a physician, except as otherwise provided by law. The order may be made only on motion for good cause shown and upon notice to the party to be examined and to all other parties and shall specify the time, place, manner, conditions, and scope of the examination and the person or persons by whom it is to be made."

LSA-C.C.P. Article 1494 reads in pertinent part as follows:

"If requested by the person examined, the party causing the examination to be made shall deliver to him a copy of a detailed written report of the examining physician setting out his findings and conclusions."

The basic issue in this case is plaintiff's right to have her attorney present during the examination. Plaintiff contends she has this privilege as an absolute right. Defendant contends this is merely one of the "conditions" within the discretion of the trial judge to specify under LSA-C.C.P. Article 1493.

We note at the outset that the plain language of LSA-C.C.P. Article 1493 does not provide for the presence of plaintiff's attorney at the examination. The article clearly gives great discretion to the trial judge. He may deny the motion unless "good cause" for the examination is shown. He may "specify the time, place, manner, conditions, and scope of the examination * * *" The defendant does not even have the absolute right to choose the physician, this also being left finally to the court's discretion. Thus, the language of the statute itself appears to support defendant's position.

The question is res nova in the appellate courts of Louisiana, but has been considered by several other state and federal courts. From the annotation found in 64 A.L.R.2d 497-503, it is our impression that in those jurisdictions where no statutory provisions were involved, that is, no statute requiring submission to a physical examination and no discovery procedure requiring reports of such examinations be made available to counsel for the party examined, the courts have generally upheld the plaintiff's right to have his counsel present. Williams v. *663 Chattanooga Iron Works, 131 Tenn. 683, 176 S.W. 1031; Sharff v. Superior Ct., 44 Cal.2d 508, 282 P.2d 896, 64 A.L.R.2d 494; Kelley v. Smith & Oby Co., Ohio Com. Pl., 129 N.E.2d 106; Francisco v. Hoffman, Ohio Com. Pl., 131 N.E.2d 692. However, in the federal courts and in those states where such statutes do exist, the courts have generally held plaintiff does not have an absolute right to have his counsel present at the examination, this and other conditions of the examination being within the discretion of the trial judge. Bowing v. Delaware Rayon Co., 8 W. W. Harr. 206, 38 Del. 206, 190 A. 567; Pemberton v. Bennett, 234 Or. 285, 381 P.2d 705; Lawrence v. Samuels, 20 Misc. 15, 44 N.Y.S. 602.

The case of Dziwanoski v. Ocean Carriers Corp., 26 F.R.D. 595 (D.C.1960) is particularly applicable here because it involves an interpretation of Federal Civil Rule 35, the source of our own LSA-C.C.P. 1493. We agree with the following statements from the court's opinion:

"The law permitting a party to obtain physical examinations of adverse parties has developed over the years as the problems of personal injury litigation have developed and have become better understood. In the absence of a statute or a rule similar to Rule 35 it has been generally held that the attorney for the examined party may be present at such an examination. See cases collected in 64 A.L.R.2d 497, 501 (sec. 5). On the other hand, it has been held that where the examination is authorized by a statute or rule which provides some protective devices but does not provide for the presence of counsel, the result should be otherwise. In Bowing v. Delaware Rayon Co., 8 W.W.Harr. 206, 38 Del. 206, 190 A.

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174 So. 2d 660, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simon-v-castille-lactapp-1965.