Smith v. Conway Organization, Inc.

154 F.R.D. 73, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4000, 1994 WL 111982
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 1, 1994
DocketNo. 92 Civ. 7329 (RWS)
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 154 F.R.D. 73 (Smith v. Conway Organization, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Conway Organization, Inc., 154 F.R.D. 73, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4000, 1994 WL 111982 (S.D.N.Y. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

SWEET, District Judge.

Defendant The Conway Organization Inc. (“Conway”) has moved, pursuant to Rule 37, Fed.R.Civ.P., for an order directing plaintiff Sharon Smith (“Smith”) to produce copies of all notes taken by Smith’s counsel of any conversations or meetings at which Kevin Larkin (“Larkin”) was present; to provide a detailed summary of all of Smith’s counsel’s contacts with Larkin, which summary would include the date and place of each contact, the substance of all information told to Smith’s counsel by Larkin, and the initiator of each contact; and to return all copies of all privileged memoranda provided by Larkin to Smith or her counsel, along with an affidavit by Smith and Smith’s counsel that all copies have been returned.1 For the following rea[75]*75sons, this motion is granted in part and denied in part.

Parties

Smith is a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the City, County, and State of New York. Conway is a New York corporation engaged in the retail business with its corporate headquarters located in New York City.

Facts

Smith commenced this -action in October 1992, alleging racial discrimination on the part of Conway in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Smith claims that her application for a position as a receptionist with Conway was rejected because she is an African-American and that the refusal to hire her was in furtherance of a company-wide policy of discrimination.

Larkin, who at the time of the incidents in question was a Conway employee, allegedly subsequently informed Smith that her race was a factor in her not being hired by Conway and accompanied Smith to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and provided a statement in support of her claims.

Upon receipt of Smith’s charge of discrimination, Conway designated Larkin as the employee in charge of working with Conway’s in-house attorney to prepare a response. In the course of these responsibilities, Conway alleges that Larkin prepared two memoranda (the “Memoranda”) for Conway’s in-house attorney in connection with its internal investigation. (Feingold Aff. Exh. C, at 99-102.)

In February or March of 1992, Alan Serrins (“Serrins”), who is Smith’s attorney, telephoned Larkin. Serrins asserts that, in this telephone call, he informed Larkins that he was unable to speak with him while he was employed by Conway. (Serrins Aff. ¶ 10.) On April 10, 1992, Conway fired Larkin for reasons unrelated to the present matter. Larkin has testified that he met with Serrins after having been fired by Conway. (Feingold Aff. Exh. F. at 6-9.) Serrins took

handwritten notes at this meeting. (Serrins Aff. ¶ 11.) Larkins testified that he conversed again with Serrins on January 20, 1993, January 21, 1993, and in June 1993. (Feingold Aff. Exhs. E & F).

On July 9,1993, Conway served its Second Request for Production of Documents (the “Document Requests,” Feingold Aff. Exh. G) and its third set of interrogatories (the “Interrogatories,” Feingold Aff. Exh. H), which, inter alia, sought discovery of certain of the items that are the subject of the present motion. On September 8, 1993, Conway’s attorney wrote to Serrins that he had not received any response to these requests, and warned that, if the responses were not received immediately, Conway would file a motion to compel discovery. (Def.’s Rep. Mem. Exh. 1.) On November 2, 1993, Conway’s attorney again wrote to Serrins, insisting that the responses should be provided no later than November 8, 1993.

On December 6, 1993, Conway received responses to its discovery requests (the “Responses”). Conway’s fifth Document Request was for “ [attorney notes and notes made by employees of your attorneys from all meetings at which Kevin Larkin met with your attorneys or employees of your attorneys.” Smith stated that she “objects to this request insofar as it calls for privileged and confidential information pertaining to attorney-work product. Such documents include the mental impressions, conclusions, or legal theories of Plaintiffs attorneys.”

The Responses were not signed. By letter of February 17, 1994 Smith’s attorneys informed the Court that executed copies of their responses to Conway’s Document Requests and Interrogatories had been supplied to Conway.

Prior Proceedings

The complaint in this action was filed on October 8, 1992. On November 4, 1993, this Court denied a motion for joint trial of this case with 93 Civ. 5364. Argument was heard on the present motion on February 16, 1994. [76]*76Further submissions were received from the parties until February 17, 1994, and the motion was considered fully submitted as of that date.

Discussion

Attorneys’ Notes from Meetings with Larkin

Rule 34(b), Fed.R.Civ.P., provides that “[t]he party upon whom [a request for the production of documents] is served shall serve a written response within 30 days after the service of the request. A shorter or longer time may be directed by the court or, in the absence of such an order, agreed to in writing by the parties—”

Rule 46(e)(1) of the Joint Rules for Civil Proceedings for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (“Local Rule 46(e)(1)”) provides that “[w]here an objection is made to any ... document request under Fed.R.Civ.P. 34, the objection shall state with specificity all grounds. Any ground not stated in an objection within the time provided by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, or any extensions thereof, shall be waived.”

Local Rule 46(e)(1) is faithfully observed in this Court. See Bowne, Inc. v. AmBase Corp., 150 F.R.D. 465, 489 (S.D.N.Y. 1993) (failure to assert work-product protection on timely basis results in waiver of protection under Local.Rule 46(e)(1)); Dena Bank v. Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co., 1990 WL 155591, at *1-2, 1990 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 13300, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 9, 1990) (failure to object to lack of particularity in document request in timely manner waives objection under Local Rule 46(e)(1)); In re Application of Sumar, 123 F.R.D. 467, 471-72 (S.D.N.Y.1988) (failure to timely object to subpoena constitutes waiver of objections to subpoena under Local Rule 46(e)(1)); Richards v. Stephens, 118 F.R.D. 338, 339 n. 1 (S.D.N.Y.1988) (failure to object to production of tax returns in response to discovery requests waives objections to those requests under Local Rule 46(e)(1)).

The Document Requests were served on July 9, 1993. Smith’s initial, unsigned response to the Document Requests was made on December 6, 1993, well beyond the thirty day limit. Both parties agree that no written extension of the time for Smith to respond to the Document Requests was issued by this Court or was stipulated to among the parties.

Serrins asserts that the nearly four-month delay in responding to the Document Requests was pursuant to an oral agreement between the parties. (Pl.’s Mem. at 9-10.) Such an oral agreement would not comport with the Federal Rules, which require stipulated extensions of response times to be in writing.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
154 F.R.D. 73, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4000, 1994 WL 111982, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-conway-organization-inc-nysd-1994.