Stevenson v. Stanley Bostitch, Inc.

201 F.R.D. 551, 57 Fed. R. Serv. 532, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16961, 2001 WL 812310
District Court, N.D. Georgia·Decided March 21, 2001·No. No. 1:98-CV-2824-BBM·Published·Cited by 18 cases

Opinion

ORDER

SCOFIELD, United States Magistrate Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendant’s motion to compel discovery and for an order requiring the plaintiff to submit to a mental examination pursuant to Rule 35(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure [Doc. No. 49], and Plaintiffs corresponding motion to quash and for protective order [Doc. No. 40]. The contentions in these motions were discussed at the hearing held on September 5, 2000, at which time the Court took the matters under advisement and directed the parties to file additional briefs. See [Doc. No. 60]. The additional briefs have been filed and the matters are ripe for decision.

[553] I.

Motion for Rule 35(a) Mental Examination

Rule 35(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides:

When the mental or physical condition ... of a party ... is in controversy, the court in which the action is pending may order the party to submit to a physical or mental examination by a physician ... The order may be made only on a motion for good cause shown ...

Fed.R.Civ.P. 35(a). The key predicates for the application of this rule are whether the plaintiff has put her mental condition “in controversy” and whether defendant has shown “good cause” for the examination. Robinson v. Jacksonville Shipyards, Inc., 118 F.R.D. 525, 527 (M.D.Fla.1988) (citing Schlagenhauf v. Holder, 379 U.S. 104, 118, 85 S.Ct. 234, 13 L.Ed.2d 152 (1964)); see also Schlagenhauf, 379 U.S. at 121; Bridges v. Eastman Kodak Co., 850 F.Supp, 216, 221 (S.D.N.Y.1994). These requirements are not met by “ ‘mere relevance to the case ... but require an affirmative showing by the movant that each condition as to which the examination is sought is really and genuinely in controversy and that good cause exists for ordering each particular examination.’ ” Robinson, 118 F.R.D. at 527 (quoting Schlagenhauf, 379 U.S. at 118, 85 S.Ct. 234).

The majority of courts have held that plaintiffs do not place their mental condition in controversy merely by claiming damages for mental anguish or “garden variety” emotional distress. See Ricks v. Abbott Labs., 198 F.R.D. 647, 648-50 (D.Md.2001) (denying exam and citing with approval recent cases— Fox and Turner — that delineated additional factors that would be necessary before a mental exam would be appropriate); Fox v. The Gates Corp., 179 F.R.D. 303, 307-08 (D.Colo.1998) (denying exam, explaining plaintiff had not asserted a separate tort action for intentional infliction of emotional distress, did not allege a specific mental or psychiatric injury or disorder, and did not claim unusually severe emotional distress); Ford v. Contra Costa County, 179 F.R.D. 579, 579-80 (N.D.Cal.1998) (denying exam and noting that “the bulk of the reported case law demonstrates that a claim for emotional distress damages, by itself, is not sufficient to place plaintiffs mental condition in controversy”); O’Sullivan v. Minnesota, 176 F.R.D. 325, 327-28 (D.Minn.1997) (additional factors listed in Turner were not present; thus exam not warranted); Neal v. Siegel-Robert, Inc., 171 F.R.D. 264, 266-67 (E.D.Mo.1996) (deciding that request for damages does not place mental condition in controversy — exam denied); Lahr v. Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP, 164 F.R.D. 204, 210-11 (N.D.Tex.1996) (noting that exam would not be warranted based solely on Title VII plaintiffs claim of mental anguish associated with being the victim of discrimination); O’Quinn v. N.Y. Univ. Med. Ctr., 163 F.R.D. 226, 227-28 (S.D.N.Y.1995) (denying exam where, although plaintiff was seeking damages for mental anguish and emotional distress, no separate tort claim had been filed); Smith v. J.I. Case Corp., 163 F.R.D. 229, 231 (E.D.Pa.1995) (plaintiff seeking damages for embarrassment has not placed mental condition in controversy); Turner v. Imperial Stores, 161 F.R.D. 89, 95-97 (S.D.Cal.1995) (reviewing several cases and concluding that “ ‘emotional distress’ is not synonymous with the term ‘mental injury’ ” and denying examination); Bridges, 850 F.Supp. at 221-222 (citing several cases and concluding that mental exam not warranted where no separate tort claim filed and where plaintiffs did not claim the mental injury suffered by the abusive working conditions were “ongoing” or caused a “psychiatric disorder”); Sabree v. United Bhd. of Carpenters & Joiners, 126 F.R.D. 422, 426 (D.Mass.1989) (plaintiff in discrimination suit did not place mental condition in issue by “garden-variety claim of emotional distress”' — mental exam not warranted); Robinson, 118 F.R.D. at 531 (plaintiff did not place her mental condition in controversy even though she claimed back pay for days lost due to stress and alleged serious effect on psychological well-being); Cody v. Marriott Corp., 103 F.R.D. 421, 422 (D.Mass.1984) (mental condition not placed in controversy by claiming damages for emotional distress). But see Zabkowicz v. West Bend Co., 585 F.Supp. 635, 636 (E.D.Wis.1984) (allegations of emotional distress from [554] sexual harassment appropriate basis for allowing order to compel psychiatric examination).

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Stevenson v. Stanley Bostitch, Inc., 201 F.R.D. 551, 57 Fed. R. Serv. 532, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16961, 2001 WL 812310 (N.D. Ga. 2001).

201 F.R.D. 551 (Stevenson v. Stanley Bostitch, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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