Turnbull v. Topeka State Hospital

185 F.R.D. 645, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7193, 79 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1384, 1999 WL 304596
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedMay 11, 1999
DocketCiv.A. No. 98-2222—GTV
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 185 F.R.D. 645 (Turnbull v. Topeka State Hospital) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Turnbull v. Topeka State Hospital, 185 F.R.D. 645, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7193, 79 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1384, 1999 WL 304596 (D. Kan. 1999).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

RUSHFELT, United States Magistrate Judge.

The court has before it four motions: Plaintiffs Motion to Compel Discovery (doc. 55); Defendants Kansas’ and Topeka State Hospital’s Motion for Protective Order (doc. 59); Defendants Kansas’ and Topeka State Hospital’s Motion for Protective Order Pro[648]*648hibiting Ex Parte Communications (doc. 60); and Joint Request for Hearing on Plaintiffs Motion to Compel Discovery and Defendants’ Motions for Protective Order (doc. 80). The Joint Request simply asks for oral argument on the other three motions. The court will overrule the request for oral argument as unnecessary. The parties have adequately briefed their motions.

Plaintiffs Motion to Compel Discovery (doc. 55) seeks an order to compel “defendants’ management witnesses to answer deposition questions pertaining to defendants’ Security Management Reports, Risk Management Committee Minutes and/or Executive Committee Minutes.” Plaintiff also asks for her attorneys fees and costs associated with this motion. She further asks that defendants bear the costs of reconvening the depositions of two management employees of Topeka State Hospital, Randy Proctor and Magdalene Kovach.

The principal dispute upon this motion involves the applicability of privileges provided by Kansas statute K.S.A. 65-4925. During depositions defense counsel instructed Mr. Proctor and Ms. Kovach not to answer questions pertaining to documents previously produced by defendants during discovery. The documents include Security Management Reports, Risk Management Committee minutes, and Executive Committee Minutes. Defense counsel based his instructions to the deponents upon grounds that the statute provides privileges against discovery of the documents and against testimony by committee members who attended the meetings reflected by the minutes and reports. Plaintiff contends the statutory privileges do not apply to this case, because her claim arises under federal and not state law. She further contends that, by having produced the documents, defendants have waived any privilege that may have existed for the documents and the testimony.

Defendants concede the general principle, “that the public has a right to every man’s evidence.” United States v. Bryan, 339 U.S. 323, 331, 70 S.Ct. 724, 94 L.Ed. 884 (1950). They also recognize that statutory privileges created by a state do not control federal courts in a non-diversity case, such as this one. They argue upon principles of comity and the public policy behind the statute, nevertheless, that this court should apply K.S.A. 65^4925 and uphold the privileges it provides against the requested testimony.

Neither the motion nor the briefing clarifies whether the deponents themselves invoked a privilege and refused to testify or whether plaintiff has simply imputed such refusal to them upon the instruction of defense counsel. The Certificate of Service indicates no service of the motion upon the deponents, only upon defense counsel. The deponents have entered no appearance upon the motion. The court may reasonably infer, however, that they are within the control of defense counsel for the purpose of discovery in this case. Accordingly, it addresses the motion upon its merits; even though it may deny an order directed to the deponents personally.

Plaintiff has correctly noted that evidentiary privileges generally are strictly and narrowly construed, because they detract from the search for truth. The United States Supreme Court has thus described such privileges in University of Pennsylvania v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 493 U.S. 182, 110 S.Ct. 577, 107 L.Ed.2d 571 (1990). ERA Franchise Systems v. Northern Insurance Company, 183 F.R.D. 276 (D.Kan.1998) also recognizes this principle. It also recognizes the applicability of Fed.R.Evid. 501 in determining what privileges may apply. The rule provides that:

Except as otherwise required by the Constitution of the United States or provided by Act of Congress or in rules prescribed by the Supreme Court pursuant to statutory authority, the privilege of a witness, person, government, State, or political subdivision thereof shall be governed by the principles of the common law as they may be interpreted by the courts of the United States in the light of reason and experience. However, in civil actions and proceedings, with respect to an element of a claim or defense as to which State law supplies the rule of decision, the privilege of a witness, person, government, State, or [649]*649political subdivision thereof shall be determined in accordance with State law.

The initial sentence of Rule 501 thus clearly provides that the privilege of a witness is governed by principles of common law, unless a controlling federal statute or rule exists. The second sentence of the rule creates the exception for civil cases, requiring application of a privilege supplied by State law, but only “with respect to an element of a claim or defense as to which State law supplies the rule of decision.” In the present action the court finds no “element of a claim or defense as to which State law supplies the rule of decision.” The claims of plaintiff proceed only by virtue of federal statute, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5. Federal and not State law thus provides the rule of decision. The exception of Rule 501 does not apply. Defendants have not pointed to any principle of common law as justification in this case to apply the statutory privilege(s) created by K.S.A. 65-4925.

Several federal decisions support this construction of Fed.R.Evid. 501. Mason v. Stock, 869 F.Supp. 828, 832 (D.Kan.1994) succinctly states the principle: “[I]n federal question cases, privilege determinations depend solely on the application of federal statutes and general principles of common law as interpreted by federal courts.” When no state claims are raised, “the second sentence of Rule 501 does not apply, and whether [the applicability of any privilege] depends on the Constitution, Acts of Congress, and general principles of common law viewed in light of reason and experience.” Id. at 831 (citing United States v. Zolin, 491 U.S. 554, 562, 109 S.Ct. 2619, 105 L.Ed.2d 469 (1989)). As to federal question claims, “Fed.R.Evid. 501 mandates the application of federal common law on privilege.” Hinsdale v. City of Liberal, Kansas, 981 F.Supp. 1378, 1379 (D.Kan. 1997).

Defendants point to a concern that plaintiff may yet seek to amend her amended complaint to add pendent claims under state law.

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185 F.R.D. 645, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7193, 79 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1384, 1999 WL 304596, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/turnbull-v-topeka-state-hospital-ksd-1999.