Wilstein v. San Tropai Condominium Master Ass'n

189 F.R.D. 371, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16376, 1999 WL 967541
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedOctober 7, 1999
DocketNo. 98 C 6211
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 189 F.R.D. 371 (Wilstein v. San Tropai Condominium Master Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilstein v. San Tropai Condominium Master Ass'n, 189 F.R.D. 371, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16376, 1999 WL 967541 (N.D. Ill. 1999).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

MORTON DENLOW, United States Magistrate Judge.

Plaintiff Matthew Wilstein (‘Wilstein” or “Plaintiff’), moves this Court pursuant to Rule 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, to compel Defendants San Tropai Condominium Master Association (“Master Association”), and San Tropai Building II Condominium Association (“Building II Association”) (collectively referred to as “San Tropai” or “the Associations”) to answer deposition questions regarding board meetings held in executive session. Plaintiff also moves this Court to compel the submission of handwriting exemplars of each San Tropai board member. For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants in part and denies in part Plaintiffs motion to compel the deposition testimony and grants the motion to compel the production of handwriting exemplars.

I. BACKGROUND FACTS

Plaintiff Matthew Wilstein, a 31-year old disabled resident of San Tropai, has sought for several years to procure a handicapped parking space accessible to his condominium through administrative, and now legal channels. See Wilstein v. San Tropai Condominium Master Assoc., 1999 WL 51805 (N.D.Ill.1999). Plaintiff has brought this action against the Master Association, the Building II Association, Creative Property Group, Inc., the property manager, and several San Tropai directors, individually, alleging that Defendants refused to provide accessible, handicapped parking in violation of the Fair Housing Amendments Act (the “Fair Housing Act”). 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq. Plaintiff amended his complaint to include claims that he has been the victim of retaliation and harassment as a result of his attempts to gain accessible parking.

In late 1996, Plaintiff requested a handicapped parking space readily accessible to his unit due to his deteriorating health. After the Master Association denied several requests for handicapped parking behind his building, Plaintiff initiated an administrative complaint with the Department of Housing & Urban Development (“HUD”). He later filed this lawsuit. After the initiation of legal action, Plaintiff allegedly began to suffer incidents of harassment and retaliation.

Plaintiff now seeks to depose the board members regarding closed door executive sessions. The Associations have refused to answer such questions, contending that this information is privileged under the open meetings provisions of the Illinois Condominium Properties Act, (the “Condominium Act”) 765 Ill.Comp.Stat.Ann. 605/18(a)(9) and 605/18.5(c)(4). Furthermore, the Associations contend that such discussions are protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine.

Plaintiff also seeks to compel handwriting exemplars of San Tropai’s current and for[375]*375mer board members to discover the identity of those responsible for the incidents of harassment.

II. ISSUES PRESENTED

Plaintiffs motion to compel raises the following issues: first, whether federal or state law governs the privilege questions; second, whether a blanket privilege applies to protect discussions held in a condominium board executive session; third, whether the attorney-client privilege applies to protect discussions held in a condominium board executive session; and finally, whether current condominium board members can be required to provide handwriting exemplars.

III. MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY

A party may file a motion to compel discovery under Rule 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure where another party fails to respond to a discovery request or where the party’s response is evasive or incomplete. Fed.R.Civ.P. 37(a)(2-3). The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provide a court with broad discretion in resolving discovery disputes. Bobkoski v. Bd. of Educ. of Cary Consol. Sch. Dist. 26, 141 F.R.D. 88, 90 (N.D.Ill. 1992). A motion to compel discovery is granted or denied at the discretion of the trial court. Community Sav. and Loan Ass’n v. Fed. Home Loan Bank Bd., 68 F.R.D. 378, 381 (E.D.Wis.1975). In ruling on motions to compel discovery, “courts have consistently adopted a liberal interpretation of the discovery rules.” Id.

Under Rule 26(b)(1), “parties may obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter involved in the pending action, whether it relates to the claim or defense of the party seeking discovery, or to the. claim or defense of any other party ...” Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1). A request for discovery “should be considered relevant if there is any possibility that the information sought may be relevant to the subject matter of the action.” AM. Int'l., Inc. v. Eastman Kodak Co., 100 F.R.D. 255, 257 (N.D.Ill.1981) citing 8 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, Civil § 2008 (1970). Thus, courts commonly look unfavorably upon significant restrictions placed upon the discovery process. Allendale Mut. Ins. Co. v. Bull Data Sys. Inc., 152 F.R.D. 132, 135 (N.D.Ill.1993). The burden rests upon the objecting party to show why a particular discovery request is improper. EEOC v. Klockner H & K Machines, Inc., 168 F.R.D. 233, 235 (E.D.Wis.1996).

IV. MOTION TO COMPEL DEPOSITION TESTIMONY REGARDING EXECUTIVE SESSION

A. Federal Common Law Governs Privileges Asserted for Claims under Federal Law

Federal Rule of Evidence 501 provides that federal common law governs any privilege questions in this case. “[T]he 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 ... shall be determined in accordance with State law.” Fed R. Evid. 501.

Whenever a principal claim in federal court arises under federal law, with pendent jurisdiction over a state claim, federal common law of privileges apply. In Memorial Hospital For McHenry County v. Shadur, 664 F.2d 1058, 1062 (7th Cir.1981), the plain-' tiff alleged violations of both federal and state antitrust laws.' In declining to apply the Illinois privilege provided under the Illinois Medical Studies Act to the case, the Seventh Circuit reasoned, “The principal claim ... arises under ... a federal law.

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Bluebook (online)
189 F.R.D. 371, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16376, 1999 WL 967541, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilstein-v-san-tropai-condominium-master-assn-ilnd-1999.