JAMES O. BROWNING, District Judge.
Walker was employed as a Business Office Manager ("BOM") at Defendant THI of New Mexico at Hobbs Center ("THI of Hobbs"), a nursing home in Hobbs, New Mexico, from August 2005 until January 2007.
Walker filed this case on January 22, 2009.
The parties have had a number of discovery disputes.
On April 4, 2011, the Defendants filed the Defendants' Response to Plaintiff's Third Motion to Compel Discovery Responses.
On April 14, 2011, Walker filed the Plaintiff's Reply to Defendants' Response to Plaintiff's Third Motion to Compel Discovery Responses.
The Court will grant in part and deny in part Walker's motion. The Court orders the Defendants to produce documents in response to Walker's Requests for Production Nos. 22, 25, 26, 27 in accordance with this Memorandum Opinion and Order. The Court denies Walker's motion to compel the documents she requested in Request for Production No. 28 without prejudice to her renewing her request. The Court orders the Defendants to amend their answers to Interrogatories Nos. 19 and 20. The Court will award Walker some of the attorneys' fees she incurred in preparing and prosecuting her motion.
Request for Production No. 22 states:
Defendant Fundamental Administrative Services, LLC's Responses to Plaintiff's Second Request for Production of Documents Request No. 22, filed March 4, 2011 (Doc. 220-3)("RFP").
At the hearing, Barbara G. Stephenson, counsel for Melton, Lothridge, Hood, and FAS, stated that the Defendants do not dispute that they did not address this discovery request in their Response. Ms. Stephenson stated that the Defendants have not been able to find documents responsive to this request. She stated that they continue to look, but part of the problem is that some of the facilities are no longer in business and that, as a result, the Defendants are not sure where the files are located. Regardless of where the files are located, it appears that there are documents that relate to the BOMs who resigned during the period of January 1, 2004 through December, 2008 after allegedly being counseled for substandard job performance. These dates are relevant, should be located, and should be produced. For these reasons, and the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, the Court will order the Defendants to produce these documents. The Defendants must produce these documents by 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2011. The Court finds that the Defendants' nondisclosure was not substantially justified, because responsive documents appear to exist and the Defendants have not been able to find them. The Defendants have not convinced the Court, with affidavits or otherwise, that they have been diligent in finding responsive documents which appear to exist.
Request for Production No. 25 states: "Please produce all documents that were not already produced from Plaintiff's personnel file and from any other file maintained for Plaintiff by any of the Defendants, including but not limited to any documents related to unemployment claims and benefits." RFP, Request No. 25.
At the hearing, Ms. Stephenson stated that the Defendants did not dispute that they did not address this discovery request in their Response. She stated that the Defendants were continuing to try to get unemployment compensation documents from the third-party provider who handled unemployment compensation claims during the relevant time period. She stated that, because of the delay in getting the documents, the Defendants tried another approach. She stated that the Defendants tried to subpoena the unemployment compensation file from the Department of Work Force Solutions ("DWFS"). She stated that the DWFS advised them that they could not and would not release anything in response to a subpoena, and that the Defendants needed a signed release from Walker to obtain the file. Ms. Stephenson stated that the Defendants sent a release to Walker's counsel for Walker's signature. Ms. Stephenson stated that, if Walker would sign the release, it might expedite obtaining any documents still in the DWFS' custody. Walker's counsel, Daniel Yohalem, represented that Walker would execute the release.
For the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, the Court will order the Defendants to produce documents responsive to Walker's request. Given counsels' representations regarding the release, it appears that the Defendants will soon be able to produce the unemployment file. The Court also orders the Defendants to produce any other documents responsive to this request that they have not previously produced. The Defendants must produce these documents by 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2011. The Court finds that the Defendants' nondisclosure was substantially justified, because they have attempted various approaches to obtain responsive documents.
RFP, Request No. 26. The Defendants produced an Extract of Billings by Bannerman & Johnson, P.A. FCC and Andujo, filed April 4, 2010 (Doc. 1, Ex. B) as an example of their proposed response. The Extract of Billings listed the date, the attorney, the hours billed, amount billed, and a description of the work. The Defendants redacted certain information in the description section. The Court believes that the Extract of Billings demonstrates a good-faith effort to produce responsive documents. For these reasons, and the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, the Court will order the Defendants to produce documents responsive to this request in the format which they used in the Extract of Billings. The Defendants must produce these documents by 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2011. The Court orders the Defendants, however, to amend the entry for August 16, 2010 in the Extract of Billings, which states: "review multiple emails REDACTED regarding REDACTED REDACTED, REDACTED, other REDACTED REDACTED and REDACTED." Extract of Billings at 1. The Court will order the Defendants to provide more information in this entry following the word "regarding." After the word "regarding," the Defendants can: (i) put something in brackets that they think preserves their work product or the attorney-client privilege; or (ii) give what the electronic mail transmissions were regarding. The Court believes that Walker is entitled to something which resembles a privilege log so that she can make a decision whether she needs more information or whether she is content with the information she has. Once the Defendants have produced these documents in the format in which they produced the Extract of Billings, Walker should review the documents. If she needs further information, she should first speak to the Defendants, and the parties should attempt to resolve the issue. If the parties cannot resolve the issue, however, the parties may seek the Court's help. Other than the extent to which the Court has granted Walker's request — in which it ordered the Defendants to produce redacted documents in the form of the Extract of Billings — the Court will deny Walker's request without prejudice to her renewing her request at a later time. The Court finds that the Defendants' response was partially substantially justified, because they attempted, in good faith, to provide Walker with a process that would provide her with the information she sought. The heavy redactions in the information they provided, however, were not all substantially justified.
Request No. 27 seeks "all documents showing to whom each bill for attorneys' services was sent for all work counter-plaintiffs contend is part of their damages, including all documents showing which entity or person paid each such bill and the date and amount of each such payment." RFP, Request No. 27. The request appears reasonable. For these reasons, and the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, the Court will order the Defendants to produce documents responsive to this request — whatever documents they sent out as far as bills, including any documents showing that the bills were paid. The Defendants need not produce all responsive documents, but they must produce documents that give Walker the information she seeks. The Defendants must produce these documents by 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2011. The Court finds that the Defendants' nondisclosure was not substantially justified.
Interrogatory No. 20 states: "Please identify each element of damages claimed by Defendants in their counterclaims and for each element of damages described in detail how the damage was caused, all witness [sic] to the events that caused the damages and the amount of damage claims." Defendant Fundamental Administrative Services, LLC's Answers to Plaintiff's Second Interrogatories Interrogatory No. 20, filed March 4, 2011 (Doc. 220-2)("Interrogatories"). In their answer, the Defendants state that this interrogatory is premature in part. The information Walker seeks includes information that parties must give in their initial disclosures, and the Court believes that the Defendants must certainly give this information in response to an interrogatory. For these reasons, and the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, the Court will thus order the Defendants to amend their answer to Interrogatory No. 20. Although this information will change as litigation proceeds, the Defendants must give the available information now and update the answer as litigation proceeds. The Court will thus overrule the Defendants' objections to Interrogatory No. 20, and will require the Defendants to amend their answer. The Defendants must amend their answer by 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2011. The Court finds that the Defendants' response was not substantially justified.
Request No. 28 seeks "all documents, other than those produced in response to Requests No. 26 and 27 above, that you contend support each claim of damages identified in answer to Interrogatory No. 20." RFP, Request No. 28. The Court will deny without prejudice Walker's motion to compel documents in response to Request No. 28. Once Walker receives the Defendants' billing data, bills, and checks, she should review the materials. If she needs other documents, she may attempt to resolve the matter with opposing counsel. If the parties cannot reach a resolution, Walker may renew this request. The Court finds that the Defendants' nondisclosure was substantially justified.
Interrogatory No. 19 states: "Please identify each person who participated in the decision to file the counterclaim and the date said decision was made." Interrogatory No. 19. At the hearing, Walker represented that she wanted the name of the person at corporate headquarters who made the call to file the counterclaim. For the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, the Court will overrule the Defendants' objections to this interrogatory, and will order the Defendants to amend their answer. The Defendants must amend their answer by 5:00 p.m. June 27, 2011. The Court finds that the Defendants' response was not substantially justified.
Walk requests that the Court award her attorneys' fees associated with bringing this motion. Rule 37(a)(5)(A) provides that, if a party's motion to compel under rule 37 is granted "the court must . . . require the party . . . whose conduct necessitated the motion, the party or attorney advising that conduct, or both to pay the movant's reasonable expenses incurred in making the motion, including attorney's fees." Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(5)(A). Rule 37(a)(5)(A) further states that the Court must not order this payment if "the opposing party's nondisclosure, response, or objection was substantially justified." Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(5)(A)(ii). The Court granted Walker's motion in part and denied Walker's motion in part. Although the Court granted many of Walker's requests, it found that approximately a third of the Defendants' nondisclosures or responses were substantially justified. The Court will therefore award Walker two-thirds of the reasonable attorneys' fees and costs her counsel incurred in filing the motion and attending the motion hearing.