Bostick v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
Filing
106
ORDER: Defendant State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company's Motion to Strike Plaintiff's Newly Disclosed Witnesses (Doc. # 89 ) is GRANTED. Signed by Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington on 10/10/2017. (KAK)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
TAMPA DIVISION
LISA N. BOSTICK,
Plaintiff,
v.
Case No. 8:16-cv-1400-T-33AAS
STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE
INSURANCE COMPANY,
Defendant.
________________________________/
ORDER
Lisa N. Bostick, a University of Tampa Professor, was
involved in a car accident on November 14, 2013.
She claims
to have suffered catastrophic and debilitating injuries,
including a traumatic brain injury.
Her insurer, State Farm,
on the other hand, characterizes the accident as a mere
fender-bender with little to no damage to person or property.
The Court held the final pretrial conference on August 17,
2017, and a jury trial is scheduled for October 16, 2017.
At this juncture, State Farm seeks an Order striking
newly disclosed witnesses. (Doc. # 89). Bostick filed a
Response in Opposition to the Motion (Doc. # 98) on August 31,
2017.
I.
The Motion is granted as explained below.
Background
Bostick filed a state court complaint against State Farm
on February 9, 2016, alleging breach of contract and seeking
recovery of uninsured motorist benefits stemming from the
November 14, 2013, car accident. (Doc. # 2).
State Farm
removed the case on June 2, 2016, predicating subject matter
jurisdiction on complete diversity of citizenship. (Doc. # 1).
Bostick filed a Motion to Remand, which the Court denied.
(Doc. ## 11, 20).
The Court held a Case Management Hearing and entered its
Case Management and Scheduling Order on June 29, 2016. (Doc.
# 13).
The Court established December 19, 2016, as the
deadline for Bostick to disclose expert reports and January
23, 2017, as the deadline for State Farm’s expert report
disclosure. (Id.).
The Court set the discovery deadline as
February 28, 2017.
(Id.).
Thereafter, the Court set the
mediation for January 11, 2017, with Robert Lancaster, Esq.
(Doc. # 17).
On the eve of the January 11, 2017 mediation, the
parties
were
unable
to
reach
an
agreement
regarding
a
Compulsory Examination of Bostick under Federal Rule of Civil
Procedure 35. (Doc. ## 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31).
In an
Order issued on December 13, 2016, the Magistrate Judge
remarked that “Plaintiff concedes that Defendant can likely
demonstrate good cause for the requested examination
and
Defendant asserts arguments to show good cause” but concluded
that State Farm did not follow the requirements of the
2
applicable Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (Doc. # 30).
Ultimately, the mediation was delayed because “the parties
agree that the mediation will not be fruitful until the
results of Plaintiff’s medical examination are received.”
(Doc. # 32).
During that time, the parties also requested
various extensions of all applicable deadlines. (Doc. ## 32,
35, 39). After months of delay, the parties mediated on March
13, 2017, but reached an impasse. (Doc. # 40).
On March 14, 2017, the Court issued an Amended Case
Management and Scheduling Order. (Doc. # 41).
Among other
extensions, it augmented the discovery period to April 20,
2017, set an August 17, 2017, pretrial conference, and placed
the case on the September 2017, trial term. (Id.).
At the
pretrial conference, the Court scheduled a second mediation
conference for September 29, 2017. (Doc. ## 91, 93).1
The
Court also moved the case to the October 2017, trial term to
accommodate the parties’ scheduling conflicts. (Doc. # 99).
II.
A Parade of Tardy Disclosures
On March 10, 2017, prior to the expiration of the
discovery deadline, State Farm disclosed to Bostick that State
Farm retained Ronald Fijalkowski, Ph.D. and provided Bostick
1
The second mediation took place on September 29, 2017,
and resulted in an impasse.
3
with Fijalkowski’s address and credentials.
However, State
Farm did not provide Bostick with Fijalkowski’s formal expert
report until April 3, 2017.
The deadline for the disclosure
of Fijalkowski’s expert report was March 10, 2017. (Doc. #
35).
Bostick
moved
the
Court
to
strike
Fijalkowski’s
testimony based on the untimely disclosure of Fijalkowski’s
report.
(Doc. # 45).
The Court denied the Motion on April 7,
2017, because Bostick was not prejudiced by the untimely
disclosure of the expert report:
The purpose of discovery under the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure is to require the timely
disclosure of relevant information to aid in the
ultimate resolution of disputes in a civil action.
United States v. Procter & Gamble Co., 356 U.S.
677, 682 (1958). These Rules “make a trial less a
game of blindman’s bluff and more a fair contest
with the basic issues and facts disclosed to the
fullest practicable extent.” Id. “The concept of
trial by ambush has long ago fallen into desuetude
in both state and federal courts.” Perfect Web
Techs. v. InfoUSA, Inc., No. 07-80286, 2008 U.S.
Dist. LEXIS 20761, at *4-5 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 17,
2008).
Here, the expert was timely disclosed, but his
report was not turned over until after the
deadline.
Although the Court does not condone
tardy disclosures of expert reports, it finds that
State Farm’s delay was substantially justified.
And, because the discovery deadline has not yet
expired, Bostick has the opportunity to gather
relevant information from Fijalkowski to fully
investigate his testimony and theories.
Had the
expert report been disclosed after the discovery
deadline, the result would be different.
(Doc. # 48).
4
At this juncture, State Farm seeks to strike five new
witnesses based on Bostick’s untimely disclosure: Steven
“Rusty” Nisbet, Dr. Steven Wu, Ph.D., Dr. Richard Frederick,
Ph.D., Dr. Shelley Tindell-Nodine, and Dr. Alamelu Murugappan,
M.D.
(Doc. # 89).
and Dr. Frederick.
Bostick responded by withdrawing Nisbet
Thus, the Court will focus on Dr.
Tindell-Nodine, Dr. Murugappan, and Dr. Wu.
III. Legal Standard
Rule 37(c), Fed. R. Civ. P., provides that “if a party
fails to provide information or identify a witness as required
by Rule 26(a) or (e), the party is not allowed to use that
information or witness to supply evidence on a motion, at a
hearing, or at a trial, unless the failure was substantially
justified or is harmless.”
As explained in Mitchell v. Ford
Motor Co., 318 Fed. Appx. 821, 824 (11th Cir. 2009), “[t]he
burden
of
establishing
that
a
failure
to
disclose
was
substantially justified or harmless rests on the nondisclosing
party.”
Furthermore, “in determining whether the failure to
disclose was justified or harmless, [the Court] consider[s]
the non-disclosing party’s explanation for its failure to
disclose, the importance of the information, and any prejudice
to the opposing party if the information had been admitted.”
Lips v. City of Hollywood, 350 Fed. Appx. 328, 340 (11th Cir.
5
2009).
IV.
Analysis
During her February 2, 2017, deposition, Bostick made
mention of Dr. Tindell-Nodine and, in response to the Motion
to Strike, Bostick explains that Dr. Tindell-Nodine “helps Dr.
Bostick
with
her
feelings
of
ideation.” (Doc. # 97 at 3).
insecurity
and
suicidal
Bostick did not include Dr.
Tindell-Nodine in any “formal documents entitled Rule 26
Disclosures.”
Similarly,
(Id.).
Dr.
Murugappan
“is
a
neurologist with Tampa Bay Neurology Clinic, Inc.” (Id. at 5).
Dr. Murugappan started treating Bostick on October 13, 2016,
and Botick mentioned Dr. Murugappan during her February 2,
2017 deposition, but did not formally disclose her as a
witness.
The Court strikes Dr. Tindell-Nodine and Dr. Murugappan
because
Bostick
did
not
disclose
witnesses until August 7, 2017.
these
individuals
as
As explained by State Farm,
neither Dr. Tindell-Nodine nor Dr. Murugappan “were included
in Plaintiff’s Initial, First Amended, or Second Amended Rule
26 Disclosures.” (Doc. # 89 at 4). The discovery deadline
passed on April 20, 2017, and it is too late to re-open
discovery in an effort to allow State Farm the opportunity to
depose these physicians.
6
The Court also strikes Dr. Wu. Bostick explains that Dr.
Wu
is
a
new
treatment
provider,
specifically
he
“is
a
psychologist who began seeking Dr. Bostick on March 14, 2017.”
(Doc. # 98 at 2).
to
“Damages
-
Bostick plans to call Dr. Wu to testify as
Treatment
for
psychological
accident and life stressors.” (Doc. # 89 at 2).
distress
from
However, Dr.
Wu’s care of Bostick began prior to the expiration of the
April 20, 2017, discovery deadline, and, as such, there is no
reason for Bostick to have waited until June 21, 2017, to
disclose Dr. Wu’s identity to State Farm.
As with Dr.
Tindell-Nodine and Dr. Murugappan, Bostick’s decision to name
Dr. Wu as a witness after the expiration of the discovery
deadline deprived State Farm of the option of deposing these
physicians.
As
articulated
by
State
Farm,
“Plaintiff’s
unreasonably late disclosures of the aforementioned witnesses
severely
and
irreparably
prejudices
Defendant
in
the
preparation of its case for trial, as Defendant has no ability
to depose them, or complete any sort of significant discovery,
while conforming with this Court’s Amended Case Management and
Scheduling Order.” (Doc. # 89 at 4)(emphasis in original).
The disclosure of medical providers in a car accident
case months after the passage of the discovery deadline and on
7
the eve of trial is the quintessential “trial by ambush”
tactic.
Bostick has not provided any justification for her
untimely attempt to introduce witnesses at the last minute and
without the opportunity for discovery from the witnesses.
noted,
the
result
of
allowing
Dr.
Tindell-Nodine,
As
Dr.
Murugappan, and Dr. Wu to testify would be severe prejudice to
State Farm.
The Court takes note of the fact that Bostick already has
a plethora of “will call” and “may call” physician witnesses.
Ten of the thirty witnesses Bostick lists in the August 10,
2017, pretrial statement are health care providers. (Doc. # 83
at 5-7).
In addition to these thirty witnesses, Bostick also
has four retained expert witnesses.
Two of her expert
witnesses are physicians. Bostick has a battalion of treating
physicians and medical experts at the ready.
It would be an
unfair
her
and
prejudicial
surprise
to
allow
additional witnesses at this late juncture.
to
enlist
The Motion to
Strike is thus granted.
Accordingly, it is
ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED:
Defendant
Company’s
State
Motion
to
Farm
Mutual
Strike
Automobile
Plaintiff’s
8
Newly
Insurance
Disclosed
Witnesses (Doc. # 89) is GRANTED.
DONE and ORDERED in Chambers in Tampa, Florida, this 10th
day of October, 2017.
9
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