Auguiste v. Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County et al

Filing 28

MINUTE ORDER by the US Magistrate Judge Mark L Carman. (Court Staff, sjbo)

FILED

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF WYOMING

1:01 pm, 6/4/24

LEX AUGUISTE,

Margaret Botkins
Clerk of Court

WůĂŝŶƟī͕
vs.

Case No. 1:23-cv-00105-SWS

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OF SWEETWATER
COUNTY, MEGAN JACOBSEN GUESS, also
known as Megan Jocobson,
Defendants.
MINUTE ORDER
MINUTE ORDER entered by the Honorable Mark L. Carman.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:
On May 29, 2024, the Honorable Mark L. Carman held an informal discovery conference
with counsel Gregory Asay, ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ WůĂŝŶƟī, and Randall Rea, for the Defendants. The ƉĂƌƟĞƐ
ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐĞĚĮǀĞƐĞƉĂƌĂƚĞƚŽƉŝĐƐƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐWůĂŝŶƟī͛ƐŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌŝĞƐ or requests for more discovery.
dŚĞ ĮƌƐƚƚŽƉŝĐ ǁĂƐ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ #15 interrogatory ƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐ ĞůĞĐƚƌŽŶŝĐ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ
ƐƉĞĐŝĮĐĂůůLJŶĂŵĞĚŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐǁŝƚŚŝŶƚŚĞƟŵĞĐŽŶƐƚƌĂŝŶƚŽĨƉƌŝůϭ͕ϮϬϮϭƚŽ:ĂŶƵĂƌLJϭ͕ϮϬϮϮ. The
ƐƉĞĐŝĮĐ ƐĞĂƌĐŚ ƚĞƌŵƐ ǁĞƌĞ͗ ďƵůůLJŝŶŐ͕ ďƵůůLJ͕ ďůĂĐŬ ŵĂŶ͕ ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƚĞ͕ ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƟŽŶ͕ ŐĂLJ͕ ĂŶĚ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ
ŐŝǀĞŶŶĂŵĞ͘ĞĨĞŶƐĞĞdžƉůĂŝŶĞĚƚŚĞůŝŵŝƚĂƟŽŶƐŽĨƚŚĞƐĞĂƌĐŚĞŶŐŝŶĞĨŽƌĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚ͛ƐĞŵĂŝůƐLJƐƚĞŵ͕
ŵŽƌĞƐƉĞĐŝĮĐĂůůLJƚŚĞĞdžĐĞƐƐŝǀĞĂŵŽƵŶƚŽĨŶŽŶ-ƌĞůĂƚĂďůĞĞŵĂŝůĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐƚŚĂƚĂƌĞŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚ
ǁŚĞŶƵƟůŝnjŝŶŐƚŚĞWůĂŝŶƟī͛ƐŐŝǀĞŶŶĂŵĞ͘dŚĞŽƵƌƚORDERS Defendants to provide the results of
the following search terms by June 7, 2024͗ďƵůůLJŝŶŐ͕ďƵůůLJ͕ďůĂĐŬŵĂŶ͕ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƚĞ͕ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƟŽŶ͕ŐĂLJ͕
ĂŶĚŝŶƟŵŝĚĂƟŽŶ. Furthermore, if certain documents have been reviewed that inclƵĚĞWůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ
given name, those shall be included in the documents being produced. dŚĞƉĂƌƟĞƐĂƌĞǁĞůĐŽŵĞĚ
ƚŽ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŽƵƌƚ ŝĨ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞŐĂƌĚ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĞdžĂŵŝŶĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ
supplied documents.
dŚĞŶĞdžƚƚŽƉŝĐĚĞĂůƚǁŝƚŚWůĂŝŶƟī͛ƐηϲŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌLJƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐĂŶLJĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƚŚĂƚ
ƌĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ ŶĂŵĞ ĨƌŽŵ ďŽĂƌĚ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ͕ ŚƵŵĂŶ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟǀĞƐ͕ ĞdžĞĐƵƟǀĞ ƚĞĂŵ
members, managerial or supervisory individuals, and co-workers. Defendants argued the
interrogatory was worded overly broad, and the Court disagreed, but made clear if Defendants
ǁĂŶƚƚŽĮůĞĂŵŽƟŽŶŽďũĞĐƟŶŐƚŽƚŚĞŽƵƌƚ͛ƐĚĞƚĞƌŵŝŶĂƟŽŶƚŚĞLJŵĂLJĚŽƐŽ͘dŚĞŽƵƌƚKZZS
Defendants to produce the search results and/or a privilege log for any missing documents.
dŚĞ ƚŚŝƌĚ ƚŽƉŝĐ ĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ ηϭϮ ŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌLJ͕ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƟŶŐ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ŽŶ ĂŶLJ
grievances raised between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, either internally or externally,
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ŝŶǀŽůǀŝŶŐWůĂŝŶƟīǁŚŝůĞŚĞǁĂƐǁŽƌŬŝŶŐĂƚDĞŵŽƌŝĂůHospital of Sweetwater County. Defendants
ƐƚĂƚĞ ƚŚĞLJ ŚĂǀĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞĚ ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝǀĞ ƚŽ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƚ͕ LJĞƚ WůĂŝŶƟī states
ĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚŚĂƐŶŽƚŝĚĞŶƟĮĞĚƚŚĞĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚǁŚŝĐŚĂƌĞin response to this request. The
ŽƵƌƚKZZ^ĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚƐƚŽŝĚĞŶƟĨLJǁŚŝĐŚĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐĂƌĞƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝǀĞƚŽƚŚĞŝŶƋƵŝƌLJ. Defendants
ƐŚĂůůƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚŝƌĞĐƟŽŶĂƐƚŽƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝǀĞĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐďLJ:ƵŶĞϳ͕ϮϬϮϰ͘
The fourth topic dealt with missing pages or gaps in the Bates numbering for discovery.
ĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚĞdžƉůĂŝŶĞĚŝƚƐĂƚĞƐŶƵŵďĞƌŝŶŐƐLJƐƚĞŵ͘EŽĨƵƌƚŚĞƌĂĐƟŽŶis required by Court.
&ŝŶĂůůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ĮŌŚ ƚŽƉŝĐ ĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ ŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌLJ ηϯ͘ WůĂŝŶƟī ĂƐŬĞĚ ĨŽƌ Ăůů
performance write-ups, suspensions, or other complaints made regarding other similarly situated
OBGYN doctors working at DĞŵŽƌŝĂů ,ŽƐƉŝƚĂů ŽĨ ^ǁĞĞƚǁĂƚĞƌ ŽƵŶƚLJ͘ dŽ ĚĞĨĞŶƐĞ ĐŽƵŶƐĞů͛Ɛ
knowledge, there were no performance issues regarding either doctor. The Court ORDERS
Defendants to ĐŽŶĮƌŵ the lack of any complaints or other performance issues regarding the other
similarly situated OBGYN doctors and provide ŝƚƐĐŽŶĮƌŵĂƟŽŶ ƚŽWůĂŝŶƟīďLJ:ƵŶĞϳ͕ϮϬϮϰ͘
Dated this 4th day of June, 2024.

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