by Erin M. Young, Hall Booth Smith, PC
A recent Order and Opinion from the North Carolina Business Court establishes that corporate in-house counsel in this state can no longer rely on the mere fact that they are attorneys as a shield from becoming testifying witnesses in litigation. The Court determined that, under the circumstances, a blanket order prohibiting plaintiff from deposing in-house counsel was not justified and the deposition could proceed. In the November 2, 2016 Order and Opinion, Chief Business Court Judge James Gale denied a Motion for Protective Order filed by Acuity Healthcare Holdings, Inc. and Acuity Healthcare, L.P. ("Acuity") in response to plaintiff's request to depose their general counsel and vice president of compliance and risk management.
Background
Plaintiff, Carmita Edison, worked as a respiratory therapist at Mercy Restorative Hospital ("Mercy"), a long-term acute care hospital in Charlotte. Acuity and Mercy jointly employed the plaintiff. Plaintiff alleges that Acuity and Mercy wrongfully terminated her after she filed a complaint with the North Carolina Respiratory care Board regarding poor patient care, incorrect ventilator settings, false documentation, and management failures.
Plaintiff's attorney requested to depose Acuity's general counsel. Acuity, in its Motion for Protective Order, stated that their general counsel provided "general legal advice and counsel to [Acuity] . . . regarding legal compliance and management of legal risk." Acuity's 30(b)(6) designee also identified the general counsel as the person capable of answering questions on topics relevant to the dispute about which the designee had no knowledge.
Plaintiff then served a notice of deposition on Acuity's general counsel to which Acuity responded with a Motion for Protective Order.
Legal Analysis
The Business Court adopted the "Shelton" rule set forth in the Eighth Circuit decision of Shelton v. American Motors Corp., 805 F.2d 1323 (8th Cir.1986 ). A party may depose corporate in-house counsel if they are able to demonstrate that "(1) no other means exist to obtain the information than to depose opposing counsel; (2) the information sought is relevant and nonprivileged; and (3) the information is crucial to the preparation of the case."
In its discretion, the Business Court found that under the Shelton analysis, Acuity's general counsel could be deposed because the deposition was not targeted solely at eliciting information relating to Acuity's litigation strategy, and the deposition would not necessarily result in undue burden or expense. The Court further determined that there was no evidence that counsel had been substantially involved with overseeing the litigation. Additionally, the 30(b)(6) designee identified in-house counsel as the person who could best speak to certain clinical care standards and to consistency among Acuity's hospitals.
Holding
Where defendant's general counsel also served as one of its vice presidents who may have unprivileged knowledge relevant to the case, she may be deposed. The Business Court stated that a blanket order prohibiting general counsel's testimony was unjustified; that Acuity could assert the attorney-client privilege on a question-by-question or subject-by-subject basis.
Future Implications
Neither North Carolina's appellate courts nor the Fourth Circuit have expressly adopted the Shelton rule. However, federal district courts in North Carolina have applied the rule in some cases. The Business Court's adoption of the rule certainly has persuasive implications for other trial courts considering this inquiry. The trend now seems to be that court's will not issue a blanket prohibition on the in-house deposition but will entertain a motion to limit the scope of the deposition.
Though the ruling in this case sounds ominous, you must remember that Acuity's general counsel served in dual capacities – both as general counsel and as vice president of the company's compliance and risk management department. In that regard, she possessed non-privileged, relevant, factual information necessitating her participation in the litigation as a fact witness.
To reduce the possibility of general counsel becoming a deponent, corporations and their in-house counsel can take some proactive measures to reduce the chances of being deposed or to limit the scope of the deposition.
- Do not allow the in-house attorney to act like a fact witness. For example, corporate counsel should avoid signing affidavits or interrogatories as the corporate representative if possible. Participation in factual discovery erodes the line between counsel and fact witness.
- Delineate those written communications that are made solely for the purpose of giving legal advice. Routine business communications do not become privileged solely because they are sent to or copied to in-house counsel. Clearly, identify all written communications seeking or providing legal advice as "confidential" and/or subject to the attorney-client privilege in the event of a request for production or in camera review. Also, only disseminate communications with legal advice to those who have a legitimate "need to know." Have non-legal employees identify communications to in-house counsel as a "request for legal advice."
- If general counsel serves a dual role, avoid discussing legal and business topics in the same communication or forum. Where the in-house counsel wears both a legal hat and a business hat, that automatically increases the likelihood that he/she possesses non-privileged information. Thus, the dual roles should be clearly delineated as much as possible to protect the attorney-client privilege.
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