Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_09-cv-02089/USCOURTS-cand-5_09-cv-02089-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 310
Nature of Suit: Airplane Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California 

** E-filed June 17, 2010 ** 

NOT FOR CITATION 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN JOSE DIVISION 

CHAD NICHOLAS, 

 Plaintiff, 

 v. 

UNITED AIRLINES, INC., and DOES 1-50, 

inclusive, 

 

 Defendants. 

____________________________________/

No. C09-02089 RS (HRL) 

ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S 

MOTION TO COMPEL 

DEPOSITIONS OF HOWARD 

FRIEDMAN AND A FRCP 30(b)(6) 

DESIGNEE 

[Re: Docket No. 30] 

Plaintiff Chad Nicholas (“Nicholas”) alleges that he injured his back on September 5, 2007 

during the landing of a flight operated by United Airlines, Inc. (“United”). His claims against 

United include chronic pain, an attention deficit as a result of the pain, and emotional distress. 

Previously, this Court ordered Nicholas to undergo neuropsychological testing with 

neuropsychologist Dr. Howard Friedman as well as to be examined by psychiatrist Dr. Bernard 

Rappaport. (Docket No. 26.) The order further specified that Dr. Friedman would not testify in this 

case, but that Dr. Rappaport (who will testify) could use the results of Dr. Friedman’s testing to help 

develop his opinion. (Id.) 

Nicholas also claims that one of United’s defenses is that Nicholas was not wearing his 

seatbelt properly during the landing of his flight. (Mot. at 3.) As such, Nicholas told United he 

wanted to depose a United representative about “the duties and responsibilities of flight attendants 

Case 5:09-cv-02089-RS Document 39 Filed 06/17/10 Page 1 of 5
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For the Northern District of California 

for passengers being seatbelted [at the time of Nicholas’s injury]” pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure (“FRCP”) 30(b)(6). (Id.) United refused. (Id.) 

Nicholas now moves this Court to compel the depositions of Dr. Friedman and a FRCP 

30(b)(6) United representative about seatbelts. 

LEGAL STANDARD 

FRCP 26(b)(1) provides that “[p]arties may obtain discovery regarding any nonprivileged 

matter that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense . . . .” FED. R. CIV. P. 26(b)(1). However, 

“[o]n motion or on its own, the court must limit the frequency or extent of discovery otherwise 

allowed by these rules or by local rule if it determines that: (i) the discovery sought is unreasonably 

cumulative or duplicative, or can be obtained from some other source that is more convenient, less 

burdensome or less expensive; (ii) the party seeking discovery has had ample opportunity to obtain 

the information by discovery in the action; or (iii) the burden or expense of the proposed discovery 

outweighs its likely benefit, considering the needs of the case, the amount in controversy, the 

parties’ resources, the importance of the issues at stake in the action, and the importance of the 

discovery in resolving the issues.” FED. R. CIV. P. 26(b)(2)(C). 

Ordinarily, an expert who has been retained or specially employed by a party in anticipation 

of litigation or to prepare for trial and who is not expected to be called as witness at trial is not 

subject to deposition by another party. FED. R. CIV. P. 26(b)(4)(B). Indeed, a party may do so only: 

(i) as provided in Rule 35(b); or (ii) upon showing exceptional circumstances under which it is 

impracticable for the party to obtain facts or opinions on the same subject by other means.” FED. R.

CIV. P. 26(b)(4)(B). 

“Courts considering the applicability of the ‘exceptional circumstances’ exception to the 

protections of [FRCP] 26(b)(4)(B) have repeatedly held that the existence of either of two situations 

warrants the imposition of the exception: (1) the object or condition observed by the non-testifying 

expert is no longer observable by an expert of the party seeking discovery, or (2) although it is 

possible to replicate expert discovery on a contested issue, the cost of doing so is ‘judicially 

prohibitive.’” Cooper v. Meridian Yachts, Ltd., No. 06-61630-CIV, 2008 WL 2229552, at *5 (S.D. 

Fla. May 28, 2008) (internal citations omitted) (collecting cases). 

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United States District Court

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DISCUSSION

A. Deposition of Dr. Friedman

Nicholas argues that the first type of exceptional circumstance — that there are objects or 

conditions observed by the non-testifying expert that are no longer observable by an expert of the 

party seeking discovery — applies here. The gist of Nicholas’s argument is that because Dr. 

Rappaport will base his testimony on Dr. Friedman’s testing, it is necessary to depose Dr. Friedman 

to discover information about the testing in order to effectively cross-examine Dr. Rappaport. (Mot. 

at 4-6.) Specifically, he argues that only Dr. Friedman “knows what he did to the data” and 

observed Nicholas during the tests — that is, “[o]nly Dr. Friedman knows his test selections, test 

scoring, normative values selected and used and his unique interpretation of the test results” and 

“the efforts exerted by [Nicholas] during the test.” (Id. at 4-5.) Nicholas’s counsel represents 

(without submitting a supporting declaration from his own neuropsychologist expert) that this is 

particularly important because neuropsychological testing and the interpretation of the results is 

“very subjective in nature.” (Id. at 5.) 

United responds that exceptional circumstances do not exist. It cites to a case for the point 

that exceptional circumstances may exist where a non-testifying expert’s report has been used by a 

testifying expert as the basis for his or her opinion or where there is evidence of substantial 

collaborative work between a testifying expert and a non-testifying expert. See Estate of Manship v. 

United States, 240 F.R.D. 229 (M.D. La. 2006). It argues that because Dr. Friedman will not create 

an expert report upon which Dr. Rappaport will rely and because there has not been “substantial 

collaboration” between the two doctors, this is not a case with exceptional circumstances. (Opp’n. 

at 3.) 

This Court is not persuaded that exceptional circumstances exist here. In ordering Nicholas 

to undergo neuropsychological testing by Dr. Friedman, this Court did not envision that Dr. 

Friedman’s examination would entail much more than the gathering of data for presentation to Dr. 

Rappaport. And given the information provided in the moving papers and at the motion hearing, the 

Court remains skeptical of the “very subjective” nature of Dr. Friedman’s testing and interpretation 

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United States District Court

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of the results therefrom. Accordingly, this Court does not find exceptional circumstances which 

would warrant compelling the deposition of Dr. Friedman. 

B. Deposition of a FRCP 30(b)(6) United Representative 

Nicholas’s argument regarding a FRCP 30(b)(6) deponent is simple: he contends that United 

claims as a defense that he was not properly wearing his seatbelt during landing and, thus, under 

FRCP 26(b)(1), he may obtain discovery regarding any nonprivileged matter that is relevant to it. 

Specifically, he seeks to depose a United representative about the “duties and responsibilities of 

flight attendants for passengers being seatbelted [at the time of Nicholas’ injury].” (Motion at 6.) 

United responds that Nicholas has already taken two lengthy depositions of two of the four 

flight attendants aboard Nicholas’s flight (one of whom testified at length about this subject) and 

that he also will be deposing the remaining members of the flight crew. (Id at 5.) In other words, 

Nicholas has an entire United flight crew to provide him with the testimony he seeks with his 

request for a FRCP 30(b)(6) deponent. 

Given the Court’s obligation under FRCP 26(b)(2)(C) to limit discovery when it can be 

obtained from some other source that is more convenient, less burdensome or less expensive than 

that requested, this Court believes that Nicholas can get the information he seeks from the members 

of the flight crew he has deposed and will depose in the normal course. 

Based on the foregoing, Plaintiff’s motion to compel is hereby DENIED. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: June 17, 2010 

HOWARD R. LLOYD 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California 

C09-02089 RS (HRL) Notice will be electronically mailed to: 

Elizabeth D. Rhodes erhodes@kennmark.com, aroque@kennmark.com 

Kymberly E. Speer kspeer@kennmark.com, jcrowley@kennmark.com, 

snelson@kennmark.com 

Mark B. O'Connor mbo@shea-shea.com 

Michael Murt Shea mms@shea-shea.com 

Michael Murt Shea , Jr mmsjr@shea-shea.com, lo@shea-shea.com, 

nhancock@shea-shea.com, rr@shea-shea.com 

Counsel are responsible for distributing copies of this document to co-counsel who have not 

registered for e-filing under the court’s CM/ECF program. 

 

Case 5:09-cv-02089-RS Document 39 Filed 06/17/10 Page 5 of 5