Case Name: Lisa HAMILTON, Petitioner, v. Arlene RAMOS, Respondent
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2001-10-17
Citations: 796 So. 2d 1269
Docket Number: No. 4D01-1352
Parties: Lisa HAMILTON, Petitioner, v. Arlene RAMOS, Respondent.
Judges: STEVENSON, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 796
Pages: 1269–1271

Head Matter:
Lisa HAMILTON, Petitioner, v. Arlene RAMOS, Respondent.
No. 4D01-1352.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Oct. 17, 2001.
John Farina of Boyes & Farina, P.A., West Palm Beach, for petitioner.
Gary Brookmyer of Brookmyer, Hoch-man, Probst & Nadeau, P.A., Palm Beach Gardens, for respondent.

Opinion:
POLEN, C.J.
Petitioner, Lisa Hamilton, seeks certio-rari review of the trial court's order compelling the disclosure of attorney-client communication and the mental impressions, opinion, and fact work product of petitioner's counsel at deposition. We grant the petition, quash the trial court's order, and remand for an in-camera hearing.
The trial court's order compels the answers to the deposition questions despite the petitioner's work product objections, without explanation. As this court has previously explained in Snyder v. Value Rent-A-Car, 736 So.2d 780 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999),
Certiorari lies to review trial court orders compelling production of discovery claimed to be privileged or otherwise protected as work product or attorney-client, as this would present the potential of a departure from the essential requirements of law which would cause material harm for which there is no adequate remedy on final appeal. See Allstate Ins. Co. v. Langston, 655 So.2d 91 (Fla.1995); Martin-Johnson, Inc. v. Savage, 509 So.2d 1097 (Fla.1987); Coyne v. Schwartz, Gold, Cohen, Zakarin & Kotler, P.A., 715 So.2d 1021 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998).
The Snyder Court further discussed Florida Rule of Civil of Procedure 1.280 which governs discovery, including requests for work product and other documents prepared in anticipation of litigation. Under this rule, such information may be obtained only upon a showing that the party seeking discovery "has need of the materials in the preparation of the case and is unable without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the materials by other means."
We hold the trial court erred in rejecting the objection outright. Instead, the trial court should have conducted an in-camera hearing to determine whether the deposition questions elicit information protected by work product.
If at the conclusion of the in-camera hearing the trial court determines answers to the questions posed require the disclosure of work product information, then respondent would have the burden of demonstrating in the trial court the elements of need and inability without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the information. Fla. R. Civ. P. Rule 1.280(b)(3).
PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIO-RARI GRANTED; ORDER QUASHED; REMANDED FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.
STEVENSON, J., concurs.
WARNER, J., dissents with opinion.