Case Name: A. H. ROBINS COMPANY, INC., Appellant, v. Marjorie DEVEREAUX and Jack Devereaux, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1982-04-13
Citations: 415 So. 2d 30
Docket Number: No. 81-2481
Parties: A. H. ROBINS COMPANY, INC., Appellant, v. Marjorie DEVEREAUX and Jack Devereaux, Appellees.
Judges: Before HUBBART, C. J., and FERGUSON, J. and MELVIN, WOODROW M. (Ret.), Associate Judge.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 415
Pages: 30–34

Head Matter:
A. H. ROBINS COMPANY, INC., Appellant, v. Marjorie DEVEREAUX and Jack Devereaux, Appellees.
No. 81-2481.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
April 13, 1982.
Rehearing Denied June 30, 1982.
Blackwell, Walker, Gray, Powers, Flick & Hoehl and James E. Tribble and James C. Blecke, Miami, for appellant.
Sibley, Giblin, Levenson & Glaser and Marion E. Sibley, Miami Beach, Herskowitz & Grossman, Miami, for appellees.
Before HUBBART, C. J., and FERGUSON, J. and MELVIN, WOODROW M. (Ret.), Associate Judge.

Opinion:
MELVIN, WOODROW M. (Ret.), Associate Judge.
Appellant seeks reversal of the trial court's order striking its defenses and directing that trial proceed on issue of damages only. The parties will be referred to herein as they appeared in the trial court.
Marjorie Devereaux and her husband, Jack Devereaux, brought suit against A. H. Robins Company, Inc., claiming compensatory and punitive damages for alleged negligence, liability, breach of contract, and conspiracy in the testing, manufacturing, sale and distribution of the Daikon Shield, an intra-uterine contraceptive device. The Defendant answered the complaint April 28, 1981, and the case was set for a two-week jury trial to begin January 18, 1982. A pretrial conference was scheduled for December 14, 1981, with discovery to terminate on that date.
On June 4, 1981, Plaintiff propounded interrogatories to the Defendant which were not answered in due season, and, on July 17, 1981, the Plaintiffs moved the Court to compel the Defendant to answer. This motion was set for hearing before the Court for August 11, 1981. In lieu of the hearing, there was an agreed order entered requiring the Defendant to answer the interrogatories with service on counsel to occur on or before September 1, 1981. This order was entered August 10, 1981.
The Defendant, having failed to answer the interrogatories as required by the agreed order, Plaintiffs on September 17, 1981, moved a second time to compel answers to the interrogatories, and that matter was set for hearing on September 24, 1981.
Thereafter, the Defendant untimely answered some of the interrogatories on September 17, 1981, and raised objections to answering certain of the remaining interrogatories. Thereafter, the Plaintiffs moved to compel the Defendant to answer, and this motion was set for hearing for September 24, 1981.
Again, the trial court entered an order of date September 28, 1981, requiring Defendant to answer those interrogatories to which objection had been presented, and required Defendant to comply with the Court's order by October 9, 1981. Defendant then filed supplemental answer.
On October 15,1981, the Plaintiffs moved to strike defenses presented by the Defendant and, in the alternative, to compel more complete answers to interrogatories. This motion came on to be heard October 22, 1981.
We note here that the Defendant, because of the multitude of litigation concerning the product, had national counsel located in Virginia, who supervised its defense to all litigation in the nation. Trial counsel, as in the case here, would be employed for a particular case. Detailed information as to any subject pertinent to the interrogatories was in the file of the national counsel, and trial counsel was dependent upon that source for requested information.
The Court granted the motion to strike defenses. The record reveals the following to have transpired at the hearing:
"THE COURT: . The matter has been set for a pre-trial conference, when?
MR. GROSSMAN: December 18th, I believe, judge.
THE COURT: December 18th?
MR. GROSSMAN: Somewhere like that, around that time. I believe we have a trial date for January.
THE COURT: Of January. I'm going to grant the motion for sanctions, strike the pleadings, enter a default against the defendant and try it on damages"
And, further:
"THE COURT: These people have not complied with discovery. They have not complied with two court orders and I just don't have time for it.
MR. HOEY: I thought that we were in good faith in supplying this information, I really do, in answer to those questions.
THE COURT: Counsel, after not answering the interrogatories for sixty days, it would appear, and in two court orders, and in looking for it to provide the answers that have still not been provided, three court orders to do the same thing, I don't go with it." (Emphasis supplied.)
The Defendant thereafter filed a motion for reconsideration which the Court on November 12, 1981, heard and thereafter entered an order denying the motion. At the motion hearing the record reveals that the trial court had reviewed the file, heard and considered argument of counsel including Virginia counsel. The record then reveals the following observations by the trial court:
"THE COURT: I understand what you are saying. I guess what is in my mind is how many times does the Court have to order the same thing done before it is adhered to. Once ought to be enough...."
And further:
"(THE COURT:) . I reviewed the record again and, I believe, that the questions asked, particularly with regards to the expert witnesses are indeed material. This matter is set by the pre-trial conference for I think — the pre-trial conference was set in this matter for December 14th, 1981, at 9:30. Discovery to be terminated as of that date. That's about three or four weeks hence.
The defendant at this time (has) submitted what appears to be answers to interrogatories which, I guess, are about six months late.
Counsel, you tell me are you able to pursue discovery in light of the answers to interrogatories, and still keep the same trial date?
MR. GROSSMAN: Absolutely not."
And further:
"THE COURT: . I am going to deny the motion for re-hearing. I find that the questions were material. I find that they could have been answered and after two Court orders, I don't see how a trial judge can administer a case if the orders of Court are not complied with and my ruling stands. The motion is denied." (Emphasis supplied.)
It is noted that when Defendant's motion for reconsideration was presented on November 12, it tendered answers to the interrogatories objected to, even though at the October 22, 1981, hearing the Defendant strongly contended that it was without the ability to procure such answers.
The Rules of Civil Procedure are designed to promote the orderly movement of litigation. The obvious result of the maneuvering by the Defendant to evade answering material interrogatories until the latest possible date was the necessity to postpone the pre-trial conference and the trial which had already been scheduled on the court's calendar for an estimated time of two weeks.
The trial court found, based upon ample evidence, that A. H. Robins Company, Inc. was in effect playing games with the court and with the applicable Rules of Procedure. The docket of the Court was frustrated, judicial time wasted for no reason. Good faith was absent.
We realize that in a situation where a company transacting business on a national basis is faced with a multitude of litigation, there is need to have national counsel and such trial counsel for individual cases as it may wish. However, information may not be withheld from trial counsel that is relevant to giving timely answers to material interrogatories and then evade sanction penalty by claiming a lack of communication.
The trial court has by its order declined to be the victim of any such shell game tactics. This court in the recent case of Watson v. Peskoe, 407 So.2d 954 at 956 (Fla 3rd DCA 1982) and cases therein cited, held that whether to impose the sanction complained of is within the sound discretion of the trial court, and that such exercise of discretion will not be disturbed in the absence of a clear showing of abuse. The only abuse that appears from this record is the abuse inflicted by the Defendant upon the trial court, the Plaintiffs, and the applicable Rules of Civil Procedure.
The trial court did not abuse its discretion by entering the order appealed from, and such order is hereby AFFIRMED.