Opinion ID: 2633477
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: discovery proceedings

Text: As relevant here, Bridget's pretrial discovery included the service of special interrogatories and requests for admission concerning John's sexual history and his awareness of his HIV infection. Bridget also subpoenaed John's medical and employment records. John objected to each and every special interrogatory and request for admission and also filed motions to quash the subpoenas duces tecum. After plaintiff filed motions to compel responses to the interrogatories and requests for admission, the parties stipulated to the appointment of a discovery referee to hear the pending discovery motions and to make nonbinding recommendations. The referee recommended that John's objections be overruled and his motions to quash be denied. The superior court adopted the referee's recommendations. John filed the instant petition for writ of mandate. The Court of Appeal issued an order to show cause and granted the petition as to four interrogatories and two requests for admission, but otherwise denied relief in a published opinion. Because the issue before us concerns the permissible scope of discovery propounded by Bridget, we describe with particularity the discovery requests in controversy and John's objections to them below.
Bridget served special interrogatories that required John to state (1) the name, address, and telephone number of every man with whom he has had sexual relations in the last 10 years; (2) the date of his first sexual encounter with a man; (3) the date of his last sexual encounter with a man; (4) the name, address, and telephone number of every man with whom he has had unprotected sex in the last 10 years; (5) the date on which he first became aware he was HIV positive; (6) the date on which he first became aware he had AIDS; (7) the date on which he first told Bridget that he had engaged in unprotected sex with men; (8) the name, address, and telephone number of every HIV-positive man with whom he has had unprotected sex; (9) the name, address, and telephone number of every man who has AIDS and with whom he has had unprotected sex; (10) the number of sexual encounters with men he has had in the five years prior to his relationship with Bridget; (11) the date of his last sexual encounter with a man prior to the date of his engagement to Bridget; (12) the date of every sexual encounter he had with a man between his engagement to Bridget and the wedding; and (13) the number of sexual encounters he has had with men since he first met Bridget. John objected to each of these interrogatories as burdensome, oppressive, overly broad, and harassing, and claimed that they were an invasion of his right to privacy under the state and federal Constitutions. He also objected to selected interrogatories as violative of the physician-patient privilege (Evid.Code, § 990 et seq.) and Health and Safety Code section 120975. In his responses, John disclosed only that he first discovered he had tested positive for HIV on October 13, 2000. The Court of Appeal granted John's petition for writ of mandate as to interrogatories Nos. 1, 4, 8, and 9, which sought the identities of his previous sexual partners, and denied relief as to the rest. Bridget had asserted a need to discover the identities of these sexual partners on the ground that John might have told these persons he had HIV but, as the Court of Appeal observed, she offered nothing to support the suggestion that John may have disclosed his condition at an undisclosed time to an undisclosed person.
Bridget requested John to admit that (1) he had had unprotected sexual relationships with multiple men in the 10 years prior to meeting Bridget; (2) he never told Bridget before they were married that he had had any sexual relationships with men; (3) he had AIDS prior to the time he first had unprotected sex with Bridget; (4) he knew he had AIDS prior to the time he first had unprotected sex with Bridget; (5) he transmitted AIDS to Bridget; (6) he transmitted HIV to Bridget; (7) he never told Bridget, prior to the time he had unprotected sex with her, that he had had unprotected sexual encounters with men; (8) he knew that his lifestyle prior to the time that he met Bridget put him at risk of acquiring HIV; (9) he never told Bridget, prior to having unprotected sex with her, about his lifestyle of having unprotected sex with men; (10) he continued to have unprotected sexual relationships with men after he was married; (11) prior to his marriage, he hid his sexual relations with men from Bridget; (12) he knew he had a history of having unprotected sexual relations with men that put him at risk of acquiring HIV at the time he accused Bridget of infecting him with HIV; (13) he has AIDS; (14) he knew he had AIDS before he married Bridget; and (15) he hid his sexual relations with men from Bridget before the wedding. John objected to each of these requests as burdensome, oppressive, overly broad, and harassing, and claimed that they were an invasion of his right to privacy under the state and federal Constitutions. He also objected to selected requests as violative of Health and Safety Code section 120975. The Court of Appeal granted John's petition for writ of mandate as to requests Nos. 8 and 9, which referred to his lifestyle, but denied relief as to the rest. The Court of Appeal determined that the word lifestyle was vague and ambiguous and, to the extent it suggested a sexual orientation, impermissibly intruded into John's zone of sexual privacy.
Bridget subpoenaed John's medical records, seeking the results of any HIV and AIDS tests, medical records concerning HIV and AIDS and treatment for those conditions, medical records concerning any and all sexually transmitted diseases since 1980, and medical records concerning any treatment he had received since 1980. Bridget also subpoenaed John's employment records from Universal Studios, including records regarding his medical leave and the reasons therefor and any disability he was suffering from. John filed a motion to quash the subpoenas on the grounds that the subpoenas were not supported by affidavits or declarations as required by Code of Civil Procedure section 1985, subdivision (b) or by good cause; that the records were privileged from discovery under the right to privacy in the state and federal Constitutions; that the records were additionally privileged from discovery under Health and Safety Code section 120975 and Evidence Code sections 994 and 1014; and that the subpoenas constituted harassment. The referee recommended the motions to quash be denied but limited the discoverable medical records relating to treatment since 1980 to those regarding treatment received `for AIDS or HIV infection.' The superior court adopted the referee's recommendation, and the Court of Appeal denied relief as to this part of the order.