Opinion ID: 880336
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Photographs and the Subpoena Duces Tecum

Text: The request for photographs and the response was as follows: Request for Production No. 10: All photographs taken of the scene where plaintiff was injured on August 4, 1988, or any of the railroad cars on Track 2 at the time of plaintiff's injury. Response: Defendant will agree to an exchange of photographs at a mutually agreeable time and place. That response, filed in the District Court on October 14, 1988, was nothing less than a denial of production. The production of discoverable photographs cannot be conditioned upon a statement of I will if you will. On this subject the District Court ordered: 2. The defendant is ordered to respond to plaintiff's request for production number 10 by having duplicate photographs made of all photographs taken by the defendant or any of its agent at the scene where plaintiff was injured or of any of the railroad cars at the scene of plaintiff's injury at the time of his injury. These copies should then be sent to the office of the plaintiff's attorney with a bill for the costs of duplication. In the alternative, the defendant's attorneys can send the negatives to plaintiff's attorney who can have duplicate photographs made at his own expense and then return the negatives to the defendant. Under Rule 34(a), M.R.Civ.P., a party may request the production of documents, including photographs. Under Rule 34(b), the request may be made without leave of court. The party upon whom the request is made must serve a written response within the time allowed under Rule 34(b) and if the request is objected to, the reasons for objecting shall be stated. The foregoing response does not include any reasons for objecting to the production of the photographs. Thus, it was that on November 10, 1988, when the deposition of the plaintiff was scheduled to be taken by the defendant, counsel for the plaintiff requested that the photographs be presented to the plaintiff before the deposition was commenced. Counsel for Burlington Northern refused to allow the plaintiff to view the photos before his deposition but stated they would be made available during a recess or after the deposition had been concluded. This, although since October 14, 1988, or earlier, plaintiff was absolutely entitled under the rules to the production of the photographs for his inspection and copying. In fact, in this case, plaintiff was entitled to the production of the photographs and of the statements taken of the witnesses at a much earlier time. On August 26, 1988, plaintiff had procured the issuance of subpoenae to witnesses Steve Bruce, Russ Riley and Greg Loberg. Also issued were subpoenae duces tecum for Dale Roos, Robbie Seward, John A. Sitton, and Rich Wetsch. In the subpoenae duces tecum, the witnesses were required to bring with them to their depositions, among other items, the photographs and the statements taken of the witnesses immediately following the injury. These were not produced at the time of the depositions, although no written objections were filed by the railroad at or prior to the time of the taking of the depositions. Some of these non-party witnesses were told by counsel that as to other statements, they did not have to produce them, and that the witnesses could withhold those statements if they wanted to. The opinion makes no mention of Rule 45, and its affect on this case. Rule 45(d) provides the method of taking the deposition of a witness who is not a party to the action. The rule specifically allows subpoenae commanding the witness to produce and permit inspection and copying of books, papers, documents and tangible things which fall within the scope of the examination permitted by Rule 26(b). Further, under Rule 45(d), if a person objects to the production of documents under a subpoena, that objection must be made in writing within ten days after the service of the subpoena, or at or before the time specified in the subpoena for compliance. Only when objection is made in writing is the party serving the subpoena not entitled to inspect and copy the material unless an order of the court is obtained. Rule 45(f) provides that any person who without adequate excuse fails to obey a subpoena duces tecum served upon him may be deemed in contempt of court. At the depositions of these witnesses, neither the statements nor the photographs were produced, despite the properly served subpoenae duces tecum. We find in Moore's Federal Practice, Vol. 5A pg. 45-20 this statement: A party or witness cannot refuse to obey a subpoena that is validly served on him on the ground that the documents called for are irrelevant or immaterial, or the ground of privilege against self-incrimination, or on any other ground, but should make a motion to quash within the time provided in Rule 45(b). On this subject, Moore felt it proper to quote the language of the late Chief Justice Vincent in United States v. Bryan (1950), 339 U.S. 323, 331, 70 S.Ct. 724, 94 L.Ed. 884: Persons summoned as witnesses by competent authority have certain minimum duties and obligations which are necessary concessions to the public interest in the orderly operation of legislative and judicial machinery. A subpoena has never been treated as an invitation to a game of hare and hounds, in which the witness must testify only if cornered at the end of the chase. If that were the case, then, indeed, the great power of testimonial compulsion, so necessary to the effective functioning of courts and legislatures, would be a nullity. We have often iterated the importance of this public duty, which every person within the jurisdiction of the Government is bound to perform when properly summoned. Plaintiff in this case was proceeding properly under Rule 45 in obtaining discovery and production of documents from a person not a party. Rule 34 deals with the discovery or production of items from a party. Rule 45(b) provides for a subpoena duces tecum to any person, whether or not a party, to produce documents, papers, or other enumerated items at the taking of a deposition or at a hearing or trial. The record here is clear that the railroad not only contumaciously refused to produce documents after a proper request for production under Rule 34; it earlier allowed its witness employees to risk contempt of court in failing to produce those pertinent documents when their depositions were taken after the service upon them of a subpoena duces tecum.