Opinion ID: 1453252
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Plaintiff's Interests.

Text: Plaintiff has a right of access to the courts. In this civil case that right of access includes the right of discovery authorized by the civil rules, subject to the limitations contained therein. [4] Our constitution mandates that [j]ustice in all cases shall be administered openly, and without unnecessary delay. Const. art. 1, § 10. That justice which is to be administered openly is not an abstract theory of constitutional law, but rather is the bedrock foundation upon which rest all the people's rights and obligations. In the course of administering justice the courts protect those rights and enforce those obligations. Indeed, the very first enactment of our state constitution is the declaration that governments are established to protect and maintain individual rights. Const. art. 1, § 1. Const. art. 1, §§ 1-31 catalog those fundamental rights of our citizens. The drafters of our constitution placed such great importance upon rights that they provided: A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual right and the perpetuity of free government. Const. art. 1, § 32. It is important to note that our consideration here is of the right of access. We are not here considering the validity of a theory of recovery. We are not considering legislative or judicial creation or abolition of a cause of action. We are not considering the abrogation or diminishment of a common law right. These are all issues for other cases. See Wiggins, Harnetiaux & Whaley, Washington's 1986 Tort Legislation and the State Constitution: Testing the Limits, 22 Gonz. L. Rev. 193 (1986-1988). Our cases on the right of access are somewhat perplexing. Several cases concern access for the indigent. In O'Connor v. Matzdorff, 76 Wn.2d 589, 458 P.2d 154 (1969), the court waived the filing fee to insure access for the poor. In Iverson v. Marine Bancorporation, 83 Wn.2d 163, 517 P.2d 197 (1973), the court was concerned with fees and costs for an appeal. The court said: The administration of justice demands that the doors of the judicial system be open to the indigent as well as to those who can afford to pay the costs of pursuing judicial relief, and [c]onsistent with our affirmative duty to keep the doors of justice open to all with what appears to be a meritorious claim for judicial relief, we hold that the plaintiff is entitled to the relief requested [waiver of fees and costs]. (Italics ours.) Iverson, at 167-68. In Carter v. UW, 85 Wn.2d 391, 399, 536 P.2d 618 (1975), the plurality opinion held that the right of access to the courts was a fundamental right. The plurality opinion relied on Const. art. 1, § 4, the right of petition, and Const. art. 1, § 12, privileges and immunities. However, the court soon considered the question again in Housing Auth. v. Saylors, 87 Wn.2d 732, 557 P.2d 321 (1976). The Saylors court held that reliance upon the cited constitutional provisions was in error. However, the important point in Saylors is the statement that [a]ccess to the courts is amply and expressly protected by other provisions. Saylors, at 742. Unfortunately, the court did not explore the rationale for its conclusion. A claim for personal injury was afforded the constitutional right of equal protection in Hunter v. North Mason High Sch., 85 Wn.2d 810, 814, 539 P.2d 845 (1975), where the court held: The right to be indemnified for personal injuries is a substantial property right.... The right of access is necessarily accompanied by those rights accorded litigants by statute, court rule or the inherent powers of the court, for example, service of process, RCW 4.28, or statutes of limitation. RCW 4.16 may be in aid of or limitation of a particular cause of action. The merits of a particular action may depend upon statute. E.g., RCW 4.24. The recognition of a particular cause of action may depend upon judicial decisions. E.g., Merrick v. Sutterlin, 93 Wn.2d 411, 610 P.2d 891 (1980) (no parental immunity when child injured as result of negligent driving by parent); Jenkins v. Snohomish Cy. PUD 1, 105 Wn.2d 99, 713 P.2d 79 (1986) (parental immunity applies where injury results from negligent parental supervision of child). These statutes and cases are cited to illustrate that access does not carry with it any guaranty of success, but also to demonstrate that access must be exercised within the broader framework of the law as expressed in statutes, cases, and court rules. The court rules recognize and implement the right of access. The discovery rules, specifically CR 26 and its companion rules, CR 27-37, grant a broad right of discovery which is subject to the relatively narrow restrictions of CR 26(c). This broad right of discovery is necessary to ensure access to the party seeking the discovery. It is common legal knowledge that extensive discovery is necessary to effectively pursue either a plaintiff's claim or a defendant's defense. Thus, the right of access as previously discussed is a general principle, implicated whenever a party seeks discovery. It justifies the limited nature of the exceptions to broad discovery found in CR 26(c). Plaintiff, as the party seeking discovery, therefore has a significant interest in receiving it. [5] This interest is even more pronounced in the present case because of the nature of the information sought. Here, the donor is the only source, besides defendant, of the information plaintiff seeks relative to the adequacy of the blood bank's screening procedures. These procedures are the very heart of plaintiff's negligence claim. Plaintiff has therefore demonstrated not only a general interest in discovery, but also a considerable interest based on his particular circumstances. Thus, plaintiff's right of access to the courts and his concomitant right of discovery must be accorded a high priority in weighing the respective interests of the parties in litigation. Moreover, plaintiff's demonstrated need for discovery under the facts of this case further strengthens his interest in discovery. We now consider the interests advanced by defendant.