Opinion ID: 1621259
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Dispute Over the Case File

Text: ¶ 23. The Edmondses also raise four issues related to their dispute with Healy over their case file. The issues raised on appeal related to the Edmondses' case file are set out as follows: Issue No. 6: Do the Edmondses own the case file Healy created concerning Edmonds v. Williamson, or does Healy, the lawyer, own the case file? Issue No. 7: If the Edmondses own the case file and if Healy wants to retain a copy of the file, do the Edmonds [sic] have to pay for the copy for Healy's benefit or does Healy have to pay for the copy? Issue No. 8: If the Edmondses own the case file, does Healy have a duty to provide all of the contents of the case file to the Edmondses or may Healy withhold work product or other documents? Issue No. 9: During the course of representing the Edmondses in Edmonds v. Williamson, Healy provided to the Edmondses copies of documents that form a part of the case file. If the Edmondses own the case file, does Healy have a duty to provide the Edmondses with a document if, in the course of the representation of the Edmondses, Healy previously provided the Edmondses with a copy of the document? ¶ 24. As stated above, in deciding the Edmondses' motion to compel delivery of the case file, the trial court ordered Healy to make the Edmondses' case file available to them in its entirety for copying at the Edmondses' expense, to return any original papers or property that the Edmondses delivered to Healy, and to pay costs associated with copying any of the Edmondses' original papers or property if he wished to retain a copy. ¶ 25. On appeal, the Edmondses argue that the trial court erred by entering this order because, as clients, their case file is their property. They further argue that the trial court erred by requiring them to bear the copying costs. They also maintain that Healy may not withhold any part of their case file, such as attorney work product. Lastly, they argue that Healy must produce their entire case file even if he previously gave them copies of portions of the documents in their case file. ¶ 26. Healy argues that the trial court's order should be affirmed and that it was a reasonable, ethical, and practical solution to the dispute between himself and the Edmondses. Healy states that he does not have a separate client file for the Edmondses and that there is a single, unified case file for multiple clients. He therefore argues that he cannot practically or ethically turn over this entire unified file to the Edmondses. Healy claims that the duty of a withdrawing attorney to return the entire case file to the client is not absolute. He further maintains that it is ethical for an attorney to charge his client for copying costs. ¶ 27. The last two arguments raised by the Edmondses (issues eight and nine) are not properly before this Court at this time. While issues six and seven challenge the propriety of the trial court's order, which this Court may review, issues eight and nine do not identify errors made by the trial court in its decision regarding the case file. Furthermore, there is no evidence in the record, and the Edmondses do not allege on appeal, that Healy has attempted to violate the trial court's order by preventing them from accessing all of the documents in their case file, including attorney work product and documents previously copied and given to the Edmondses. Thus, these issues are premature and preemptive in nature, and thus not ripe for review. Cf. Thoms v. Thoms, 928 So.2d 852, 855 (Miss.2006) (finding that appellant's claim that requiring him to submit to genetic testing violated his constitutional rights was premature and not ripe for review because appellant had not yet been required to undergo genetic testing); Tinnon v. Martin, 716 So.2d 604, 613 (Miss. 1998) (finding that defendants' claim that Mississippi Rule of Evidence 503(f) is unconstitutional was not ripe for review because no trial level proceedings in the case had yet been held pursuant to Rule 503(f), but addressing the issue for reasons of judicial economy). Therefore, this Court does not address issues eight and nine. ¶ 28. We now turn to issues six and seven, which assert that the trial court erred in its order regarding the Edmondses' case file. The trial court's grant or denial of a motion to compel is subject to an abuse of discretion standard of review on appeal. Elec. Data Sys. Corp. v. Miss. Div. of Medicaid, 853 So.2d 1192, 1209 (Miss.2003) (citing Taylor Mach. Works, Inc. v. Great Am. Surplus Lines Ins. Co., 635 So.2d 1357, 1363 (Miss.1994)). Mississippi Rule of Professional Conduct 1.16(d) clearly states: Upon termination of representation, a lawyer shall take steps to the extent reasonably practicable to protect a client's interest, such as giving reasonable notice to the client, allowing time for employment of other counsel, surrendering papers and property to which the client is entitled and refunding any advance payment that has not been earned. The lawyer may retain papers relating to the client to the extent permitted by other law. Miss. Rules of Prof'l Conduct R. 1.16(d) (emphasis added). ¶ 29. In this case, the record indicates that the Edmondses have copies of a large portion, if not all, of their case file. Healy represents that, following his withdrawal, the Edmondses made as many as ten trips to his law office to review their file and to make copies of documents at Healy's expense. At times the Edmondses stayed overnight in a hotel and, on some occasions, on Healy's personal boat. Healy represents that the Edmondses also kept copies of all file materials that they considered important during the course of the litigation, that Healy provided the Edmondses copies of all of the depositions taken in their case, and that the Edmondses were in attendance at most of these depositions. The Edmondses do not dispute the fact that they copied the documents they wanted at Healy's office on various occasions at his expense, that they are in possession of much of their case file already, or that they attended most of the depositions taken in their case. Also, Edmonds admitted at the hearing for Healy's motion to withdraw that most of the documents in the case file were duplicates. [6] ¶ 30. Given the facts of this case, this Court finds that the trial court acted within its discretion when ordering Healy to provide the Edmondses access to the entire file for them to copy at their expense and when ordering Healy to return the original papers and property belonging to the Edmondses and to pay for the copying costs if he wished to retain a copy of their original papers or property. Under the circumstances, the trial court's order comports with Rule 1.16(d) in that it requires Healy to do what is reasonably practicable in order to protect the Edmondses' interest. See Miss. Rules of Prof'l Conduct R. 1.16(d). Therefore, the trial court's order regarding the case file will be affirmed.