Court Opinion

ID: 9629011
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 09:35:51.131919+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:14.389619
License: Public Domain

TRAYNOR, J., Concurring and Dissenting.
The primary object of the attorney-client privilege is to encourage the client to make a full disclosure of all the facts to his attorney. To achieve this object it is proper that the client should be allowed to employ whatever means of communication are necessary accurately to inform his attorney of the facts. (City & County of San Francisco v. Superior Court, 37 Cal.2d 227, 235-237 [231 P.2d 26, 25 A.L.R.2d 1418], and cases and authorities cited.) Accordingly, the privilege is not lost if the client casts his communication in the form of reports compiled by him or his agents for that purpose. Moreover, *511in this respect there is no logical difference between an oral or written report of what the client or his agent saw and a photograph taken for the purpose of communicating the scene to the attorney. On the other hand, a document, report, or photograph that would otherwise be admissible in evidence does not become privileged merely because the client delivers it to his attorney. Unless a report or photograph is created for the purpose of communicating information to the attorney, it cannot have the character of a privileged communication when it comes into existence and accordingly cannot become privileged if it is later delivered to the attorney. (See 8 Wig-more on Evidence [3d ed.], § 2307, p. 594.)
No problem is presented if it is clear that the only purpose of preparing a report is to communicate it to the attorney. In many situations, however, reports will be made for other purposes as well. The question arises, therefore, whether the existence of purposes for preparing reports in addition to that of communicating with the attorney will defeat the privilege. This question may only be answered by evaluating the relative importance of the purposes present in the light of the object of the privilege, bearing in mind that it “is strictly construed, since it suppresses relevant facts that may be necessary for a just decision.” (City & County of San Francisco v. Superior Court, supra, 37 Cal.2d 227, 234.)
If the purposes other than that of communicating facts to the attorney are so minor that the client would not create reports if no communication were contemplated, the existence of such purposes should not defeat the privilege. In such cases to encourage full disclosure it is necessary to encourage the creation of the reports, and accordingly, the object of the privilege is served by making them privileged. If, on the other hand, reasons unrelated to the seeking of legal advice or service would cause the client to create reports, they should not be privileged. In such cases the reports would be created in any event, and accordingly, whether or not they were privileged would not affect their being created. It follows, therefore, that in any case where reports are made, not only for the purpose of communicating to the attorney, but for other purposes as well, the object of the privilege is subserved only by making those reports privileged that would not be created but for the purpose of communication.
In the present case it is true that one reason the municipal railway secures accident reports from its employees and takes *512controlling question, however, is whether it would secure the reports and take the photographs in any event. The municipal railway is in the business of transportation and is required to exercise “the utmost care and diligence” toward its customers. (Civ. Code, §2100.) It is under a duty to employ careful drivers and acquire and maintain safe equipment. When an accident occurs it must make an investigation of the facts, not only for the purposes of litigation that may arise therefrom, but also to enable it to eliminate careless drivers, maintenance men, and dangerous and defective equipment. It would be subject to a charge of continuing negligence in the operation of its system if it did not do so. Under these circumstances the trial court was justified in concluding that the accident reports and photographs would be made regardless of the purpose of communicating facts to the railway’s attorney, and accordingly, they should not be privileged.
I concur in the conclusion of Mr. Justice Shenk that plaintiff’s statement was not privileged.
I would deny the writ in its entirety.