Court Opinion

ID: 9758251
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 23:17:32.653424+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:48.551982
License: Public Domain

BAILEY C. MOSELEY,
concurring.
I fully agree with the analysis of the majority concerning the overly broad nature of the order entered by the trial court and believe that Section 74.351 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code trumps the right to take depositions under Rule 202 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure in matters involving healthcare liability claims.
However, I am also convinced that it would be an exercise in judicial economy for this Court to grant Temple’s mandamus in part (as the order would permit *891-895depositions pertaining to healthcare liability claims under Section 74.351) and deny it in part (as the order would apply to a products liability case).
The conditioned grant of mandamus is not a new thing. In Southern Bag & Burlap Company v. Boyd, 120 Tex. 418, 38 S.W.2d 565 (1931), the trial court had ordered the production of documents. The entity which was ordered to produce the documents wanted to appeal, but the trial court refused to set a supersedeas bond. The Texas Supreme Court directed that the trial court’s order be modified so as (1) to allow the agents to make copies only of such documents that related to the litigation; (2) to require that the corporation’s documents be returned to its possession after the agents had examined them and taken certain depositions; and (3) to allow the corporation to have a representative present at all times while the documents were examined.
Very recently, in In re General Agents Insurance Company of America, Inc., 224 S.W.3d 806 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2007, orig. proceeding), the court of appeals granted mandamus conditionally, ordering that a discovery order be amended to permit the redaction of privileged information (including information about insurance reserves).
It is my belief that a more in-depth recitation of the parameters of the permissible scope of an order allowing the proposed depositions would serve to circumvent potential misunderstanding of the position of this Court and reduce the likelihood that the parties would disagree.
Due to looming statutes of limitations, Christophersen’s cause of action has a very limited life span remaining. More detailed explanations of my position could be fleshed out if more time remained in which to conduct the research necessary to support it. However, since the result would be very similar to that reached by the majority, I will allow this succinct statement to serve to state my position so that this matter can be returned to the trial court to be dealt with as expeditiously as possible.