RACETRAC PETROLEUM, INC., PETITIONER,
v.
JULIET GREEN COOPER AND OPW FUELING, ETC., RESPONDENTS

Fla. 5th DCA | 2011-09-23
No. 5D10-3752
ORFINGER, C.J., GRIFFIN and TORPY, JJ., concur.
69 So. 3d 1077 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (2011)

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Synopsis

RaceTrac Petroleum sought relief from an order compelling production of its claims file to allow a former employee (risk manager) to refresh her memory before deposition. The court held that work product protection cannot be overcome merely by a conjectural need to refresh a witness's memory, and quashed the order requiring production at the deposition.


Holding

The court held that an order compelling production of work product to refresh a witness's recollection is improper where the requesting party's showing is entirely conjectural and the witness is capable of recalling facts or where substantially equivalent information is otherwise available.


Headnotes

[1] Production of work product to refresh a witness's memory is permissible only when the evidence is not otherwise available and the showing of necessity is more than conjec…

[2] A party seeking to compel the production of work product to refresh a witness's recollection must demonstrate that the substantial equivalent of the witness's statements…

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Key Quotes

“Although a theoretical case may be made for the production of work product to refresh a witness's memory when the evidence is not otherwise available, thus far, Respondent's showing is entirely conjectural.”

Establishes the high bar for overcoming work product protection; mere theory is insufficient without concrete showing.

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Facts & Procedural History

RaceTrac's former employee, who served as risk manager, apparently assembled or prepared the contents of a claims file. The opposing party scheduled t…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Petitioner seeks relief from an order compelling it to produce its claims file for the ostensible purpose of allowing its former employee to refresh her memory prior to her deposition. Petitioner’s former employee was its risk manager. She apparently assembled or prepared the contents of the claims file. Respondent scheduled *1078her deposition and obtained the challenged order directing Petitioner to produce its claim file at the deposition. For purposes of this proceeding, Respondent conceded that the contents of the claims file are immune from discovery as work product. But see Bankers Sec. Ins. Co. v. Symons, 889 So.2d 93, 96 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004) (not all documents in claims file are privileged). Respondent further conceded that only the deponent will view the file and that no waiver of any privilege will result from the production of the file for this limited purpose. Although a theoretical case may be made for the production of work product to refresh a witness’s memory when the evidence is not otherwise available, thus far, Respondent’s showing is entirely conjectural. See Zaban v. McCombs, 568 So.2d 87, 89 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990) (where witness could recall facts concerning accident, improper to order production of witness’s statements); Adventist Health Sys./Sunbelt, Inc. v. Lake, 556 So.2d 819, 819 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990) (production of work product to refresh recollection of witness erroneous where respondents could have obtained substantial equivalent of witness’s statements). Accordingly, we quash the order under review to the extent that it orders the production of the file at the deposition.

PETITION GRANTED; ORDER QUASHED.

ORFINGER, C.J., GRIFFIN and TORPY, JJ., concur.


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