Auguiste v. Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County et al

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF WYOMING
LEX AUGUISTE,
WůĂŝŶƟī͕
vs. 	Case No. 1:23-cv-00105-SWS
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OF SWEETWATER
COUNTY, MEGAN JACOBSEN GUESS, also
known as Megan Jocobson,
Defendants.
MINUTE ORDER
MINUTE ORDER entered by the Honorable Mark L. Carman.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:
On May 29, 2024, the Honorable Mark L. Carman held an informal discovery conference
with counsel Gregory Asay, ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ WůĂŝŶƟī, and Randall Rea, for the Defendants. The ƉĂƌƟĞƐ
ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐĞĚĮǀĞƐĞƉĂƌĂƚĞƚŽƉŝĐƐƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐWůĂŝŶƟī͛ƐŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌŝ ĞƐ or requests for more discovery.
dŚĞ ĮƌƐƚƚŽƉŝĐ ǁĂƐ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ #15 interrogatory ƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐ ĞůĞĐƚƌŽŶŝĐ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ
ƐƉĞĐŝĮĐĂůůLJŶĂŵĞĚŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐǁŝƚŚŝŶƚŚĞƟŵĞĐŽŶƐƚƌĂŝŶƚŽĨƉƌŝůϭ͕ϮϬϮϭƚŽ:ĂŶƵĂƌLJϭ͕ϮϬϮϮ . The
ƐƉĞĐŝĮĐ ƐĞĂƌĐŚ ƚĞƌŵƐ ǁĞƌĞ͗ ďƵůůLJŝŶŐ͕ ďƵůůLJ͕ ďůĂĐŬ ŵĂŶ͕ ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƚ 	Ğ͕ ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƟŽŶ͕ ŐĂLJ͕ ĂŶĚ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ
ŐŝǀĞŶŶĂŵĞ͘ĞĨĞŶƐĞĞdžƉůĂŝŶĞĚƚŚĞůŝŵŝƚĂƟŽŶƐŽĨƚŚĞƐĞĂƌĐŚĞŶŐŝ ŶĞĨŽƌĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚ͛ƐĞŵĂŝůƐLJƐƚĞŵ͕
ŵŽƌĞƐƉĞĐŝĮĐĂůůLJƚŚĞĞdžĐĞƐƐŝǀĞĂŵŽƵŶƚŽĨŶŽŶ-ƌĞůĂƚĂďůĞĞŵĂŝůĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐƚŚĂƚĂƌĞŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚ
ǁŚĞŶƵƟůŝnjŝŶŐƚŚĞWůĂŝŶƟī͛ƐŐŝǀĞŶŶĂŵĞ͘dŚĞŽƵƌƚ ORDERS Defendants to provide the results of
the following search terms by June 7, 2024͗ďƵůůLJŝŶŐ͕ďƵůůLJ͕ďůĂĐŬŵĂŶ͕ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƚĞ͕ƌĞƚĂůŝĂƟŽŶ͕ŐĂLJ͕
ĂŶĚŝŶƟŵŝĚĂƟŽŶ. Furthermore, if certain documents have been reviewed that inclƵĚĞWůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ
given name, those shall be included in the documents being produced. dŚĞƉĂƌƟĞƐĂƌĞǁĞůĐŽŵĞĚ
ƚŽ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŽƵƌƚ ŝĨ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞŐĂƌĚ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĞdžĂŵŝŶĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ
supplied documents.
dŚĞŶĞdžƚƚŽƉŝĐĚĞĂůƚǁŝƚŚWůĂŝŶƟī͛ƐηϲŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌLJƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐ ĂŶLJĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƚŚĂƚ
ƌĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ ŶĂŵĞ ĨƌŽŵ ďŽĂƌĚ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ͕ ŚƵŵĂŶ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟ ǀĞƐ͕ ĞdžĞĐƵƟǀĞ ƚĞĂŵ
members, managerial or supervisory individuals, and co-workers. Defendants argued the
interrogatory was worded overly broad, and the Court disagreed, but made clear if Defendants
ǁĂŶƚƚŽĮůĞĂŵŽƟŽŶŽďũĞĐƟŶŐƚŽƚŚĞŽƵƌƚ͛ƐĚĞƚĞƌŵŝŶĂƟŽŶƚŚĞLJŵ ĂLJĚŽƐŽ͘dŚĞŽƵƌƚKZZ S
Defendants to produce the search results and/or a privilege log for any missing documents.
dŚĞ ƚŚŝƌĚ ƚŽƉŝĐ ĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ ηϭϮ ŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌLJ͕ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƟŶŐ 	ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ŽŶ ĂŶLJ
grievances raised between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, either internally or externally,
1:01 pm, 6/4/24
FILED
Margaret Botkins
Clerk of Court
Case 1:23-cv-00105-SWS Document 28 Filed 06/04/24 Page 1 of 2

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ŝŶǀŽůǀŝŶŐWůĂŝŶƟīǁŚŝůĞŚĞǁĂƐǁŽƌŬŝŶŐĂƚDĞŵŽƌŝĂůHospital of Sweetwater County. Defendants
ƐƚĂƚĞ ƚŚĞLJ ŚĂǀĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞĚ ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝǀĞ ƚŽ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞƋƵĞƐƚ͕ LJĞƚ WůĂŝŶƟī states
ĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚŚĂƐŶŽƚŝĚĞŶƟĮĞĚƚŚĞĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚǁŚŝĐŚĂƌĞin response to this request. The
ŽƵƌƚKZZ^ĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚƐƚŽŝĚĞŶƟĨLJǁŚŝĐŚĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐĂƌĞƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝǀĞƚŽƚŚĞŝŶƋƵŝƌLJ. Defendants
ƐŚĂůůƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚŝƌĞĐƟŽŶĂƐƚŽƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝǀĞĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚƐďLJ:ƵŶĞϳ͕ϮϬ Ϯϰ͘
The fourth topic dealt with missing pages or gaps in the Bates numbering for discovery.
ĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚĞdžƉůĂŝŶĞĚŝƚƐĂƚĞƐŶƵŵďĞƌŝŶŐƐLJƐƚĞŵ͘EŽĨƵƌƚŚĞƌĂĐƟ ŽŶis required by Court.
&ŝŶĂůůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ĮŌŚ ƚŽƉŝĐ ĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ WůĂŝŶƟī͛Ɛ ŝŶƚĞƌƌŽŐĂƚŽƌLJ ηϯ͘ WůĂŝ 	ŶƟī ĂƐŬĞĚ ĨŽƌ Ăůů
performance write-ups, suspensions, or other complaints made regarding other similarly situated
OBGYN doctors working at DĞŵŽƌŝĂů ,ŽƐƉŝƚĂů ŽĨ ^ǁĞĞƚǁĂƚĞƌ ŽƵŶƚLJ͘ dŽ ĚĞĨĞŶƐĞ ĐŽƵŶƐĞů͛Ɛ
knowledge, there were no performance issues regarding either doctor. The Court ORDERS
Defendants to ĐŽŶĮƌŵ the lack of any complaints or other performance issues regarding the other
similarly situated OBGYN doctors and provide ŝƚƐĐŽŶĮƌŵĂƟŽŶ ƚŽWůĂŝŶƟīďLJ:ƵŶĞϳ͕ϮϬϮϰ͘
Dated this 4th day of June, 2024.
Case 1:23-cv-00105-SWS Document 28 Filed 06/04/24 Page 2 of 2