Erika Howe v. Mcdonald's, Inc. ( 2013 )


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  •        IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
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    ERIKA HOWE, an individual,                            No. 68315-2-1
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    Appellant,                      DIVISION ONE
    v.
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    MCDONALD'S, INC., a foreign                           UNPUBLISHED                        co           ^A
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    corporation; M. DAVID SANTILLAS, JR.                                                     CP
    and JANE DOE SANTILLAS, a marital                     FILED: September 23. 2013
    community; MAG 20, LLC, a
    Washington limited liability company; D.
    LARK, a Washington corporation; and
    MCDONALD'S RESTAURANTS OF
    WASHINGTON, INC., a Washington
    corporation,
    Respondents.
    Cox, J. — When a trial court dismisses a lawsuit for violation of a
    discovery order, it must explicitly consider on the record whether the violation
    was willful, whether the opposing party was prejudiced by the conduct, and
    whether a less severe sanction would suffice.1 Here, the trial court dismissed
    Erika Howe's lawsuit without making any such findings. We reverse and remand.
    On April 15, 2011, Attorney David Smith commenced this personal injury
    suit on behalf of Erika Howe against McDonald's Inc. and various other
    defendants. The trial court set the discovery cutoff for August 13, 2012 and the
    Burnet v. Spokane Ambulance, 
    131 Wn.2d 484
    , 494, 
    933 P.2d 1036
    (1997).
    No. 68315-2-1/2
    trial date for October 1, 2012. McDonald's Restaurants of Washington, Inc.
    (hereinafter "McDonald's") filed an answer on August 4, 2011.
    On October 13, 2011, McDonald's moved to compel Howe to respond to
    interrogatories, requests for production, and a request for a statement of
    damages, all of which were due originally in September 2011. Counsel for
    McDonald's acknowledged learning that Smith had been ill but reported that he
    had heard nothing from or about Smith since August 2011. On October 27, 2011,
    the trial court ordered Howe to provide full and complete answers to the
    requested discovery within 40 days, that is, by December 5, 2011.
    McDonald's filed a "Motion to Show Cause and to Dismiss Case for Lack
    of Prosecution" on December 13, 2011, noting the motion for hearing without oral
    argument on December 21. Citing CR 37(b) and KCLR 4(g), McDonald's argued
    that the trial court should dismiss the case because Howe's failure to comply with
    the court's order "essentially paralyzes this litigation and [McDonald's] ability to
    defend."
    On December 20, Smith sent an e-mail to the bailiff requesting an
    emergency phone conference in order to seek an extension of time to provide the
    discovery responses. On December 22, Smith sent an e-mail with completed
    discovery responses to counsel for McDonald's.
    On December 23, 2011, the trial court granted "the Defendant's Motion to
    Show Cause," and ordered that Howe's complaint be "dismissed with prejudice
    within 5 days of this Order." The order lacks any findings regarding willfulness,
    No. 68315-2-1/3
    prejudice, lesser sanctions, or the discovery responses provided by Howe on
    December 22.
    Attorney Kurt Bulmer appeared as co-counsel with Smith for Howe on
    January 3, 2012. Bulmer also filed Howe's "reply" to, and motion to reconsider,
    the order to show cause and dismiss. Bulmer and Smith provided supporting
    declarations explaining that Smith had been seriously ill and received treatment
    at the Mayo Clinic in the fall of 2011. Smith had been unable to work and made
    arrangements for another attorney to take over Howe's case in August 2011.
    When Smith returned in mid-October 2011, he was unable to locate Howe and
    learned that his intended replacement had not appeared in the case. In
    December, Smith was finally able to reach Howe and prepare discovery
    responses for delivery on December 22.
    In her motion, Howe argued that dismissal was an unnecessarily harsh
    remedy, that violation of the discovery order was not willful or deliberate, and that
    McDonald's was not substantially prejudiced by the delay, given the fact that the
    discovery was ultimately provided and crucial case schedule deadlines, including
    the discovery cutoff, were still months away. With her motion for reconsideration,
    Howe filed a proposed order granting reconsideration and vacating the order
    dismissing the case based on the lack of evidence of willful misconduct,
    substantial prejudice, or the need for such a harsh sanction in light of the fact that
    discovery had been delivered. The trial court denied reconsideration by
    modifying Howe's proposed order, striking out Howe's language regarding the
    No. 68315-2-1/4
    lack of evidence of willfulness, prejudice, and sufficiency of a lesser sanction and
    writing in "DENIED."
    Howe appeals.
    SANCTIONS
    Howe argues the trial court erred by dismissing the case as a sanction for
    violation of a discovery order without making explicit findings on the record
    supporting its decision. We agree.
    Under CR 37(d), the trial court has broad discretion to impose sanctions
    for a party's failure to participate in discovery, including dismissal of the action.2
    Likewise, KCLR 4(g) provides that failure to comply with the case schedule may
    be grounds for sanctions, including dismissal or terms.3 However, "[t]he sanction
    of dismissal for failure to comply with discovery orders is the most severe
    sanction which a court may apply, and its use must be tempered by the careful
    exercise of judicial discretion to assure that its imposition is merited."4 Dismissal
    is only justified where a party has acted in willful and deliberate disregard of court
    orders and the efficient administration of justice, and the opponent's ability to
    prepare for trial has been substantially prejudiced.5 Furthermore, a trial court
    must consider on the record whether a lesser sanction would suffice and whether
    willfulness and prejudice were present.6
    2See CR 37(b)(2)(C); Burnet. 
    131 Wn.2d at 494
    .
    3 KCLR 4(g)(1) ("Failure to comply with the Case Schedule may be
    grounds for imposition of sanctions, including dismissal, or terms.").
    4Anderson v. Mohundro, 
    24 Wn. App. 569
    , 575, 
    604 P.2d 181
     (1979).
    5ld
    6 Rivers v. Washington State Conference of Mason Contractors, 
    145 Wn.2d 674
    , 696, 
    41 P.3d 1175
     (2002); Burnet. 
    131 Wn.2d at 494
    .
    No. 68315-2-1/5
    We review a trial court's order dismissing an action for non-compliance
    with discovery rules and orders for an abuse of discretion.7 Atrial court abuses
    its discretion when it resorts to the harsh remedy of dismissal or default without
    first making the explicit record that is required for appellate review.8 Nor can an
    appellate court properly compensate for the lack of explicit trial court findings by
    independently reviewing the record to determine whether the trial court's ruling
    was reasonable in all the circumstances.9 Here, the trial court made no findings
    whatsoever with respect to whether Howe's failure to comply with the order
    compelling discovery responses was willful, whether McDonald's was
    substantially prejudiced by the failure to comply, and whether any lesser sanction
    than summarily dismissing Howe's complaint would suffice under the
    circumstances of the case and in light of the purposes of the discovery order and
    the length of time to trial. The trial court also made no findings regarding the
    discovery responses Howe provided to McDonald's on December 22, the day
    before its decision dismissing the case. Reversal is required.10
    McDonald's argues that the trial court's order denying reconsideration
    demonstrates sufficient consideration of the necessary factors. McDonald's
    contends that the trial court "explicitly rejected" Howe's factual claims and
    arguments by striking out language in her proposed order. We disagree.
    The trial court abused its discretion here by dismissing the complaint
    without first explicitly considering the necessary factors on the record. "Before
    7 Id, at 684-85.
    8]± at 696-98.
    9id, at 698-99.
    10 Id. at 700.
    No. 68315-2-1/6
    reaching" a conclusion that the harsh sanction of dismissal is the only
    appropriate remedy, the trial court is required to consider willfulness, prejudice,
    and lesser sanctions on the record.11 The December 23 order dismissing the
    case does not refer to these factors and includes no findings. We do not view
    the subsequent order denying reconsideration by striking out language on a
    proposed order as adequate to demonstrate "careful exercise of judicial
    discretion" or compliant with case law requiring explicit findings on the record
    before imposition of "the most severe sanction which a court may apply."12
    We reverse and remand for further proceedings consistent with this
    opinion.
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    WE CONCUR:
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    11 Id, at 698-99 (emphasis added).
    12 Anderson, 
    24 Wn. App. at 575
    .