Document K6g6z03nj9Nz5z2v1EV8y5B5K
rN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI AT INDEPENDENCE
PRISCILLA R. DIETKER, et al., )
Plaintiffs,
)
))
)
vs. )
)
FORD MOTOR COMPANY, et al., )
Defendants,
)
)
)
Case No. CDCV-ZISTW Division: Five
ORDER AND FINDINGS OF DISCOVERY COMMISSIONER
On December 5, 2005 the Commissioner at Sections II] (2) of his order ordered
defendant Ford Motor Company to produce what has been commonly referred to
throughout the litigation as a (Mesothelioma Death List) and associated documents kept
in connection therewith tracking mesothelioma deaths of Ford employees.
Upon reviewing the associated documents Ford's Counsel has raised on behalf of
the employees and their families and/or estates a doctor/patient confidentiality objection
because the associated files contained medical information and records pertaining to the
deceased employees,
Ford has requested that the Commissioner issue a protective order prohibiting the
disclosure of any medical information and or/ records contained in the employee's tiles
maintained in connection with the "Death List"
To determine the validity of Ford's concerns the Commissioner has conducted an
in camera review of the files in question to determine if they in fact contain privileged
medical records and information that should not be divulged to plaintiffs counsel.
i{
In conducting the in camera review the Commissioner was guided by the standard
of review set forth in the case of State ofMissouri ex rcl. Hoyter r. (inf/in, 785 S VV 2d
590 (Mo.App !990). The decision sets forth the prevailing view in Missouri that not all
medical information is protected from disclosure by the doctor/palient privilege, but only
information acquired by the physician for the purposes of prescribing and treatment
Three notebooks were produced for review by the Commissioner entitled
"Mortality Mesothelioma Case Studies'' containing file information of 52 deceased
former Ford employees. The Commissioner finds that the notebooks contained both
medical and non-medical information. For purposes of identifying what information is
discoverable and shall be provided to plaintiffs counsel the Commissioner has identified
each deceased employee individually and identified the discoverable information by
reference to a description of the information with its bates numbers:
BOOK 1
PAUL ST1NEMAN
1. Contents list
02
2 Epidemiology case study 04-06
3. Personnel record
07-10
4 Death certificate
I!
5. Employment application 12-17
6. Employment agreement
18
7. Office memo
19
8. Work history 9. Medical history'
20-27 2S-45
(
10. Attending physician's report
46-49
11. Doctor's instructions
51
12. EKG record
51
13. FoMoCo medical record
53-54
14, Narrative medical report to attorneys 55-56
WOOD1E THOMPSON
1. Epidemiology case study 58
2. Notice of claim
59
3. Post death pathology report 61
4. Work history
62-69
CHARLES COGGINS
1. Copy business card 2. Notice of claim
70 71
3. Death certificate
72
4 Attending physician's report 123-127
5. Wk. comp report
134-137
6 Work history
138-141
7. Attending physician's report 142
8 Medical history
143-146
JOHN PETRHSKA
1. Inter office memo
148-149
2. Employee history
150-151
3. Employment application 152-153
3
Employment records
154-161
Death certificate
162
Employee history
163-168
Inter office memo
172
STEPHEN JASINSKl
Employee history
174-177
Medical history
187-190
Attending physician's report 196
Inter office memo Death certificate
201-202 203
Work history
204
WALTER HERBERT
Notice of claim
174-177
Death certificate
207
Work designation
208
Medical history'
209-215
Work record
216-217
Work history
223-236
FRANCISCO CiARClA
Notice of claim
238
Death certificate
239
Inter office memo
240-254
ANDREW SHCARIN
4
!i
l Inter office memo 256-257
2. Death list/causes 258-259
3, Inter office memo 260-264
4 Mesothelioma article 265-270
5. Inter office memo 271-278
6. Death list
279
7. Newspaper article 280
8. Article
281-285
WILLIAM HUTCHISON
1, Notice of claim
286
2. Notice of claim
287
ROBERT CLELAND
1. Notice of claim
288
2. Death certificate 289
3 Calculation sheets 290-293
4. Inter office memo 294
5. Outline
295-296
6. Inter office memo 297
7. Chart
298-299
8. Memo
300-301
9. Inter office memo 302-303
10. Asbestos usage chart 304
5
If
11. Letter
305
12. Inter office memo 306-308
GROVER GRAVES
1. Death certificate 309
JOSEPH FERGUSON
1. Death certificate 310
CHARLES WHITE
1. Health record
311-312
BOOK II
LAHUGH RUSSELL. JR
1. Death certificate
317
2. Inter office memo
318
3. Medical history
320-323
4. Attending physician report 325-330
5. Medical history
jj j-j
6. Inter office memo
336
7. Employment records
337-340
8. Employment application 341-345
9 Personnel records
346-349
JOHN1E GREEN
L Notice of claim
351
6
((
2, Death certificate
352
3. Employment history
353
4. Employment application 354-355
5. Attending physician report 357-360
THOMAS GROSSMAN
1. Death certificate
361-362
2. Attending physician report 364-365
3. Hourly status cards
366-374
4. Medical history
375-380
5. Industrial medical history 381
6. Medical exam record
382-389
7. Attending physician report 390-39]
8. History illness/injury
392-394
WILLIAM HUTCHINSON
1 Medical history
397
2. Narrative medical report 398
3. Attending physician report 403-407
4. Work descriptions
417-422
5. Leave absence forms
417-422
6. Article
423-424
7. Employment history
425
8. Death certificate
426
9 Medical summary sheet 427
7
i
WILLIE TAYLOR
1. Job history
419
2. Notice of claim
430
3. Death certificate 431
JAMES BAGO
1. Job history
433
2. Notice of claim
434
3
Death certificate
435
4. Job history
436-438
STANLEY KOWALSKI
1. Notice of claim
442
2. Death certificate 443
3. Inter office memo 444
4. Employment record 445-448
CLARENCE RAYMOND DR
1. Notice of claim
451
2. Death certificate 452
3. Work history
453-455
4. Commendation
460
5. Personnel records 461-468
6 Hand written note 469
7, Death certificate 470
8 Intra-company communication 476
8
f(
JAMES SHERMAN
1. Notice of claim
478
2. Death certificate
480
3. Spreadsheet
481
4. Employment records
482-492
MARSHALL WILSON
1. Notice of claim
494
2. Death certificate
495
3. Spread sheets
496-497
MIKE PETROVICH
1. Notice of claim
499
2. Death certificate
495
3. Personnel notes
501-502
4. Industrial medical history 503
5. Physician's report
509
6. Narrative medical report 514-518
7. Health record
525-526
HENRY DEMODE
1. Notice of claim
552
2. Death certificate
553
3. Employment history
554-564
4. Medical history
565-584
5. Employment records
558-59!
9
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WILLIAM FARRI-I.I.
1. Notice of claim 2. Death certificate
593 594
3. Employment application 595-590
4. Medical exam, record
597-599
5. Employment records
600-610
6. Life ins. application
611-612
7. Employment application 613-614
8 Performance review
615-617
9 Inter office memo
618-619
CHARLES WAGGONER
I Notice of claim
621
2. Death certificate
622
3 Employment records
623-630
4. Employment application 631-641
5. Health records
ANDREW SHE AKIN
1. Notice of claim
645
2. Death certificate
646
3. Personnel records
647-648
4. Attending physician report 649
5. Personnel records
650-654
6. Attending physician report 656-657
10
7. Personnel records 8 Employment application 9, Personnel records 10. Job descriptions 11. Inter office memo
659-660 661-662 663-668 669-670 673-675
BOOK III
WILLIAM W AUL
1. Notice of claim 2. Death certificate
690 691
3. Employee history
692-695
4. Personnel records
696-703
FRED WHITE
1. Work history
705
2, Review of medical record 706
3. Notice of claim
707
4. Death certificate
708
5. Work history
709-710
6, Medical history
711-714
7. Health screen, history, exam . 715-739 8. Attending physician reports 740-759
9. EKG report
760-761
11
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10. Health record
762-766
1! Retirement form
762-766
12. Work history
768-744
13 Employment application 755-776
WfNFlELD STimns
1 Medical history summary 778-779
2. Notice of claim
780
3. Death certificate
781
4. Retirement application
782-784
5. Birth certificate
785
6. Medical history
786-796
7. Medical exam record
797-802
8 Doctor's note
803
9. Letter to doctors
804-805
10. Medical test result
806
U. EKG report
807
12. Work history
808
13. Narrative medical report 809-811
14. Health record
812-813
EDWARD M1LER
1. Notice of claim 2 Death certificate
815 816
3. Work history
817-818
(' f
WILLIAM HENNESSY
1. Notice of claim
820
2. Death certificate
821
3. Work history
822-823
4. Retirement document
824
5. Life insurance letter
825
6. Retirement document
826
7. Inter office memo
827
8. Notice of claim
829
9. Disability application
830
10. Document of birth/marriage 831
11. Retirement status form
832
12. Personnel work record
833-836
13. Insurance letter
837
FRANK LUMETTA
1. Notice of claim
839
2. Death certificate
840
3. Work history
841-842
DONALD FEENEY
1. Notice of claim
845
2. Death certificate
846
3 Inter office memo
849-848
4. Employment application 849-850
13
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5. Work history
852-859
6, Medical record
860-861
7. Medical exam record
862-863
8. Attending physician report 864-869
9. Health record
870-876
RICHARD SHELTON
L Epidemiology case study 878
2. Notice of claim
879
3. Death certificate
880
4. Misc. notes
881-882
5. Attending physician report 884
6. Doctor's letter to FoMoCo 885
7. Employment application 887-888
8 Medical exam.
889-890
9, Health record
892-895
ERMI ASOUINI
1. Epidemiology case study 897
2. Misc. note
898
3. Notice of claim
899
4. Death certificate
900
5 Retirement application
901
6. Misc. note
902
7 Retirement notification
903
14
f
s. Personnel note
904
CALUDE WILSON
1. Epidemiology case study 906
2. Notice of claim
907
3. Death certificate
908
4. Work history
909-913
THEODORE GRAHAM
1. Epidemiology case study 915
2. Notice of claim
916
3. Death certificate
917
4. Work history
918-919
5. Employee qualifications 923
6. Work history
924
WILLIAM PH1FFE
1. Epidemiology case study 926
2, Notice of claim
927
3. Death certificate
928
LARRY WREN BECK
1, Notice of claim
929
2. Death certificate
930
3. Epidemiology case study 932
4. Work history
937
5. Notice of retirement
939
15
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6. Employment verification request 940
7. Medical history
941-943
WASYL SEMK1N
1. Death certificate
945
VELVEY HARRIS
1. Mi sc. note
947
2. Notice of claim
948
3. Death certificate
949
CHARLES CINNAMOND
1. Misc. note
951
2. Notice of claim
952
3. Death certificate
953
JOHN TORR1DEN
1. Notice of claim
955
2. Misc. note
956
3. Death certificate
957
ANTHONY RACIN'
1. Notice of claim
959
2. Misc. note
960
3. Death certificate
961
GEORGE SCHWARTZ
1. Death certificate
963
DONALD LOWE
16
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1. Death certificate 1. Death certificate 1. Death certificate 1. Death certificate 1. Death certificate
965 MITCHELL QWC A
967 ALPHONSE LOBOCK1
969 DONALD MITCHELL
971 EDWIN CAMPBELL
973
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that after a thorough review of the documents in question and a determination by the Commissioner that said documents are not subject to the physician/patient privilege against disclosure that defendant Ford Motor Company shall provide to counsel for plaintiff copies of the forgoing enumerated documents forthwith for use by plaintiff in the instant suit. Upon completion of the instant litigation, in the event the parties cannot agree on the final disposition of said documents, application can be made to the Commissioner for a ruling in that regard.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED
Dated:__________________
________________________________ William T Bernard, Commissioner
17