PT Barnum's Nightclub v. Duhamell, 49A02-0107-CV-481.

• Citation: 766 N.E.2d 729
• Decision Date: 23 April 2002
• Docket Number: No. 49A02-0107-CV-481.,49A02-0107-CV-481.
• Parties: P.T. BARNUM'S NIGHTCLUB, Indy of Colorado d/b/a Mer II Corporation a/k/a PT's Show Club, Appellant-Defendant, v. Tijen DUHAMELL, Appellee-Plaintiff.
• Court: Court of Appeals of Indiana

766 N.E.2d 729

P.T. BARNUM'S NIGHTCLUB, Indy of Colorado d/b/a Mer II Corporation a/k/a PT's Show Club, Appellant-Defendant, v. Tijen DUHAMELL, Appellee-Plaintiff.

No. 49A02-0107-CV-481.

Court of Appeals of Indiana.

April 23, 2002.

Edward F. Harney, Jr., Debra G. Richards, Hume Smith Geddes Green & Simmons, LLP, Indianapolis, IN, Attorneys for Appellant.

Trevor J. Crossen, Wagner Reese & Crossen, LLP, Indianapolis, IN, Attorney for Appellee.

OPINION

KIRSCH, Judge.

P.T. Barnum's Nightclub, Indy of Colorado d/b/a Mer II Corporation a/k/a PT's Show Club ("the Club") appeals the denial of its motion to strike and its motion for summary judgment in Tijen Duhamell's suit against it for injuries she sustained while a patron at the Club, raising the following issues for review:

I. Whether counsel representing a party to a lawsuit violates Rule of Professional Conduct 4.2 by engaging in ex parte conversations with a former employee of the adverse party when the adverse party is represented by counsel.

II. Whether the trial court erred in denying summary judgment on the grounds that a question of fact remains regarding whether the Club owed a duty to Duhamell on a theory of respondeat superior where Duhamell was injured during an interaction with a dancer performing at the Club.

We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY¹

The Club is an establishment which provides adult entertainment, more particularly exotic dancing, to its customers. Female entertainers perform daily; both female and male entertainers perform on Saturday nights. On Saturday, August 8, 1998, Duhamell attended a bachelorette party for her sister-in-law. After other activities, the party went to the Club to watch the male entertainers.

One of the male entertainers, Frank Ajishegiri, performed for the group that evening. At some point, Ajishegiri approached Duhamell and attempted to lift her. Duhamell urged him to leave her alone and to put her down to no avail. Ajishegiri and Duhamell fell, and Ajishegiri landed on Duhamell's hand, severely injuring her left fifth finger.

In December 1999, Duhamell brought suit against the Club for the injuries she sustained, lost wages, and medical bills. During the course of the litigation, Duhamell's counsel contacted Stewart Lobosco, a former Club employee and the general manager of the Club on the night of the accident. Duhamell's counsel inquired as to whether Lobosco was represented by the Club's counsel; Lobosco responded that he was not. Lobosco eventually signed an affidavit prepared by Duhamell's counsel.

Claiming that Duhamell's counsel's communications with Lobosco were improper, the Club moved to strike Lobosco's affidavit. In addition, the Club moved for summary judgment on the basis that Ajishegiri was an independent contractor and, therefore, the Club was not legally responsible for his actions under Duhamell's theory of respondeat superior.

The trial court denied both motions, and upon the Club's request, certified these orders for interlocutory appeal. This court accepted jurisdiction of the case.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

The Club appeals the denial of its motion for summary judgment. When reviewing the grant or denial of a summary judgment motion, this court applies the same legal standard as the trial court, i.e., summary judgment is appropriate when no designated genuine issues of material fact exist and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Indiana Ins. Co. v. Am. Cmty. Servs., Inc., 718 N.E.2d 1147, 1152 (Ind.Ct.App.1999); May v. Frauhiger, 716 N.E.2d 591, 594 (Ind.Ct.App.1999) (citing Ind. Trial Rule 56(C)); Birrell v. Indiana Auto Sales & Repair, 698 N.E.2d 6, 7 (Ind.Ct.App.1998),trans. denied (quoting Stevenson v. Hamilton Mut. Ins. Co., 672 N.E.2d 467 (Ind. Ct.App.1996),trans. denied (1997)). A party appealing the denial of summary judgment carries the burden of persuading this court that the trial court's decision was erroneous. Indiana Ins. Co.,718 N.E.2d at 1152. The movant must demonstrate the absence of any genuine issue of fact as to a determinative issue and only then is the non-movant required to come forward with contrary evidence. Id. (citing Jarboe v. Landmark Cmty. Newspapers, 644 N.E.2d 118, 123 (Ind.1994)). This court may not search the entire record but may only consider the evidence that has been specifically designated. Id.; Birrell, 698 N.E.2d at 7

(quoting Stevenson, 672 N.E.2d at 467).

All pleadings, affidavits, and testimony are construed liberally and in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. May, 716 N.E.2d at 594. Even when facts are undisputed, summary judgment is not appropriate if those undisputed facts " `give rise to conflicting inferences which would alter the outcome.'" Id. (quoting Underwood v. City of Jasper Mun. Util., 678 N.E.2d 1280, 1282 (Ind.Ct.App.1997), trans. denied.)

I. Rule 4.2's Application to Former Employees

The Club contends that Duhamell's counsel violated Rule of Professional Conduct 4.2 by contacting Lobosco, the Club's former employee and general manager. Duhamell maintains that Rule 4.2 does not prohibit ex parte contact with former employees. Rule 4.2 provides:

"In representing a client, a lawyer shall not communicate about the subject of the representation with a party the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter, unless the lawyer has the consent of the other lawyer or is authorized by law to do so.

COMMENT

This Rule does not prohibit communication with a party, or an employee or agent of a party, concerning matters outside the representation. For example, the existence of a controversy between a government agency and a private party, or between two organizations, does not prohibit a lawyer for either from communicating with non-lawyer representatives of the other regarding a separate matter. Also, parties to a matter may communicate directly with each other and a lawyer having independent justification for communicating with the other party is permitted to do so. Communications authorized by law include, for example, the right of a party to a controversy with a government agency to speak with government officials about the matter.

In the case of an organization, this Rule prohibits communications by a lawyer for one party concerning the matter in representation with persons having a managerial responsibility on behalf of the organization, and with any other person whose act or omission in connection with that matter may be imputed to the organization for purposes of civil or criminal liability or whose statement may constitute an admission on the part of the organization. If an agent or employee of the organization is represented in the matter by his or her own counsel, the consent by that counsel to a communication will be sufficient for purposes of this Rule. Compare Rule 3.4(f). This Rule also covers any person, whether or not a party to a formal proceeding, who is represented by counsel concerning the matter in question."

(Emphasis added.)

Courts in many jurisdictions that have interpreted this provision have looked to Formal Opinion 91-359 of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility ("the Committee"). In that opinion, the Committee interpreted Rule 4.2 of the Model Code of Professional Responsibility, which was identical to Indiana's Rule 4.2, with regard to current and former employees of corporate parties. In doing so, it identified a dual rationale of the rule: to preserve the proper functioning of the legal system and to shield the adverse party from improper approaches. ABA Comm. on Ethics and Prof'l Responsibility, Formal Op. 359 (1991) (quoting Wright v. Group Health Hosp., 103 Wash.2d 192, 691 P.2d 564, 567 (1984)). In addition, the rule rests on the notion that "the presumptively superior skills of the trained advocate should not be matched against those of one not trained in the law." Id. at 1001:102.

The Committee then examined the contours of the Rule and Comment as it related to present employees. Noting that the Comment delineates three specific categories of present employees covered by the Rule, the Committee concluded that communication with all other employees is permissible without consent. The Committee then stated that neither the Rule nor the Comment deals with former employees of a corporate party, but remarked that "the concerns reflected in the Comment to Rule 4.2 may survive the termination of the employment relationship." Id. at 1001:103. The Committee discussed various approaches taken by courts and commentators considering the issue and agreed that "persuasive policy arguments can be and have been made" for including former employees within the reach of Rule 4.2. Id. It nonetheless rejected such a position, relying instead on the text of the Rule and the lack of any indication in the Comment that such coverage was intended. Id. at 1001:104. Accordingly, it concluded that a lawyer may have ex parte contact with a corporate party's former employees.² The Committee cautioned, however, that such contact must not violate other Rules of Professional Conduct, including Rule 4.4, which prohibits the lawyer from inducing the former employee to violate the attorney client privilege, and Rule 4.3, which requires the lawyer to make clear his or her role in the matter and the identity and respective positions of the parties involved. Id. at 1001:104-105.

Courts that have followed this reasoning have held that contacts with former employees are not barred by Rule 4.2. For example, in Humco, Inc. v. Noble, 31 S.W.3d 916 (Ky.2000), the Kentucky Supreme Court interpreted Kentucky's Rule 4.2, which is identical to Indiana's Rule 4.2 and the Model Rule discussed in Formal Opinion 91-359. The court relied extensively on the Formal Opinion and concluded that it represented the sound approach and the majority rule in other jurisdictions. The court observed that this approach is consistent...