Discovery

• Author: Aaron B. Maduff
• Pages: 185-236

DISCOVERY

7-1 LITIGATING SEXUAL HARASSMENT & SEX DISCRIMINATION CASES §7.1

CHAPTER 7: DISCOVERY

§7.1 TASK: DEVELOP DISCOVERY PLAN

§7.1.1 WHAT AND WHY

§7.1.1.1 WHAT

A discovery plan is an organizational tool to be used throughout the litigation. It may take various forms,

e.g., a graph, a chart or a calendar. A discovery plan sets out the facts you need to prove, the evidence that will

establish those facts, the method of discovery by which you will obtain the needed evidence, and the anticipated

timing of discovery.

A discovery plan will help you:

• Identify all the facts and evidence necessary to establish the elements of each cause of action alleged in

the complaint;

 

 

• Develop the evidence you need to defeat a summary judgment motion.

§7.1.1.2 WHY

In sex discrimination cases, two types of evidence are sought to establish an employment discrimination case.

Those two types are direct evidence and circumstantial evidence. The likelihood is that you will not be blessed with

direct evidence of employment bias, but it does happen. After 45 years since the passage of Title VII, corporate



bright is, well, really not very bright—even if that is the private view held by the decision makers. Sophisticated

employers spend untold human resources hours drilling managers and decision makers to wipe bias from the



of the sexual nature of the acts, you essentially already have direct evidence. Your discovery is going to develop

around showing the pervasiveness and severity of the acts, and the employer’s knowledge and failure to act to

end the harassment.

§7.1.1.2.1 Direct Evidence

Courts have recognized that cognizant employers obfuscate and intentionally conceal their true motives upon

occasion when taking adverse employment actions. As noted in Kolstad v. American Dental Association, 527

U.S. 526, 551 (1999) “An employer may, for example conceal evidence regarding its ‘true’ selection procedures

because it knows they violate federal law.”



actions rather than the stupidity of actually admitting to an employee that bias is driving the decision. Numerous

federal court opinions have referenced the fact that direct evidence will undoubtedly be rare in employment dis-

crimination cases, because employers hold most of the evidentiary cards and may fortuitously during litigation

drop some of those very cards under the table—deliberately. In Dister v. Continental Group, Inc., 859 F. 2d 1108,



practitioners deliberately try to hide it. Employers of a mind to act contrary to law seldom note such a motive in

their employee’s personnel dossier.”

The Supreme Court, in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228 (1989), noted that direct evidence is

not stray remarks in the workplace, statements of non-decision makers, or statements by decision makers that

    

direct evidence and has turned the appellate courts loose to sort out the mess created. Generally, the courts have

    

are needed. Rogers v. City of Chicago, 320 F. 3d 748 (7th Cir. 2003); West v. Nabors Drilling USA, Inc., 330

F. 3d 379 (5th Cir. 2003).

In the happy event that you had direct evidence of discriminatory motive by the decision maker, the likelihood

that the employer will ever get a summary judgment is non-existent.

DISCOVERY

§7.1 LITIGATING SEXUAL HARASSMENT & SEX DISCRIMINATION CASES 7-2

§7.1.1.2.2 Circumstantial Evidence

The vast majority of employment discrimination cases are going to revolve around circumstantial evidence.

The Supreme Court has recognized fully that circumstantial and direct evidence stand on equal footing. In Desert

Palace Costa, 539 U.S. 90 (2003), the Supreme Court noted: “The reason for treating circumstantial and direct



certain, satisfying and persuasive than direct evidence.’”

Which brings us, as always, to McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), which is the bedrock

of how a circumstantial evidence employment discrimination case is analyzed. The familiar three-prong test requires





Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506 (2002), the Supreme Court noted that “the

prima facie case under McDonnell Douglas, however, is an evidentiary standard, not a pleading requirement. In

McDonnell Douglas, this Court made clear that ‘[t]he critical issue before us concern[ed] the order and allocation

of proof in a private, non-class action challenging employment discrimination.’”



needs to prove that the legitimate, non-discriminatory action was a pretext to mask employment discrimination.

In Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, 530 U.S. 133 (2000), the Supreme Court did hold that the prima facie

case and evidence that the legitimate non-discriminatory reasons from the employer are not entitled to believe

   







battleground will almost always revolve around the question of whether the employer’s “legitimate, non-discrim-



In Ortiz v. Werner Enterprises, Inc., 834 F.3d 760 (7th Cir. 2016), the 7th Circuit, sitting en banc, recognized

the method provided by McDonnell Douglas, but also insisted that all evidence must be taken as a whole to provide

a reasonable inference of discrimination and emphasized that this does not require slavish devotion to McDonnell

Douglas. Other circuits have followed suit. See e.g., Thompson v. DKalb County, GA, 2021 WL 5356283 (11th

Cir. 2021); McFadden v. County of Monroe, 672 Fed.Appx. 81(2nd Cir. 2016) (adopting Ortiz’s rejection of a

convincing mosaic and instructing on circumstantial evidence generally).

In developing your discovery plan, always keep in mind that the ultimate goal is most likely to discredit the

employer’s articulated reason for its actions. While the employer, in the McDonnell Douglas scheme, does not

have a burden of proof on its legitimate non-discriminatory reason, the reality is that the employer has to articulate

that reason. Life becomes easier if the employer starts shifting its reasons for its decision.

§7.1.2 WHEN



complaint. Update and revise the plan as the case progresses and the events evolve.

§7.1.3 HOW

§7.1.3.1 Analyze Case in Terms of Discovery

§7.1.3.1.1 Essential Elements of Claims and Defenses

Create a chart that lists each element of each cause of action alleged in the complaint and each element of the







-

taining this document on your computer makes it easy to add new information as it is developed during depositions.

§7.1.3.1.2 Consider Various Discovery Methods



 

DISCOVERY

7-3 DISCOVERY §7.1

 

 

 

 

 

§7.1.3.1.3 Is It Admissible?



   



protests. Some records may also need to be produced pursuant to a subpoena, such as the harasser’s phone records.

Practice Note: Use a Request to Admit to authenticate documents

The work that needs to be done to authenticate documents can be immense in certain cases, particularly

-

sitions just to get your authentication and wasting valuable trial time with meaningless witnesses simply

to meet technical requirements. Use a Request to Admit pursuant to Rule 36 for this purpose (see §7.49).

It can save time and expense.

§7.1.3.1.4 Calendar Deadlines

Prepare a calendar of upcoming events: the date discovery closes; the dates you plan to serve discovery and

when the responses are due; dates for disclosure of experts and their deposition completion dates. Generally, paper



Taking depositions without the documents is poor planning. You may want to reserve some of your interrog-

    

time prior to the 30th day before the close of discovery.

Formal discovery may begin after the Rule 26 disclosures and meeting with opposing counsel. See generally Task

19, §§7.12 et. seq. Informal discovery (such as interviewing witnesses and reviewing your client’s medical/psycho-



Completing all discovery within the time limits set by the court and well in advance of the trial date also

provides a cushion of time in which to prepare to defend against an anticipated summary judgment motion, if one



§7.1.3.1.5 Estimate Costs

Estimate the cost of discovery, including attorneys’ fees, experts, and court reporter fees. Plan your discovery



   

(below) is going to turn the client away from pursuing the case.

§7.1.3.2 Create Chart

Put the results of your analysis into a concise chart, with the following headings:

• Date (to serve and to receive responses).

• Discovery method.

• Party/third party from whom you anticipate receiving information.

• Evidence sought.

• Admissibility (steps required to make the evidence admissible at trial).

• Purpose of the evidence, i.e., what this evidence will be used to prove or disprove.

• Costs of discovery.

§7.1.3.3 Share Plan With Plaintiff

    

of upcoming costs. Not all costs will be expended at once. Depositions will come many months into a case, and



therefore plan to put money aside for these costs as the case progresses.