Valley Presbyterian Hosp. v. Superior Court

Law Offices of Ned Good, Ned Good, and Steven Schuetze, Pasadena, for Real Party in Interest.

CHARLES S. VOGEL, P.J.

The lawsuit underlying this mandate proceeding is a wrongful death action brought by plaintiff Cynthia Homel. Her husband, Richard Homel, died immediately following elective back surgery at Valley Presbyterian Hospital (Hospital). Plaintiff has sued numerous entities and individuals, naming, among others, Hospital and several doctors as defendants in a medical malpractice claim.

This petition involves a discovery dispute between plaintiff and Hospital regarding plaintiffs request for the home addresses and phone numbers of Hospital employees who were either in the operating room, saw the decedent prior to the surgery, or claim to have knowledge of the pertinent events. Hospital refused to disclose the information, asserting the employees' constitutional right to privacy. The trial court denied plaintiffs motion to compel disclosure of that information but ordered Hospital to produce those employees for interviews to be conducted by plaintiffs counsel outside the presence of Hospital's attorney. Hospital filed the present petition to challenge that order.

We…