Layton

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO COMPEL PRODUCTION OF. SUKH-DEO TAPES

The government seeks to compel defendant to produce tapes made of conversations between himself and Dr. Hardat Sukhdeo. Because we find no authority to compel pretrial disclosure of these materials, and, further, because the materials which the government seeks are privileged under the attorney-client privilege, we deny the government’s motion to compel discovery.

FACTS

Dr. Sukhdeo is the Chief of Psychiatry at Jersey Medical School in New Jersey. According to his declaration, he travelled to Guyana after the Jonestown tragedy because he has had extensive experience with cults and felt that he might be of some help to the survivors. Also, Dr. Sukhdeo is Guyanese by birth and he believed that his familiarity with Guyanese culture and government might be of use. Dr. Sukhdeo offered his assistance to the F.B.I. He does not seem, however, to have made any general offer to assist in the F.B.I.’s investigation, but rather to have offered aid in coping with the suicidal feelings of the survivors and in predicting the actions of certain surviving members of the Peoples Temple who might pose a threat…