COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT BARNSTABLE, SS. NO: SJC-11009 REGAN McCARTHY SLADE ASSOCIATES, INC., and V. CHESTER N. LAY C.A. NO. 2006-672 CONSOLIDATED WITH REGAN McCARTHY, SEAMEN'S SAVINGS BANK, and V. LESTER J. MURPHY C.A. NO. 2008-0027 CONSOLIDATED WITH REGAN McCARTHY, CHRISTOPHER SNOW V. C.R. NO. 2008-0573 On Appeal From An Interlocutory Order Of The Barnstable Superior Court REPLY BRIEF OF THE PLAINTIFF - APPELLANT REGAN MCCARTHY Thomas M. Elcock BBO# 548027 Prince Lobe1 Tye LLP 100 Cambridge Street Suite 2200 Boston, MA 02114 telcockeprince1obel.com (617) 456-8155 1297882.1
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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT
BARNSTABLE, SS. NO: SJC-11009
REGAN McCARTHY
SLADE ASSOCIATES, INC., and V.
CHESTER N. LAY C.A. NO. 2006-672
CONSOLIDATED WITH
REGAN McCARTHY,
SEAMEN'S SAVINGS BANK, and V.
LESTER J. MURPHY C.A. NO. 2 0 0 8 - 0 0 2 7
CONSOLIDATED WITH
REGAN McCARTHY,
CHRISTOPHER SNOW V.
C.R. NO. 2008-0573
On Appeal From An Interlocutory O r d e r Of The Barnstable Superior Court
REPLY BRIEF OF THE PLAINTIFF - APPELLANT REGAN MCCARTHY
Thomas M. Elcock BBO# 548027 Prince Lobe1 Tye LLP 100 Cambridge Street Suite 2200 Boston, MA 02114
B a r i u s v. City of Boston, 4 3 3 Mass. 274 (2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 , 13, 14, 1 7 , 18
Lama v. I’reskil l , 3 5 3 111. App. 3d 3 0 0 , 818 N.E.2d 443(IL1. App. C t . 2 0 0 4 ) . . . . . . . . . 13, 14
O ‘ M a r a v. H . P . Hood & Sons, 3 5 9 Mass. 2 3 5 (1971) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
P y r a m i d Contro ls , Inc . v. Siemens Industrial Automations, I n c . , 176 F . R . D . 2 6 9 (N.D. 111. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
the identical argument: Slade's brief argucs on page
33:
McCarthy has refused to answer questions regarding knowledge of the title issue j .n connection w i t h filing the Land Court Action, answering, "you'll have to ask my attorney." A.795.
The defendants' mis-casting of McCarthy's
deposition testimony relies 0"ly on the oral argument
of Slade's counsel during the July 13 motion hearing.
*Only 8 pages of excerpts from McCarthy's deposition are contained in the Appendix. (A. 458-65.) In order for the Court to verify the accuracy of McCarthy's Reply Brief (and the inaccuracies in the defendants' briefs), McCarthy has moved to supplement the appendix by adding her deposition testimony to the record.
1355934.1 2
(See A. 7 9 5 . ) T h e d e f e n d a n t s n e v e r c i t e where McCarthy
a c t u a l l y yave such t e s t i m o n y b e c a u s e s h e n e v e r gave
s u c h t e s t i m o n y .
The d e f e n d a n t s e r r o n e o u s l y a r g u e t h a t McCarthy
" r e f u s e d t o answer q u e s t i o n s " r c y a r d i n g h e r knowledge
of t i t l e i s s u e s and h e r claims aga ins t : S l a d e . Y e t i n
h e r d e p o s i t i o n , McCarthy unambiguously answered a l l
q u e s t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g h e r knowledge of t h e s e m a t t e r s a t
t h e t i m e t h e L a n d Court: a c t i o n commenced and a f t e r .
She d e f i n i t i v e l y responded "No" when a s k e d i f , p r i o r
t o f i l i n g t h e V e r i f i e d Complaint , anyone had a t any
t i m e t o l d h e r t h a t Parcel 2 d i d not a b u t Mcllermott and
whether s h e had r eached t h i s c o n c l u s i o n h e r s e l f .
(McCarthy Depo. V o l . 11, pgs. 240-41.) McCarthy
u n e q u i v o c a l l y t e s t i f i e d t h a t s h e discovered t h i s
d e f e c t " th rough t h e t i t l e e x a m i n a t i o n of [McDermotts'
c o u n s e l ] s u b m i t t e d t o Land C o u r t [on ] J a n u a r y 26,
2005." (McCarthy Depo. V o l . I , pg. 224, see also V o l .
I1 pg. 6 4 . ) She m a i n t a i n e d t h i s p o s i t i o n - t h a t s h e
believed Parcel 2 a b u t t e d McDerrnott - i n answers t o
more t h a n 20 a d d i t i o n a l d e p o s i t i o n q u e s t i o n s .
(McCarthy Depo. V o l . I , pp. 26, 47, 136, 224, 227,
165, 1 7 1 , 203, 214, 218, 238, 239 and 241. ) The
1355934.1 3
defendants' arguments that McCarthy refused to answer
such questions and instead directed them to ask her
Land Court lawyer are yruundless. 3
2. The defendants argue that the sketch attached
to McCarthy's Veri fied Complaint contained information
"such as the Proprietors road and Rich land." that she
could only have discovered through reading the deed
description of Parcel 5 prior to fili.ng the Verified
Complaint. (See snow's brief pg. 9; Seamen's brief pg.
14.) Their arguments ignore McCarthy's deposition
testimony that she read the deed at Book 314, Page 45
up to the point that established the source for Parcel
2 and, having j.dentj.fied the title SoUfcC for her
deed, did not need to r e n d further. (See McCarthy
Depo. Vol. I pp 182-185.) Their arguments a l s o ignore
evidence produced to them in discovery that s h o w s
McCarthy received information about the Proprietor's
Road on and bcfore September 30, 2004 from the Town of
Truro and from a federal land officer. Likewise, the
Rich lands are cited in deeds that McCarthy reviewed
prior to filing the Verified Complaint. (See McCarthy
McCarthy did answer a single and entirely different question during her deposition concerning preparation of the Land Court Complaint by referring to Attorney Lipkind, an entirely appropriate response given the question. (McCarthy Depo. Vol. 11, pg. 219 . )
1355934.1 4
Dcpo. V o l . I pgs 229, 230 and McCarthy's response to
Slado's RPD 16.)4
3 . The defendants inaccurately assert that in her
I,and Court Complaint McCarthy cites Parcel. 5 a s the
source of her title to the land she acquired in 1990.
They argue that paragraph 10, which cites Parcel 5 in
the chain of title for McDermott, shows 0&L must have
known by October 2004 Lhat Parcel 2 was not at locus.
and Seamen's brief pg. 14.) Yet paragraph 4 of the
Land CourL Complaint unequivocally states that t h rough
the deed "in Book 7214, Page 322" (i.e. in the chain
of tifle for Parcel. 2 ) McCarthy 'obkained title to a
parcel of land of f Hiqqins Hollow Road and Old Kings
Highway in Truro, known as 35 A Higgins Hollow Road."
(A. 140.) This address abuts McDermott at 35 Higgins
Hollow Rd. McCarthy's Complaint claims title o n l y
through Parcel 2, placing it next to McDermotts' east
by address and Assessor Maps.
The defendants also argue that McCarthy created her sketch and the information on it absent surveyor's input. (Slade pg. 6; Seamen's pg. 14; Snow pg. 9) This contradicts al; least 6 instances in her deposition testimony that establish the source of her sketch was Slade's 1984-5 hand drawn sketch, which she simply traced. (McCarthy Depo. V o l . I, pgs . 7 5 , 78; Vol. I1 pgs. 37, 48, 190, and 2 4 5 . )
1355934.1 5
Additionally, the defendant.^ take paragraph 10 of
thc Land C o u r t complaint out of context. This review
o f McDermott's chain of tiClc arose from the question
of whether McDermott's land was the western abutter to
McCarthy's Parcel 2, not from any hidden concern that
Parcel 2 was no t actuaIly next to McDermott. Furthcr,
the defendants ignorc McCarthy's deposition testimony
that at the time 01 her Land C o u r t Complaint, the only
depiction she had of the cntirety of Parcel 2 , i . e . ,
showing both her portion and the portion conveyed to
the USA in the 1960s when the National. Seashore was
created, were the Seashorc Tract Map 203.-17 prepared
by Wilfred Slade and a hand drawn sketch prepared by
Slade in 1984-5, both of which propound her parcel
abuts McDermott. The 1984-5 sketch cites distances for
the northern and western bounds of McDermotts' eastern
abutter as 30 rods and 27 rods, suggesting that Slade
concluded that Parcel 2 was embedded in or contiguous
to a parcel of 30 rods by 27 rods (which correspond to
the distances cited in Parcel 5, though no specific
reference to Parcel. 5 is noted on Slade's sketch).
(McCarthy Depo Vol. 11, pq. 221-23) Chester Lay, of
Slade, agreed with this contention during his
deposition. (C. Lay, Depo. Vol 4, pg. 132.) This
e x p l a i n s why Paragraph 10 r e f e r e n c e s t h e " p r o p e r t y
forming t h e e a s t e r n boundary o f t h c R i c h P a r c e l , a
p o r t i o n of which i s n o w t h e McCarthy P a r c e l " - riot
because McCarthy c l a i m s t i t l e from P a r c e l 5 ( s h e docs
n o t ) b u t because t h e e a s t e r n boundary of R i c h a s
d e p i c t e d by SI.ade s h a r e s a p o r t i o n of i t s e a s t e r n
boundary w i t h P a r c e l 2 . ( A . 4 4 6 - 4 7 . )
4 . Defendant Murphy s t a t e s t h a t B&L produced no
documents c o n c e r n i n g t h e Land Cour t m a t t e r . (Murphy
B r i e f pg. 4 . ) T h i s is p a t e n t l y f a l s e . B&L, t h rough i t s
c o u n s c l , S h e r i n and Lodgen, made more t h a n 1 7 , 0 0 0
pages of n o n - p r i v i l e g e d documents and pl .ans conce rn iny
t h e Land Cour t a c t i o n a v a i - l a b l e t o t h e defendant -s f o r
v iewing and copyiny y e t Murphy's c o u n s e l neve r a v a i l e d
h i m s e l f of t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o review t h e s e documents.
5 . O the r MisstatemenLs: T h e Defendants a l s o
a l l e g e t h a t McCarthy r e f u s e d t o p r o v i d e a pri .vi1.ege
log . ( S l a d e , p 2 9 ) S l a d e made t h i s r e q u e s t w e l l a f t e r
t h e c l o s e o f d i s c o v e r y and McCarthy was under no
o b l i g a t i o n t o produce a p r i v i l e g e l o g f o r S l a d e as a
r e s u l t . Snow a l l e g e s t h a t B&L l i k e w i s e ' r e f u s e d t o
produce a p r i v i l e g e log" (Snow b r i e f , pg 1 3 ) . h a i l s
between B & L ' s c o u n s e l and Snow's c o u n s e l show t h a t B&L
twice o f f e r e d t o p r e p a r e such a Log p rov ided t h e
1355934.1 7
d e f e n d a n t s would c o v e r t h e e x t e n s i v e "fees and c o s t s
o f t h e p r e p a r a t i o n " of t h i s l o g f o r a c a s e of seven
y e a r s d u r a t i o n . (A . 638 and 641).
I n regard t o H e a t l e y , t h e d e f e n d a n t s a rgue t h a t
Judge Muse o r d e r e d H e a t l e y ' s t i t l e examina t ion t.o be
produced. (Snow B r i e f pg. 1 6 , Sl.ade pg. 38, Seamen's pg.
33) On t h e c o n t r a r y , Judge Muse d i d n o t o r d e r a
p i e r c i n g of t.he work p r o d u c t p r i v i l e q e w i t h r e g a r d t o
H c a t l e y . Judge Muse o r d e r e d o n l y t h a t B&L
shall f u r t h e r review and r e s u b m i t t o t h e d e f e n d a n t s t h e b i l l i n g r e c o r d s r e l a t i n y t o J a n e Mi.tchel1, and h e r f i r m ' s t i t l e examina t ion , r e d a c t i . n g o n l y t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n whi.ch might c o n s t i t u t e i m p r e s s i o n s o r o t h e r cognizab1,e work p r o d u c t c l a i m s . They s h a l l s u b m i t t o t h e c o u r t a complete u n r e d a c t e d copy of t h e same,..
(Addendum 2. )
The Cour t c l e a r l y i n t e n d s t o preserve work
p r o d u c t pr ivj .J .ege and t o t h a t end h a s o r d e r e d o n l y t h c
product ion of a s i n g l e document - B & L ' s b i l l i n g
r e c o r d s r e l a t i n g t o H e a t l e y and h e r t i t l e work. T h e
C o u r t ' s o r d e r t h a t an unredac ted copy of t h e same
s h a l l be s u b m i t t e d t o t h e C o u r t con f i rms t h a t B&L was
t o produce only one document t o t h e d e f e n d a n t s : B & L ' s
r e d a c t e d b i l l i n g r e c o r d s . (Addendum 2 . )
I n denying t h e d e f e n d a n t s R u l e 1 2 ( b ) mot ions t o
d i s m i s s , t h e motion judge , Rufo, J., d i d n o t r u l e t h a t
1355934.1 8
the defendants wcrc entitled to obtain privileged
attorney-client communications or attorney work
product to determine whether McCarthy's cl.aims were
barred by the statute of limitatjons. ( S e e Snow brief
pg. 11.; Seamen's brief pg. 24 and compare to A. 6 4 8 . )
The issue of whether there had been an at issue waiver
of privilege was n o t raised j,n the defendants' Ku1.e
12(b) motions and none o f the defendants argued t-o
Judge Muse that Judye Rufo's decision denying their
12(b) motions contained such an order. At most, Judge
Rufo recognized that, the i.ssue of when McCarthy's
cause of action accrued might arise during discovery.
Hy consistently misstating the facts, thc
defendants undermi.ne t . h e j r own credibility and make
obvious that their only target - and defense - i n this
matter is B&L and Attorney Lipkind, and they have no
real interest in probing the information available to
them already produced in discovery. The defendants'
misrepresentations underscore the dearth of their
efforts to review and analyze the vast production
provided to them by Mccarthy and BLL; to depose
relevant parties; and to proceed with discovery in
this matter in good faith. Simply put, the defendants
1355934.1 9
have barely tapped and hardly exhausted their non-
privileged sources of information, per D a r i u s .
XI. SLADE, NOT LIPKIND, IS THE INTERVENING CAUSE.
An underlyiny premise of the defendants'
arguments on appeal and in the Court below i s that
Lipkind is an intervening cause based upon their
presumption that he knew prior to filing the Land
Court case that Parcel 5, and not Parcel 2, abutted
McDermott. The defendants press this case for an at
j.ssue waiver in order to pierce both Lipkind's and
McCarthy's pri.vj.leqes and protections, in Slade' s case
to establish damages and potent i .a l . counterclaims, and
in the case of a11 dcferidants to establish their
statute of limitations affirmative defense.
Yet the f i r s t and the last parties to assert that
Parcel 2 abutted McDermott (when they knew it did not)
are McCarthy's land surveyor, Slade, and its
princi.pa1.s Chester and Richard Lay. In 1995 and again
in 2003, Chester Lay, on behalf of Slade, surveyed
Parcel 2 for McCarthy and located it off Higgins
Hollow Road on McDermotts' east. However, as early as
1984, Richard Lay prepared a plan that he admits
placed Parcel 5 there and memorialized this plan as
1355'334.1 10
S l a d e ’ s 1989 Study Ske tch , used i n a n u n r e l . a t e d Land
Cour t case (where d e f e n d a n t Murphy was c o u n s e l ) .
McCarthy a l l e q e s t h a t C h e s t e r Lay and S l a d e knew
t h a t P a r c e l 5 a b u t t e d McDermott a s e a r l y as 1 9 8 9 . In
any evcnt, C h e s t c r admiis in answers to McCarthy‘s
i n t c r r o g a t o r i c s 1 7 and 38 t h a t he knew t h i s f a c t by a t
l e a s t November 2 0 0 4 . That same month, several w e e k s
a f t e r t h e r a n d C o u r t c a s e was f i l . e d , C h e s t e r Lay m e t
w i t h L ipk ind t o d i s c u s s h i s views on t h e case y e t he
never t o l d L i p k i n d t h a t P a r c e l 5 was t h e p a r c e l
a b u t t i n g McDermott. I n December 2 0 0 4 , C h e s t e r Lay
s u b m i t t e d a stamped and s e a l e d pl.an t o t h e ].,and C o u r t
showing Parccl 2 a b u t t i r i y M c D e r m o t t a s 211 e x h i b i t t o
hj-s a f f i d a v i t , and r e i t e r a t e d t h i s o p i n i o n j.n a
J a n u a r y 5, 2005 communication w i t h McDerrnotts’ c o u n s e l
b a s e d on h i s p r io r “ e x t e n s i v e survey”. Thus, a f t e r t h e
Land C o u r t a c t i o n was commcnced, C h e s t e r Lay on b e h a l f
o f S l a d e a l s o made f a l s e s t a t emen t s t o t h e Land Cour t
and t o h i s new c l i e n t s ( t h e McDerrnotts) t h a t Parcel 2
abu t t ed McDermott. For S l a d e and t h e o t h e r defendants
t o a s s e r t t h a t L i p k i n d s h o u l d know what McCarthy’s
s u r v e y o r d e l i b e r a t e l y w i t h h e l d from him, and t h a t
L ipk ind i s a n i n t e x v e n i n g cause i s b o t h preposterous
and i n s u p p o r t a b l e .
1355934.1 11
Addit-ionally, Slade is the iriterveniny causc
because it produced every survey and plan upon which
McCarthy as well LIS the other defendants relied.
Indeed, Slade is the source of every plan locating
Parcel 2 ncxt t o McDcrmott produced from 1978 up to
January 2005. Notably, Slade's 2909 Study Sketch,
which was not produced to McCarthy until 2006, placed
Parcel 5 abutting McDermott. Y e t , all oLher plans and
opinions of Slade - including numerous public records
- depicted Parcel 2 abutting McDermott from 1970 to 2005, contrary to their actual knowledge that Parcel 5
is the true abutter to McDcrmotC. 5
Richard Lay produced a comprehensive Study Sketch of 5
the Hiygins €10110~ area of Truro in 1989 that placed Parcel 5 abutting McDermott. (Notably, Murphy was counsel on this case and also had this plan in his possession). This Study Sketch contradicts the location o f Parcel 2 as the parcel abutting the McDermotts on every other plan prepared by SLade including: the Truro Assessors Atlas produced by Slade annually from 1978-2008; recorded plan for a parcel on the north side of Higgins Hollow Road prepared in 1984; a 1984-85 hand drawn sketch which Slade gave to Rogers (the title Examiner) in 1990 and which Rogers gave to Snow ( 1 9 9 0 ) , Murphy ( 2 0 0 3 ) , and Lipkind (2004); Slade's various plans o f access to Parcel 2 created for McCarthy; a stamped and recorded plan which Slade prepared for McCarthy's southern abutter in 2000; the stamped 1995 McCarthy Working plan which Chester Lay submitted to the Land Court in 2004 and the National Seashore Tract Maps produced by Wilfred Slade: and many other plans f o r land in this area. In denyi.ng Seamen's Motion to Dismiss, Judge Rufo noted that the Slade survey reviewed by Lipkind
1355934.1 12
III. DEFENDANTS SEEK A RULE TO WAIVE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE IN EVERY CASE WHERe THE PLAINTIFF RELIES ON THE DISCOVERY RULE.
A. The Defendants' Argument Is Contrary The Holding In Darius.
The d c f c n d a n t s a r g u e t h a t Judyu Muse p r o p e r l y
found an at issue waiver because McCarthy relies on
the discovery rule to toll the statute of limitations.