Chalick v. Cooper Hospital, et al.
United States District Court of New Jersey
192 F.R.D. 145 (D.N.J. 2000)
Conrad Chalick (plaintiff) sued Cooper Hospital, a radiology service, and several doctors (defendants) for medical malpractice after his son died in a parachuting accident, also naming unidentified John and Jane Doe medical staff. The defendants' Rule 26(a) initial disclosures named Dr. Richard Burns as a person with relevant knowledge but omitted his contact information and what he actually knew. Chalick only learned he had a viable claim against Dr. Burns through a deposition in December 1999 and promptly moved to add Burns as a defendant, but the existing doctor defendants argued the statute of limitations had already run on any claim against Burns.
Whether a party must disclose the name, address, and telephone number of each person likely to have discoverable information, along with the subject of that person's knowledge, under Rule 26(a).