In October 2023, Plaintiff Leslie Baldwin sued Kalispell School District #5 and Glacier High School (collectively “the District”) on behalf of her minor son, K.B., alleging that K.B. was sexually assaulted in February 2022 on a bus returning from a school-sanctioned wrestling event.
The District sought to exclude the testimony of Baldwin’s retained expert, Thom Luedemann, arguing its untimeliness and insufficiency.
Education & Schools Expert Witness
Thom Luedemann is experienced administrator who has spent many years working in the education management industry. He received his masters in education from the Northern Arizona University.
Discussion by the Court
The District pointed out several inadequacies in Baldwin’s expert disclosures, highlighting her counsel’s explicit noncompliance with Rule 26(a)(2)(B).
The Scheduling Order stated Baldwin’s liability expert disclosures were due by September 13, 2024. On September 12, Baldwin provided the District with her “Notice of Expert Witnesses’ Designation,” noticing an intent to use unidentified treating “Medical and Mental Health Experts” and a single retained expert, Luedemann. Attached to that Designation was Luedemann’s CV. It was not until the District reached out to Baldwin’s counsel about the present motion that, on September 27, Baldwin provided Luedemann’s signed expert report, the contents of which are almost identical to the attorney-prepared Designation.
The District accurately argued that Luedemann’s disclosure is insufficient because a signed report was not originally provided and neither the Designation nor Luedemann’s CV included the necessary information under Rule 26(a)(2)(B)(i), (ii), (iii), (v), and (vi). The District further claims that any attempt to supplement that disclosure now would be untimely. Baldwin’s response is limited to a single page stating that: (1) she provided the signed report as soon as the failure was noted and (2) she intends to supplement her disclosures following depositions of key witnesses despite the passage of the expert disclosure deadline.
Failure to Provide a Timely, Signed Report
Here, there is no dispute that Baldwin’s counsel failed to disclose a signed expert report by the deadline. There are also no facts upon which to find substantial justification. Thus, Baldwin’s only safe harbor is harmlessness. Weighing in Baldwin’s favor is the fact that counsel provided an expert report to the District three weeks later. And the District itself notes that the content of that report was consistent with that included in the attorney-prepared Designation.
However, the fact that Baldwin’s counsel tried to fix this particular insufficiency is undermined by the fact that counsel knew at the time of the expert disclosure deadline that the expert would need to rely on the depositions of school officials that counsel failed to schedule prior to the deadline. As a result, Baldwin’s counsel knew the initial report was insufficient and supplementation of that report is not necessarily appropriate under Rules 26(e)(2).
Insufficiency of the September 12 Designation
Setting aside the absence of a separate report, neither the September 12 Designation nor Luedemann’s CV included the necessary information under Rule 26(a)(2)(B)(i), (ii), (iii), (v), and (vi). Indeed, Baldwin herself conceded that the Designation fails to provide “a complete statement of all opinions” Luedemann intends to give.
She argued he needed to review the subsequent depositions, her counsel failed to take. Additionally, other than broad statements regarding “review of case notes,” the Designation does not identify “the facts or data considered by” Luedemann in forming his opinions.
Nor does it identify the relevant exhibits as required by Rule 26(a)(2)(B)(iii). Luedemann’s CV does not list other cases he has been involved with, or state his compensation. Accordingly, the Court held that the September 12 disclosure failed to meet the requirements of Rule 26(a).
Insufficiency of Luedemann’s Untimely Signed Report
Finally, the District argued that Luedemann’s September 30 signed report is also deficient under Rule 26(a)(2)(B)(i), (ii), and (iii), and that he is not qualified to opine on K.B.’s emotional harm.
All Opinions
Baldwin herself has stated that supplementation of the expert report is required in light of the September 2024 depositions. And apparently such supplementation has already occurred. The Court held that there is no real dispute that Luedemann’s September 30 report did not fully state his opinions and the basis for them.
Facts of Data Considered
In his signed report, Luedemann identifies the information he reviewed in preparing his opinion. Specifically, he stated that he reviewed the pleadings, “school policies on Title IX compliance and student supervision,” “statements from school officials involved,” “relevant federal and state guidelines on student safety and harassment prevention,” and “case notes and personal statements from Leslie Baldwin regarding her son’s experience with Kalispell School District, CPS, and other authorities, providing additional context to systemic issues.”
The District argued that list is fatally deficient in that it does not include the Title IX investigation report or indicate that Luedemann has reviewed any other Title IX complaints so as to have a basis of comparison. The District is also concerned that Luedemann does not identify any of the underlying documents that would support his conclusions of, inter alia, a “documented hazing culture,” a “broader pattern of mishandling Title IX-related complaints,” and “numerous warning signs” of a “well-known hazing culture.”
Ultimately, while Luedemann’s failure to consider the Title IX investigation report is fodder for a challenge under the Federal Rules of Evidence or for cross-examination, the Court held that it is not a clear Rule 26 disclosure problem. This may be a serious trial challenge for Baldwin as Luedemann’s failure to consider this central document is likely to fatally undermine his credibility. Although a closer question, the District’s other concerns fall in this same category. The vagueness of Luedemann’s references makes it difficult to determine what specific information he relied on in formulating his opinions.
Exhibits
Luedemann does not identify any exhibits he intends to use.
Emotional Harm
The District argued that Luedemann is not qualified or at least has not demonstrated his qualification to assess K.B.’s alleged emotional harm. Recognizing his extensive experience as a teacher and with school administration, the Court held that nothing in Luedemann’s CV or report indicated that he has specialized knowledge in juvenile mental health.
Ultimately, the cumulative inadequacies in Baldwin’s disclosure regarding Luedemann are simply too many. Counsel’s failure to provide a timely and sufficient expert report under Rule 26(a)(2)(B) is therefore neither substantially justified nor harmless. The District’s request to exclude Luedemann as an expert is granted.
Hybrid Expert Disclosures
Although not raised by the District, Baldwin also has a serious problem as it relates to her disclosure of the treating physicians in the case. Her Rule 26(a)(2)(C) disclosure merely states:
“Plaintiff reserved the right to elicit testimony from any and all of Plaintiff’s medical providers as “hybrid” fact/expert witnesses, to testify regarding any and all impressions, opinions and observations developed in the court and scope of their treatment of Plaintiff, as well as the information contained in their records, which have been previously provided to counsel, or which have been requested and will be provided. Plaintiff further reserves the right to elicit testimony of these witnesses for future treatment opinions to which they have already opined or to which they opine in the future in either their medical records and/or deposition testimony.”
While this disclosure may be benevolently read to state the subject matter of the anticipated testimony, the Court held that it fails to provide a summary of the facts and opinions at issue. More fundamentally, it does not even identify the medical personnel at issue.
Prior to exclusion, however, the Court will give Baldwin an opportunity to show that her failure was either substantially justified or harmless.
Held
The Court granted the District’s motion to exclude Thom Luedemann from testifying based on his inadequate disclosure.
Key Takeaway:
Neither the September 12 Designation nor Luedemann’s CV included the necessary information under Rule 26(a)(2)(B)(i), (ii), (iii), (v), and (vi). Indeed, Baldwin herself conceded that the Designation failed to provide “a complete statement of all opinions” Luedemann intended to give.
Despite his extensive experience as a teacher and with school administration, nothing in Luedemann’s CV or report indicated that he has specialized knowledge in juvenile mental health.
Case Details:
| Case Caption: | Baldwin V. Kalispell School District #5 Et Al |
| Docket Number: | 9:23cv127 |
| Court: | United States District Court, Montana |
| Order Date: | December 2, 2024 |
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