From the Courts’ and Legislature’s perspective, the purpose of discovery is to exchange information between the parties so each side can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses of their case, so that they are able to resolve the case or, if settlement is not possible, to safeguard against surprise at trial to avoid unnecessary delays and
The biggest burden in bringing motions to compel further responses is the preparation of the separate statement of items in dispute pursuant to CRC, Rule 3.1345. In my blogs and at seminars, I have advised parties to prepare their meet and confer letters in the format of a separate statement. See my blog “
Assume you receive the following response to your Requests for Production of Documents:
Responding party hereby incorporates its general objections as if fully stated herein. Responding party objects to this request to the extent it seeks information protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege and/or work product doctrine, or any other applicable privilege. Responding party
The greatest discovery abuses come from responses to Requests for Production of Documents. Many responses contain a myriad of garbage objections, fail to contain a privilege log, along with producing documents that are not organized by category. Due to the responding party’s failure to comply with Codes of Civil Procedure § 2031.220, §2031.230,
There were three changes to the Discovery Act that became effective on January 1st, 2020 which can be found in Code of Civil Procedure sections 2031.280, 2016.090 and 2023.050. This blog will discuss the change to C.C.P. §2031.280 and its significance.
California Code of Civil Procedure § 2031.280 titled Form in which documents to be
As stated in the blog “It’s Not a Discovery Device, But…”, a Demand for Bill of Particulars is NOT a discovery device, but an extension of the complaint or a cross-complaint [complaint]. Unlike interrogatories and deposition testimony, a Bill of Particulars is conclusive as to the items and amounts claimed and no other evidence is admissible at trial. More importantly, if the court finds that any of the line items are deficient it can strike the entry and preclude plaintiff/cross-complainant [plaintiff] from proving the debt is owed.
Pre-trial discovery is the heart and soul of litigation. It enables the parties to evaluate and prepare their case for mediation, motions for summary judgment or summary adjudication and for trial. The propounding of discovery also leads to discovery disputes and then to discovery motions–all which can threaten to overwhelm the litigation of the case. However, due to the court holidays ordered by the Judicial Council during this pandemic, parties were not able to have their discovery disputes heard by the courts, thus, stalling their cases. Now with the courts reopening, the backlog of motions previously taken off calendar will need to be rescheduled. Meanwhile, new motions are being filed. This unprecedented situation begs the question from attorneys: When will my discovery motion be heard?
Life as we knew it has been put on hold due to COVID-19. Courts are closed, deadlines are extended, and court dates have been continued. As the courts establish “new norms” for their operations, access to the civil courts may be limited and further delayed. It is not clear what civil matters will receive priority. Civil law and motion matters taken off calendar due to court closures will need to be rescheduled, and newly filed motions added to crowded calendars. It could take months or years before the court dockets return to normal. Scheduling new law and motion matters and having them heard will be challenging for all litigators. However, courts and counsel have available options to address the backlog.
Continue Reading Civil Litigation and COVID-19: Justice Need Not Be Delayed
Recently at an MCLE seminar, a sitting judge forewarned the audience that because of all the new judges from a variety of backgrounds, often they don’t have the necessary background on law and procedures for their department. His advice:
come to your hearings with copies of all the important cases and statutes, no matter how basic the concept is.
This sitting judge was subtly saying: Plan on educating the court!!
The meet and confer process has failed. Now you have to decide whether (1) you need to bring a Motion to Compel Further Documents because the documents are an integral part of the defense and/or prosecution of your case, or (2) wait for trial and make a motion in limine to exclude the documents categorically at trial. Two of the factors you are going to have to consider are how much time it’s going to take to prepare the motion as well as the cost to your client.
Most attorneys underestimate the time and cost in filing a Motion to Compel Further Responses.