Referee.jpgNine years ago, in the middle of a Deposition, defense counsel called plaintiff counsel a “Bitch.” Plaintiff counsel immediately filed a motion for a Discovery Referee and I was appointed. The court ordered that I sit in on all the depositions and attend the site inspection. All communication including the scheduling of discovery was to be done through me.

When I look back on this case,  I realize that the moment defense counsel used the word “Bitch” it became the turning point of the case. These two well-respected attorneys’ hostility toward one another drove the case. There were no more professional courtesies and the parties took extreme positions in their settlement negotiations. The case eventually went through a lengthy bench trial and appeal process that lasted years before plaintiff recovered an eight-figure judgement.

Continue Reading When an Apology is a Discovery Response

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Motions to compel further responses to interrogatories, requests for productions of documents and requests for admissions require that the motion be filed within 45 days. CCP §§ 2030.300(c), 2031.310(c) and 2032.290(c)  Delaying the filing of the motion waives a party’s right to compel further responses. The case of Vidal Sassoon, Inc. v. Superior Court (1983) 147 Cal. App. 3d 681 (pdf) at 685 (Pre-1986 Discovery Act) takes the position that the court lacks jurisdiction to order further responses after time has expired. The Second District Court of Appeal upheld this rationale in Sexton v. Superior Court (1987) 58 Cal. App. 4th 1403 (pdf), 1410.

Continue Reading You’ve Blown the Dreaded Draconian 45-Day Rule-Now What Do You Do?

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Not only are most objections garbage, we tend to recycle our garbage objections from one case to the next. Sometimes, we pick up other attorneys’ garbage objections and contribute to more litter. This is done over and over again without even thinking what it is doing to the environment of the litigation.

Garbage objections fuel the ire of opposing counsel. The “meet and confer” letter that is soon to follow is usually full of hostility and threats. Any amicable relationship you had hoped for with opposing counsel is on the cusp of being destroyed. More important, you are now costing your client more money in attorneys’ fees and possibly in settlement.  So before you throw out the trash, look at these common objections and why they will be overruled:

Continue Reading Are Your Objections Garbage?

A few months back I received an e-mail from a court reporter regarding a very unpleasant incident that occurred in a deposition. It went like this:

So…during questioning the attorneys were apparently getting to a very sensitive area of inquiry — and [Attorney #1] had already argued with all of the other attorneys — so, he stared me straight in the eye and said, “God damn it, when you’re asked to read a question back, you don’t just read a question, you read the answer also, do you hear me? Now I’ve got to object and say it’s asked and answered when if you would just do your fucking job I wouldn’t have to do so. When it happens again, you better read it the right way.”

Continue Reading The Goddess of the Deposition

 Imagine this:  At the beginning of the case you serve  interrogatories asking basic information about your case.  Thirty-five (35) days later you receive responses  that state for every  interrogatory:

“Vague, ambiguous, overbroad, burdensome, oppressive, not likely to lead to admissible evidence and the information is equally accessible to the defendant.  Plaintiff further objects on the grounds of attorney client privilege and the work product doctrine.  See Nacht & Lewis Architect, Inc. v. Superior Court (1996) 47 CA4th 214. 

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Does this sound all too familiar?  The frustration level is high with attorneys as it will take at a minimum 121 days to get basic information if you have to file a motion to compel further responses.  Meanwhile the court is scheduling a trial date and your discovery train hasn’t even left the station.

The purpose of discovery is to take the “game” element out of trial preparation by enabling the parties to obtain evidence necessary to evaluate and resolve their dispute before a trial is necessary.  Weil and Brown, Cal Prac. Guide:  Civil Procedure Before Trial (TRG 2009) ¶ 8:1, citing Greyhound Corp v Superior Court (1961) 56 C2d 355, 376].  Unfortunately, now it appears the call of the wild is “Let the games begin” as the dreaded process unfolds.

Continue Reading Interrogatories–You have An Obligation to Respond in Good Faith

Knights Fighting.jpgOfficial Form Interrogatories–General (Disc-001)  prepared by the Judicial Council were intended to be used to cover basic matters as well as being a foundational discovery device in personal injury and contract cases.  They also contained sub-parts which were not allowed when serving special interrogatories and they were not subject to the “Rule of 35”.  See California Code of Civil Procedure §§2030.030(a)(2) and 2030.060.  Their use was usually the first volley in the discovery battle.

For years the Courts had found that the Form Interrogatories were objection proof as to form with minor exceptions.  These minor exceptions usually involved case specific issues such as  checking the box with the definition of “INCIDENT” versus creating your own definition for “INCIDENT” and cases which involve complex business transactions.   

Continue Reading Are Official Form Interrogatories Objection Proof?