Gavenda v. Orleans County

182 F.R.D. 17, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22832, 1997 WL 930030
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 14, 1997
DocketNo. 95-251E
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 182 F.R.D. 17 (Gavenda v. Orleans County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gavenda v. Orleans County, 182 F.R.D. 17, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22832, 1997 WL 930030 (W.D.N.Y. 1997).

Opinion

Memorandum & Order

SCOTT, United States Magistrate Judge.

This matter has been referred to this court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A) by Order dated February 20, 1996. Before the court are numerous motions for protective orders, motions to compel discovery, and a motions seeking to shorten the time to respond to discovery requests.

Background

This matter has been before the Court on several occasions. A more detailed recitation of the background may be found in this Court’s April 12, 1996 Memorandum & Order. In brief, plaintiff, who is employed by the Orleans County Sheriffs Department, claims that she has been discriminated against by defendants because she is female. She alleges that defendants violated her rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York Human Rights Law, the New York Civil Rights Law and the common law of slander. The plaintiff also claims that the defendants have violated the terms of a Stipulation & Order which resolved a previous similar action brought by the plaintiff (“Gavenda I”).1

By Order dated February 10, 1997, Hon. John T. Elfvin dismissed this action in its entirety as against certain union defendants. Judge Elfvin also dismissed plaintiffs claims to the extent that she alleged that the defendants violated the Gavenda I Stipulation & Order by failing to place her on the day shift, by denying her backup or by failing to formulate non-discrimination policies and provide training on such policies. Also dismissed in their entirety were plaintiffs Sixth Cause of Action claiming certain violations of the New York State Civil Rights Law, and plaintiffs Seventh Cause of Action alleging defamation of character. Judge Elfvin also dismissed the plaintiffs Title VII claim as against defendants Dingman, Litchfield, Green and Metz; and plaintiffs Civil Rights Act, § 1983 claim as against defendants Dingman and Litchfield.2

Significantly, by Order dated June 20, 1996, Judge Elfvin also denied plaintiffs motion to extend the May 10, 1996 discovery deadline in this case.

The following motions remain pending:

I. Motions Relating to Shorten Time to Respond to Discovery Requests

1. Plaintiffs April 22, 1996 Motion to Shorten Time to Respond to Request for Documents (# 139)3
2. Plaintiffs May 8,1996 Motion to Shorten Time to Respond to Request for Documents (# 149)
3. Orleans County defendants’4 Cross-Motion for a protective Order dated May 21,1996(# 168).

II. Motions to Compel and Cross-Motions for Protective Orders

1. Plaintiffs April 26, 1996 Motion to Compel (# 145);
2. Plaintiffs May 10, 1996 Motion to Compel (# 154);
3. Defendant Dingman’s Motion for a Protective Order dated June 12, 1996 (# 176);
4. Orleans County defendants’ June 12, 1996 Cross-motion for a Protective Order relating to the April 26, 1996 Motion to Compel (# 179);
5. Orleans County defendants’ June 12, 1996 Cross-motion for a Protective Order relating to the May 10, 1996 Motion to Compel (# 182);

[20]*20III. Motions Relating to the Discovery of Personnel Files

1. Plaintiffs Motion to Compel Disclosure of Personnel Files (# 138).

I. The Motions to Shorten Time to Produce Documents

Rule 34 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a party shall respond to a request for the production of documents within 30 days after service of the request. By motions dated April 22, 1996 and May 8, 1996, plaintiff sought to shorten the time to respond to document requests which plaintiff served.less than 30 days before the close of discovery.

More specifically, the discovery cut-off in this case was May 10,1996. On May 8,1996, plaintiff served a Notice to Produce Documents. The Orleans County defendants filed a Cross-Motion for a Protective Order asserting that by serving a document request in the last days of the discovery period, plaintiff was impermissibly extending discovery beyond May 10, 1996. Defendants’ also argued that plaintiffs motion is moot inasmuch as May 10,1996 has passed and that, in any event, plaintiffs document requests are broad and unnecessary.

Upon review, the documents requested in the May 8, 1996 demand appear to have minima], if any, relevance to the instant action. For example, Request No. 1 seeks documents relating to “[t]he public procedure on obtaining access to public records and/or any written forms that need to be filled out for the public to access Orleans County records.” Requests 2 and 3 seek similar documents relating to the accessibility of public documents. Requests 4 through 6 seek documents relating to the handling of harassment cases against three individuals who are not parties to this action. Requests 7 through 9 seek documents from Local 2966, Council 82 and/or AFSME relating to the grievance procedures and the types of records a Local is to keep regarding labor/management meetings.

Some of these requests are directed toward defendants who have been dismissed from this action. Some of these requests appear to have no relevance to the instant action. Others, while they may be minimally relevant, are overly broad requests. The plaintiff makes no attempt to establish the particular need for these documents or why such broad requests could not have been made prior to the most recent depositions.

Generally, discovery requests are to be made sufficiently inside the discovery period to allow for a response prior to the discovery cut-off date. Discovery requests which are served too late in the discovery period to allow for a timely response, have been disallowed. Fitzgibbon v. Sanyo Securities America, 1994 WL 281928 (S.D.N.Y. 1994); Lastre v. Leonard, 1990 WL 37658 (N.D.Ill.1990); Beller v. Credit Alliance Corporation, 106 F.R.D. 557 (N.D.Ga.1985).

The discovery process in this case languished until almost the very end of the discovery period. Allowing document demands to be served at the very end of the discovery period would impermissibly extend the discovery period as defined by Judge Elfvin. The depositions, from which plaintiff contends the document demands arose, could have been taken months earlier but for the availability of plaintiffs counsel. The circumstances do not justify the service of a document request, such as the May 8, 1996 document request, two days before the discovery cutoff date.

Thus, plaintiffs Motions to Shorten the Time to Respond to Requests for Documents (# 139 and 149) are denied, and defendants’ Cross-Motion for a Protective Order (# 168) is granted.

II. Plaintiff’s April 26, 1996 Motion to Compel and Related Cross-Motions

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182 F.R.D. 17, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22832, 1997 WL 930030, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gavenda-v-orleans-county-nywd-1997.