Gorrell v. Sneath

292 F.R.D. 629, 2013 WL 1402363, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50190
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 5, 2013
DocketNo. 1:12-cv-0554-JLT
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 292 F.R.D. 629 (Gorrell v. Sneath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gorrell v. Sneath, 292 F.R.D. 629, 2013 WL 1402363, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50190 (E.D. Cal. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO COMPEL DEFENDANTS’ RESPONSES TO DISCOVERY

JENNIFER L. THURSTON, United States Magistrate Judge.

I. Background

Plaintiff Wilson Gorrell (“Plaintiff’) filed a motion to compel discovery on February 11, 2013, seeking “to obtain complete answers to the discovery requests” pursuant to Rule 37(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (Doc. 33). On February 27, 2013, Defendants filed their opposition to the motion, asserting it was “both procedurally and substantively deficient.” (Doc. 38). Specifically, Defendants assert Plaintiff failed to meet and confer as required under Rule 37(a), or to attempt to contact counsel regarding the discovery dispute. Id. at 1-2 (citing Fed. R.Civ.P. 37(a)(1)). In addition, Defendants contend, “Plaintiff never contacted counsel for defendants in an effort to prepare a Joint Statement re Discovery Disagreement,” which he was required to do pursuant to Local Rule 251(b). Id. at 2.

Although the Court recognizes Plaintiff is incarcerated, it is clear from the record that he has been in contact with Defendants’ counsel on several occasions and has participated in the filing of a joint statement. In fact, the Court notes that Plaintiff wrote to Defendants’ counsel on at least one occasion in an attempt to resolve the matter before filing the instant motion. (Doc. 33 at 63-66). However, there is no dispute that Plaintiff failed to cooperate with Defendants in filing a joint statement. Therefore, in the future, any discovery motion filed without compliance with the Local Rules, the Court’s scheduling order or the Rules of Civil Procedure, will be dropped from & LYL calendar.

II. Motion to Compel

The scope and limitations of discovery are set forth by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In relevant part, Rule 26(b) states:

Unless otherwise limited by court order, parties may obtain discovery regarding any nonprivileged manner that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense—including the existence, description, nature, custody, condition, and location of any documents or other tangible things ... For good cause, the court may order discovery of any matter relevant to the subject matter involved in the accident. - Relevant information need not be admissible at the trial if the discovery appeai-s reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.

[632]*632Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b). Relevant evidence is defined as “evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence.” Fed. R.Evid. 401.

A Interrogatories

A party may propound interrogatories relating to any matter that may be inquired to under Rule 26(b). Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(a). A l’esponding party is obligated to respond to the fullest extent possible, and any objections must be stated with specificity. Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(b)(3)-(4). In general, a responding party is not required “to conduct extensive research in order to answer an interrogatory, but a reasonable effort to respond must be made.” Haney v. Saldana, 2010 WL 3341939, at *3, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 93447, at *9 (E.D.Cal. Aug. 24, 2010) (citing L.H. v. Schwarzenegger, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 73753 (E.D.Cal. Sep. 21, 2007)). Further, the responding party must supplement a response if the information sought is later obtained or the previous response requires a correction. Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(e)(1)(A).

Any grounds of an objection to an interrogatory must be stated “with specificity.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(b)(4); see also Nagele v. Electronic Data Systems Corp., 193 F.R.D. 94, 109 (W.D.N.Y.2000) (objection that interrogatories were “burdensome” overruled for failure to “particularize” the basis for objection); Mitchell v. AMTRAK, 208 F.R.D. 455, 458 n. 4 (D.D.C.2002) (objections must explain how an interrogatory is overbroad or unduly burdensome).

B. Requests for Production of Documents

A party may request documents “in the responding party’s possession, custody, or control.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 34(a)(1). Similarly, a party may serve a request “to permit entry onto designated land or other property possessed or controlled by the responding party, so that the requesting party may inspect, measure, survey, photograph, test, or sample the property ...” Fed.R.Civ.P. 34(a)(2). A request is adequate if it describes items with “reasonable particularity;” specifies a reasonable time, place, and manner for the inspection; and specifies the form or forms in which electronic information can be produced. Fed.R.Civ.P. 34(b). Thus, a request is sufficiently clear if it “places the party upon ‘reasonable notice of what is called for and what is not.’ ” Kidwiler v. Progressive Paloverde Ins. Co., 192 F.R.D. 193, 202 (N.D.W.Va.2000) (quoting Parsons v. Jefferson-Pilot Corp., 141 F.R.D. 408, 412 (M.D.N.C.1992)); see also Schwarzer, Tashima & Wagstaffe, California Practice Guide: Federal Civil Procedure Before Trial (Rev. # 1 2011) Discovery, para. 11:1886 (“the apparent test is whether a respondent of average intelligence would know what items to produce”).

The responding party must respond in writing and is obliged to produce all specified relevant and non-privileged documents, tangible things, or electronically stored information in its “possession, custody, or control” on the date specified. Fed.R.Civ.P. 34(a). Actual possession, custody or control is not required. “A party may be ordered to produce a document in the possession of a non-party entity if that party has a legal right to obtain the document or has control over the entity who is in possession of the document.” Soto v. City of Concord, 162 F.R.D. 603, 620 (N.D.Cal.1995). Such documents include documents under the control of the party’s attorney. Meeks v. Parsons, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90283, 2009 WL 3303718 (E.D.Cal. September 18, 2009) (involving a subpoena to the CDCR); Axler v. Scientific Ecology Group, Inc., 196 F.R.D. 210, 212 (D.Mass.

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Bluebook (online)
292 F.R.D. 629, 2013 WL 1402363, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gorrell-v-sneath-caed-2013.