Hoffman v. United Telecommunications, Inc.

117 F.R.D. 436, 43 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 37,183, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9121
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedMay 12, 1987
DocketCiv. A. No. 76-223-C2
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 117 F.R.D. 436 (Hoffman v. United Telecommunications, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hoffman v. United Telecommunications, Inc., 117 F.R.D. 436, 43 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 37,183, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9121 (D. Kan. 1987).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

GERALD L. RUSHFELT, United States Magistrate.

Under consideration are Defendants’ Motion to Compel Answers to Their Interrogatories Regarding Existence of Facially Neutral Personnel Policies, Practices and Procedures Alleged to Have a Disparate Impact on Females and Claims of Intentional Sex Discrimination—First Set (doc. 739) and Plaintiff and Plaintiff-intervenor’s Motion to Compel Answers to Interrogatories (doc. 742).

Defendants’ Motion to Compel (doc. 739)

Defendants request a court order, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 37, compelling plaintiffintervenor to answer 24 interrogatories [438]*438which seek the identification and other information regarding policies, practices and procedures of defendants which plaintiff-intervenor finds discriminatory or has a disparate impact on females. Each odd-numbered interrogatory requests information regarding an area of possible discrimination. Each even-numbered interrogatory asks plaintiff-intervenor to explain any reasons for not answering the previous interrogatory fully and to state what further discovery must be undertaken in order for plaintiff-intervenor to answer it.

Plaintiff-intervenor answered the odd-numbered interrogatories by stating that the policies, practices and procedures responsive to these interrogatories are contained in documents either produced by defendants or previously given to defendants. Plaintiff-intervenor then cited to Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(c) to support its position that defendant may derive detailed answers from those documents. However, plaintiff-intervenor then agreed to provide defendant with answers at such time as its own discovery would enable it to do so. Plaintiff also objected to sub-part (b) of each even-numbered interrogatory on work-product grounds.

Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b), parties may obtain discovery of any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter of the action. Plaintiff did not object to the odd-numbered interrogatories on grounds of privilege or work-product. Therefore it has waived any right to protection on those grounds. The court finds the odd-numbered interrogatories seek information that is relevant to the subject matter of this action.

Plaintiff-intervenor’s reliance on Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(e) is not appropriate. This rule allows a party to produce its own business records in lieu of interrogatories in certain instances. The court finds unpersuasive plaintiff-intervenor’s argument that because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (hereinafter EEOC) business is the investigation of charges of employment discrimination, documents submitted by employers are therefore the business records of the EEOC. The court overrules plaintiff-intervenor’s Rule 33(c) objection to answering these interrogatories.

The issue remaining as to the odd-numbered interrogatories is whether or not they are overly burdensome. In making a decision regarding burdensomeness, a court should balance the burden on the interrogated party against the benefit to the discovering party of having the information. Rich v. Martin Marietta Corp., 522 F.2d 333 (10th Cir.1975). The burden is on plaintiff-intervenor to show why the interrogatory is improper. See Roesberg v. Johns-Manville Corp., 85 F.R.D. 292 (E.D.Pa.1980).

Plaintiff-intervenor claims that because the data is equally available to both parties, defendant should do its own research. There is case law supporting this view. Some courts, on the other hand, have ruled that an interrogatory calling for research is not objectionable, if the interrogated party would gather the information in the preparation of its own case. See Flour Mills of America, Inc. v. Pace, 75 F.R.D. 676, 680-81 (E.D.Okla.1977) and cases cited therein.

In its memorandum in opposition to defendant’s motion to compel, plaintiff-intervenor cites two opinions by Magistrate Sullivant in this case, ruling that the EEOC should not have to structure defendant’s case. Although such an objection to this discovery has merit, plaintiff-intervenor did not object to the odd-numbered interrogatories in its answers to the interrogatories. In fact, plaintiff-intervenor agreed to answer these interrogatories as it progressed in its own discovery and investigation process.

Moreover, the interrogatories seek information about the claims of plaintiff-intervenor in this case. The court will not require defendants to fathom what plaintiffintervenor may elect to contend as claims from the thousands of documents which have been produced.

Defendant’s motion to compel plaintiffintervenor to answer to odd-numbered interrogatories is granted. Because this discovery appears to require extensive re[439]*439search, plaintiff-intervenor shall be granted leave to November 15, 1987 to supplement its answers to these interrogatories.

Paragraph (b) of each even-numbered interrogatory requests plaintiff-intervenor to explain what further discovery it plans to pursue in order to answer the previous interrogatory. Plaintiff-intervenor objected to these questions on grounds of work-product. The court sustains plaintiff-intervenor’s work-product objection to these interrogatories.

In summary, the court grants in part and denies in part Defendants’ Motion to Compel Answers to Their Interrogatories Regarding Existence of Facially Neutral Personnel Policies, Practices and Procedures Alleged to Have a Disparate Impact on Females and Claims of Intentional Sex Discrimination—First Set (doc. 739). Plaintiff is ordered to answer Interrogatories 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23 by November 15, 1987.

Plaintiff and Plaintiff-intervenor’s Motion to Compel Answers to Interrogatories (doc. 742)

Plaintiff and plaintiff-intervenor request a court order pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 37, compelling defendants to answer interrogatories concerning computer capability and related information (Exhibit A to doc. 743). In particular these interrogatories request detailed information regarding a computer file set up by defendants for the purposes of this litigation regarding the personnel records of United Telecommunications and its subsidiaries.

Interrogatories 1, 2, 4 and 5: The motion to compel is denied. These interrogatories have been answered.

Interrogatories 3, 7 and 8: These interrogatories request detailed information regarding the set up of defendant’s computer file. Defendants objected to the interrogatories on work-product, attorney-client privilege grounds and under Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1), (3) and (4).

Attorney-Client Privilege: These interrogatories seek facts regarding defendants’ computer file. The attorney-client privilege protects communications between attorney and client, not facts. This privilege should be narrowly construed. See Casson Construction Co., Inc. v. Armco Steel Corp., 91 F.R.D.

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Bluebook (online)
117 F.R.D. 436, 43 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 37,183, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoffman-v-united-telecommunications-inc-ksd-1987.