United States v. An Article of Drug Consisting of 30 Individually Cartoned Jars
Opinion
OPINION
On April 4,1967, the United States instituted proceedings pursuant to Section 305 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 335) to investigate possible criminal responsibility of the manufacturers and distributors of the product “Ahead” for alleged violations of the Act. Shortly thereafter, on April 10, 1967, the United States began this libel action for identical statutory violations (21 U.S.C. § 334). In due order, Ahead Kelly Products, Inc., filed' its claim of ownership and its answer to the libel. In preparation for trial the United States and the claimant each propounded interrogatories to the other under Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The parties have each objected to certain interrogatories of the other.
[185] Claimant’s objection to the government’s interrogatories sound in the alternative. The initial ground is that:
“Where the government has filed a notice of hearing for investigation of possible criminal violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, it may not utilize interrogatories in a companion civil suit for identical violations of the said Act to compel the production of evidence for the criminal action. As such, all of the government’s interrogatories are improper and should be stricken.”
Alternatively, claimant objects to Interrogatories 1 through 91 arguing that they are improper in that they seek to obtain admissions as well as interpretations of various representations and suggestions made in certain written documents. Further, claimant objects to Interrogatories 10 through 13 2 contending [186] that they "are completely irrelevant to the issues involved.”
The government has lodged objections to nine3 of claimant’s forty-one interrogatories. The basis for relief from answering Interrogatories 1 through 5 is a claim of “executive privilege.” Interrogatories 36 and 38 are alleged to be unrelated to the subject matter of the suit. Interrogatory 39 is objected to as too general, while Interrogatory 41 seeks information to which the claimant allegedly has no right.
Claimant’s Objections to Government’s Interrogatories
In support of its contention that all of the government’s interrogatories are improper and should be stricken, claimant proceeds on two separate theories. Claimant first takes the posi[187] 'tion that public policy 4 prohibits compelling an officer or agent of a corporation to answer interrogatories propounded to the corporation in a civil suit when those answers might tend to incriminate the -corporation
Footnotes
43 F.R.D. 181 (United States v. An Article of Drug Consisting of 30 Individually Cartoned Jars) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.
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