Vázquez-Fernández v. Cambridge College, Inc.

269 F.R.D. 150, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89650, 2010 WL 3398813
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedAugust 30, 2010
DocketCivil No. 08-2376 (ADC)
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 269 F.R.D. 150 (Vázquez-Fernández v. Cambridge College, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vázquez-Fernández v. Cambridge College, Inc., 269 F.R.D. 150, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89650, 2010 WL 3398813 (prd 2010).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JUSTO ARENAS, United States Chief Magistrate Judge.

Before the court are motions to compel, filed by both the defendant and plaintiffs, to resolve several discovery disputes. The first is plaintiffs’ motion to compel, filed on May 7, 2010. (Docket No. 28.) The defendant also filed a motion to compel plaintiffs to produce documents on May 17, 2010. (Docket No. 32.) Plaintiffs opposed the defendant’s motion and moved for a protective order. (Docket No. 36.) The motions were referred to me for disposition on May 24, 2010. (Docket No. 34.) On August 2, plaintiffs filed a second motion to compel. (Docket No. 43.) This motion was referred to me on August 10, 2010. (Docket No. 44.) For the reasons stated below, plaintiffs’ motion is DENIED in part and GRANTED in part. The defendant’s motion to compel is DENIED. Plaintiffs’ motion for protective order is also DENIED. Plaintiffs second motion to compel is GRANTED.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On December 10, 2008, plaintiffs filed a complaint for employment discrimination against the defendants. (Docket No. 1.) The complaint alleged that the defendant violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 621-634 (“ADEA”). Plaintiffs also asserted violations of several statutes under the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, alleging employment discrimination, pursuant to Law 100 of June 30,1959, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 29, § 146 el seq.; wrongful dismissal, pursuant to Law 80 of May 30, 1976, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 29, § 185(a); breach of contract, under Articles 1206 and 1054 of the Puerto Rico Civil Code, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 31, §§ 3371 and 3018; and tort law violations, under Articles 1802 and 1803, P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 31, §§ 5141-5142. The defendant filed an answer on April 23, 2009. (Docket No. 13.) The parties exchanged their initial disclosures on June 23, 2009. (Docket No. 28, at 2, ¶ 3 & Docket No. 31, at 2.) On September 28, 2009, the court issued a Scheduling Order/Case Management [153]*153Order setting the deadline for completion of discovery for August 31, 2010. (Docket No. 27.)

Plaintiffs filed their motion to compel responses to discovery requests on May 7, 2010. (Docket No. 28.) The defendant opposed plaintiffs’ motion on May 17, 2010. (Docket No. 31.) On June 3, plaintiffs replied to the defendant’s arguments. (Docket No. 40.) The defendant filed its motion to compel plaintiffs to produce documents on May 17, 2010. (Docket No. 32.) On May 24, plaintiffs opposed the defendant’s motion to compel plaintiffs to produce documents and on June 2, opposed the motion for protective order. (Docket Nos. 36 & 39.) On August 2, 2010, plaintiffs filed a second motion to compel the defendant to produce the documents it had previously agreed to produce, interrogatories 12 and 13 and document requests 15 and 64. (Docket No. 43.) I address each party’s motion in turn.

ANALYSIS

1. PLAINTIFFS’ FIRST MOTION TO COMPEL

A. Background

On July 7, 2009, plaintiffs sent the defendant “Plaintiffs’ First Set of Interrogatories, Request for Production of Documents and Request for Admissions.” (Docket No. 28, at 2, ¶ 4.) The defendant responded on November 10, 2009 by sending “Defendant’s Answer to First Set of Interrogatories, Request for Production of Documents and Request for Admissions.” (Docket No. 28, at 2, ¶ 6.) The defendant’s answer included a production of documents, as well as objections to many of the requests. Plaintiffs’ counsel sent a letter to the defendant’s counsel on December 4, 2009 requesting a meeting pursuant to Local Rule 26(b) to discuss plaintiffs’ opposition to the defendant’s objections.1 (Docket No. 28, ¶ 7 & Docket No. 31, at 3.) The Rule 26(b) meeting was held on December 29, 2009. (Docket No. 28, at 3, ¶ 8.) As a result of the meeting, the defendant’s counsel agreed to discuss the objections with the defendant and supplement the response. (Docket No. 28, at 3, ¶ 8 & Docket No. 31, at 3.) After plaintiffs sent letters on January 13 and again on April 12 reminding the defendant of its agreement to supplement its response, the defendant supplemented the response on April 16, 2010. (Docket No. 28, at 3, ¶¶ 9-11 & Docket No. 31, at 3.)

The parties once again conferred via telephone on April 29 to discuss discovery issues. As a result of the telephone conference, the defendant sent plaintiffs a letter stating that it had “fairly supplemented the answer in accordance [with the parties’] agreements,” but were available for further discussion on the issue. (Docket No. 28-8, at 1, ¶ 3.) Plaintiffs rejected the defendant’s offer to once again meet to discuss the issues, arguing that the defendant’s unresponsiveness and “dilatory tactics” are “harming [plaintiffs’] right for a full discovery prior to depositions.” (Docket No. 28-9, at 1, ¶ 2.) After several months of discussion, plaintiffs allege that the requests have not been sufficiently responded to and filed this motion to compel responses to the discovery requests. On August 2, 2010, plaintiffs filed a second motion to compel, arguing that although the defendant agreed to further supplement its response to several interrogatories and requests, the defendant has not done so and an order to compel should be issued.

B. Plaintiffs’ Contentions

1. Deficiency of Supplemental Interrogatory Responses

First, plaintiffs argue that the supplemental response amounts to no response at all because the response was not answered and signed under oath by the defendant’s designated officer, but was instead submitted by defense counsel. (Docket No. 28, at 5.) On April 29, 2010 plaintiffs sent a letter to the defendant stating that “[t]he interrogatories are directed and must be answered by the client and not the attorney.” (Docket No. 28-9, at 1, ¶ 2.) In an email on April 30, the defendant stated that “defendant’s attorneys [154]*154are allowed to respond to these discovery requests under the provisions of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.” (Docket No. 28, at 7.) However, in the defendant’s opposition to the motion to compel, the defendant argues that the plaintiffs objection is premature and improper because “this issue was never discussed by the parties prior to Plaintiffs’ filling of the motion to compel.” (Docket No. 31, at 4, ¶ 3, emphasis omitted.) As plaintiffs contend in their reply to the defendant’s opposition, this statement is not correct. (Docket No. 40.) It is clear from the defendant’s April 30 email, that the parties had discussed this issue prior to plaintiffs filing the instant motion.

Under Rules 33 and 34, interrogatories and requests for production of documents are directed to the parties and must be answered by the parties to whom they are directed. Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(b)(1)(A) & Fed.R.Civ.P. 34(b)(2)(A).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
269 F.R.D. 150, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 89650, 2010 WL 3398813, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vazquez-fernandez-v-cambridge-college-inc-prd-2010.