Williams v. Johanns

235 F.R.D. 116, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23709, 2006 WL 1122615
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedApril 27, 2006
DocketCivil Action No. 03-2245 (CKK/JMF)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 235 F.R.D. 116 (Williams v. Johanns) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Johanns, 235 F.R.D. 116, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23709, 2006 WL 1122615 (D.D.C. 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

FACCIOLA, United States Magistrate Judge.

This case was referred to me for resolution of discovery disputes. Currently pending before me is Defendants’ Motion to Compel. For the reasons stated herein, defendants’ motion will be granted.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs Robert and Laverne Williams (collectively “plaintiffs”) brought this lawsuit against the United States, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), the USDA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, and the USDA’s Deputy Director of the Office of Civil Rights alleging denial of due process and equal protection in violation of the Fifth Amendment and denial of their USDA loan application based on their race (African-American) in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1972 (“ECOA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq.1 Plaintiffs’ First Amended Complaint (“Am. Compl.”) ¶¶ 32-41. On April 30, 2004, defendants filed a motion to dismiss. On July 5, 2005, defendants’ motion was granted and, as a result, plaintiffs’ only remaining claim is that the denial of their 2003 application for a Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) loan was in violation of the ECOA. Williams v. Veneman, C.A. No. 03-2245 (D.D.C. July 5, 2005) (order granting motion to dismiss).

On September 23, 2005, defendants served them first set of interrogatories and requests for production of documents on plaintiffs. Defendants’ Memorandum in Support of Their Motion to Compel (“Defs.Mem.”) at 3. Plaintiffs provided their responses to defendants’ discovery requests on February 16, 2006. Id. at 5. After reviewing plaintiffs’ responses, defendants informed plaintiffs that the responses were inadequate and, on March 6, 2006, plaintiffs provided revised responses. Id. at 1-2. The revised responses, however, were also inadequate and, therefore, on March 21, 2006, defendants filed the present motion to compel. Shortly thereafter, on March 23, 2003, Judge Kollar-Kotelly granted defendants’ unopposed motion to extend the deadline for discovery from July 19, 2006 to September 20, 2006.

II. DISCUSSION

A. The Basic Requirements of Rules 33 and 34

Under Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, plaintiffs are required to answer each interrogatory “separately and fully in writing under oath, unless it is objected to, in which event the objecting party shall state the reasons for objection and shall answer to the extent the interrogatory is not objectionable.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 33(b)(1). Similarly, under Rule 34, plaintiffs must “state, with respect to each item or category, that inspection and related activities will be permitted as requested, unless the request is objected to, in which event the reasons for the objection shall be stated” and “inspection permitted for the remaining parts.” Fed. [118]*118R.Civ.P. 34(b). Failing to respond as required may have several consequences. First, if the requesting party has to resort to filing a motion to compel in order to obtain the requested information, the responding party may be ordered to reimburse the moving party for the expenses incurred in bringing the motion to compel, including reasonable attorney’s fees. Fed.R.Civ.P. 37(a)(4)(A). Failure to respond could also result in more severe sanctions, such as an order deeming certain facts as established against the responding party, prohibiting the responding party from introducing evidence of particular claims, striking sections of the responding party’s pleadings, or even entering judgment by default against the responding party. Fed.R.Civ.P. 37(d).

B. Plaintiffs’ Discovery Responses

The following chart provides each of defendants’ interrogatories, plaintiffs’ initial answers to those interrogatories, and plaintiffs’ revised answers.2

Number

Interrogatory

Initial Answer

Revised Answer

Identify persons with knowledge relevant to allegations relating to plaintiffs’ 2003 farm operating loan application. State the facts of which each such person has information or knowledge.

“Plaintiff objects on the basis that said request is overly broad and seeks information of a descriptive nature that is more appropriately sought through use of deposition testimony.” Names four persons. States: “Will supplement.”

“Plaintiff objects on the basis that said request is overly broad and vague.” Names certain persons but does not provide the facts of which those persons have knowledge.

State factual bases for contention that defendant violated the ECOA by denying 2003 farm operating loan application on basis of race and indicate date of each discriminatory incident and the discriminatory act performed by USDA employee claimed to be racially motivated.

“Plaintiff objects on the basis that said request is overly broad and seeks information of a descriptive nature that is more appropriately sought through use of deposition testimony.” Repeats the allegations in the complaint. States: “Will supplement.”

“Plaintiff objects on the basis that said request is overly broad and vague.” Repeats the allegations of the complaint. States: “See Original and Amended Complaint.”

State whether plaintiffs contend that the handling of their 2003 loan application is an ECOA claim distinct from the denial of their 2003 farm operating loan. If so, state factual bases for that contention and identify discriminatory acts.

“Plaintiff objects on the basis that said request is overly broad and seeks information of a descriptive nature that is more appropriately sought through use of deposition testimony.” States: ‘Yes. See answer to Interrogatory Number 2.”

“Yes. See answer to Interrogatory Number 2.”

State whether plaintiffs contend that USDA violated the ECOA in handling of administrative complaint and state factual bases for that contention.

“Plaintiff objects on the basis that said request is overly broad and seeks information of a descriptive nature that is more appropriately sought through use of deposition testimony.” States: ‘Yes. See answer to Interrogatory Number 2. FSA has all such documents in its file.”

‘Yes. See answer to Interrogatory Number 2. FSA has all such documents in its file.”

[119]*1195

Describe facts relating to 2003 farm operating loan application; state factual bases for contention that plaintiffs were told to reapply.

“Yes. See Original and Amended Complaint and answer to Interrogatory Number 2. PSA has all such documents in its file.”

‘Yes. See Original and Amended Complaint and answer to Interrogatory Number 2. FSA has all such documents in its file.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 F.R.D. 116, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23709, 2006 WL 1122615, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-johanns-dcd-2006.