When a party to a civil case needs to get information from the other side, she can serve the other side with written requests called “discovery requests.” These requests might include: Interrogatories, which are written questions about things that are relevant or important to the case. (NRCP 33; JCRCP 33)
Rule 33 (b), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure , requires the respondent to answer an interrogatory separately and fully in writing and under oath, unless the respondent objects, in which event the party objecting shall state with specificity the reasons for objection and shall answer to the extent the interrogatory is ...
However, you can object to interrogatories that call for legal conclusions. You can also object to questions if they are not at all related to the court case. To object, you need to write out the reasons for the objection instead of answering the question.
The responding party must serve a written response on the requesting party within 30 days after service of the interrogatories, except that a defendant in a suit governed by the Family Code served with a request before the defendant's answer is due need not respond until 50 days after service of the request.
If the other person does not respond, or their response is still incomplete, you can ask the court to order them to respond. You have 45 days from the service of the most recent responses to ask the court to make an order requiring an answer.
If you are unable to answer an interrogatory because it is too vague, ambiguous, or somehow objectionable, you can state an objection and the reason for your objection. You must then answer to the extent the interrogatory is not objectionable.
If you do not answer the questions by the deadline, which is usually about a month, the other side could ask the judge to order you to respond to the interrogatories. If you miss the second deadline, the judge could impose a fine against you or strike your pleadings.
A photocopy of your form interrogatories must be served on the attorney for the responding party or directly to the responding party if he or she is self-represented (in pro per). Courtesy copies should be served on all other attorneys or self-represented parties in the case.
Civ. P. 33(b)(1)(B), (3) and (5), and Petitioner never moved to compel a proper verification.” Under Rule 33, answers to interrogatories must be verified and must be signed by the person answering the interrogatory, not only by the party's attorney.
The purpose of this requirement—that defendant have time to obtain counsel before a response must be made—is adequately fulfilled by the requirement that interrogatories be served upon a party with or after service of the summons and complaint upon him.