All Personal Injury

Motions to Compel If a party doesn't respond to interrogatories or requests for production, then the party seeking those answers must file a motion to compel with the court. If the court grants the motion to compel, then the party who objected or failed to answer must then do so.

So, can you refuse to answer interrogatories? The answer is, no, you may not. You must answer a Rule 33 interrogatory within 30 days of being served with it. That answer must either permit inspection of the requested information or object to the production of the information for a specific reason.

The number of questions included in an interrogatory is usually limited by court rule. For example, under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, each party may only ask each other party 25 questions via interrogatory unless the court gives permission to ask more.

The interrogatories shall not exceed 30, including all subparts, unless the court permits a larger number on motion and notice and for good cause.

(1) Number. Unless otherwise stipulated or ordered by the court, a party may serve on any other party no more than 25 written interrogatories, including all discrete subparts. Leave to serve additional interrogatories may be granted to the extent consistent with Rule 26(b)(1) and (2).

You must answer each interrogatory separately and fully in writing under oath, unless you object to it. You must explain why you object. You must sign your answers and objections.

Interrogatory subparts are counted as one interrogatory if they are logically or factually subsumed within and necessarily related to the primary question. Safeco of America v. Rawstron, 181 F.R.D. 441, 445 (C.D. Cal.

The purpose of interrogatories is to learn a great deal of general information about a party in a lawsuit. For example, the defendant in a personal injury lawsuit about a car accident might send you interrogatories asking you to disclose things like: Where you live.