Discovery |
The Court has a standard pretrial order that is entered in each case. The pretrial order requires that the parties exchange witness lists after the close of discovery. The Court will, on request, convene a conference for scheduling discovery. The Court encourages the use of a conference to resolve discovery disputes. Time allowed for discovery depends on the nature of the case; the average discovery period is four months. The names of all witnesses and all exhibits must be disclosed at the final pretrial conference. The Court requires strict compliance with LR 37.1 concerning narrowing areas of disagreement on discovery motions, which generally are not referred to a Magistrate. The Court will resolve disputes arising during deposition by conference call if the judge is available. The discovery cutoff date can usually be extended for good cause by stipulation before the cutoff date and sometimes after the cutoff date if the Court's schedule will not be affected. The Court has had occasion to grant leave to a party to serve more than 25 interrogatories as well as granting leave to hold more than 10 depositions, depending on the showing made to the Court.
Comment:
Please note: These are general guidelines and are subject to change without notice.