interrogatorries etc not answered in 30 days

[lnoel2]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? VA

Hi, My husband is involved in a personal injury lawsuit in a civil court in Virginia. The defendants (2 of them) responded late to the initial filing of the lawsuit and the request for a jury trial; then we responded to to the defendant's 1st request for interrogatories and production of documents within the timeframe allowed.

Now they are way over the 30 day (or less, I am unsure) timeframe to answer the 1st request for interrogatories and production of documents. They filed an objection to some of the questions (our lawyers said it was to some of the questions) over a month ago, and still have not provided us with the responses.

What is the course of action on our part at this point? Is there a way to enforce them sending in their answers? Does this affect the outcome of the case? It is our understanding that we are waiting to being the next process of this whole thing, such as depositions until after we receive these documents.

Also, while I have you, can you please tell me what we can expect will begin happening from here? We are waiting for their responses, then depositions, then what?

Thank you in advance!
LN

 

[Rexlan]

You have an attorney and he/she can answer all of these questions more accurately.

 

[lnoel2]

thanks - looking for the knowledge from here too

thank you for the response. I am also looking for information from those with the knowledge here. I am looking to compare it with any information we do get from our lawyers, but also becasue it is hard to ask the right question of them/get the answers from them, not to mention getting hold of them.

we actually have 2 lawyers; we live in VA, but used a MD lawyer for a previous settlement, so we went to him for this case, but once we had to file a lawsuit, we had to obtain a VA lawyer, so we used one that our MD lawyer knows/partners with.

Our MD lawyer, who we have a long standing relationship with, does not have the knowledge of VA, but we do not know the VA lawyer and are unsure of calling him with these questions.

So I know there are people here with lots of experiance and knowledge and I am hoping somone could give me some insight on my situation.

Thanks again!

 

[154NH773]

I agree that since you have a lawyer you should ask him these questions.

I will give my opinion, but it is only from my experience in a different state.

Now they are way over the 30 day (or less, I am unsure) timeframe to answer the 1st request for interrogatories and production of documents. They filed an objection to some of the questions (our lawyers said it was to some of the questions) over a month ago, and still have not provided us with the responses.

An objection to the interrogatories IS an answer. If an answer is objected to it usually must also be answered anyway. If you are dissatisfied that the answer is not responsive, you can usually file a motion to compel more specific answers. If you can make a good case that the answers are inadaquate and should be answered in more detail, the court may, or may not, agree and order that the answers be more completely answered.

If a question is objected to, even though it is answered, you would have to overcome that objection before entering the response in court. For that reason, lawyers object to almost EVERY question.