Can a defendant ask for discovery before the plaintiff if plaintiff has not done so first in a civil case?
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Can a defendant ask for discovery before the plaintiff if plaintiff has not done so first in a civil case?
I have a mediation date in 20 days but have not received any requests for production/discovery what-so-ever from plantiffs. Can I go ahead and request production of discovery from them? Since they have 40 days to respond, but only 20 days until the mediation date, how does that work? Do I ask the court for a continuance?
Asked on October 4, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Arizona
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Yes, if you're now in the phase of the litigation in which discovery is sought, the defendant can--and should--seek it; there is no obligation to "wait your turn" and let plaintiff seek discovery first. Note that mediation generally goes no while discovery is ongoing, so it's not the case that discovery must be completed first, though if you feel that the scheduled mediation date is inconvenient or inappropriate for any reason, you can seek a continuance. Generally speaking, 1) courts can be fairly flexible about dates, especially earlier in litigation and if it does not prejudice (hurt) the other party in some way; and 2) when you have a question about scheduling, the best thing to do is to call the judge's chambers (office) and speak with his or her clerk--each judge has considerable discretion in scheduling, so rather than rely only on general rules or principals (though you do check them first), get the answer straight from the horse's mouth.
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