Notice is hereby given to the Bar and all interested parties that the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey proposes to amend the Local Civil Rules. The proposed amendments are posted for public comment as required by 28 U.S.C. § 2071(b) at http://www.njd.uscourts.gov.
Amendment are proposed to the following Local Civil Rule:
New Text underlined.
Civ. RULE 33.1 INTERROGATORIES
(a) Interrogatories shall be so arranged that after each separate question or request, there shall appear a blank space reasonably calculated to enable the answering party to have the answer to the interrogatory typed in. Each question shall be answered separately in the space allowed. If the space allowed shall not be sufficient for the answer, the answering party may insert additional pages or retyped pages repeating each question in full, followed by the answer in such manner that the final document shall have each interrogatory immediately succeeded by the separate answer thereto. Upon request, interrogatories shall be provided in electronic word processing format for ease of answering if technologically feasible. The answering party shall repeat each question in full immediately prior to each corresponding answer.
(b) If the person who verifies the answers to interrogatories does not have personal knowledge of the information contained in the answers, that person shall, for each answer not verified by personal knowledge, identify the person or persons from whom the information was obtained or, if the source of the information is documentary, provide a full description including the location thereof.
(c) Where a claim of privilege is asserted in responding or objecting to any discovery requested in interrogatories and information is not provided on the basis of such assertion, the party asserting the privilege shall in the response or objection identify the nature of the privilege (including work product) which is being claimed and if the privilege is being asserted in connection with a claim or defense governed by state law, set forth the state privilege rule being invoked. When any privilege is claimed, the party asserting it shall indicate, as to the information requested, whether (a) any documents exist, or (b) any oral communications took place.
(d) Contention interrogatories shall not be served until 60 days prior to the close of fact discovery unless otherwise permitted by the Court.
Amended March 18, 2011.
Comments must be received by the Clerk of the Court by May 21, 2021 and should be addressed to:
William T. Walsh, Clerk of Court
United States District Court
Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Bldg. & U.S. Courthouse
50 Walnut St.
Newark, NJ 07101
or by e-mail to: [email protected]
Dated: April 14, 2021
For the Court
FREDA L. WOLFSON
Chief Judge