A party may move to compel further responses to interrogatories on the grounds that the answer is evasive or incomplete, an exercise of the option to produce documents under the Code of Civil Procedure, section 2030.230 is unwarranted or the required specification of those documents is inadequate, and/or an objection to an interrogatory is without merit or too general. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2030.300(a).)

How to Structure the Motion

A motion to compel further responses to interrogatories must include a meet and confer declaration pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure, section 2016.040 and a separate statement. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2030.300(b); Cal. Rules of Ct., Rule 3.1345.)

The separate statement must provide “all the information necessary to understand each discovery request and all responses to it that are at issue. The separate statement must be full and complete so that no person is required to review any other document in order to determine the full request and the full response... The separate statement must include... the following:

1. The text of the request, interrogatory, question, or inspection demand;
2. The text of each response, answer, or objection, and any further responses or answers;
3. A statement of the factual and legal reasons for compelling further responses, answers, or production as to each matter in dispute;
4. If necessary, the text of all definitions, instructions, and other matters required to understand each discovery request and the responses to it;
5. If the response to a particular discovery request is dependent on the response given to another discovery request, or if the reasons a further response to a particular discovery request is deemed necessary are based on the response to some other discovery request, the other request and the response to it must be set forth; and
6. If the pleadings, other documents in the file, or other items of discovery are relevant to the motion, the party relying on them must summarize each relevant document.”

(Rules of Ct., Rule 3.1345(c).)

Response

If a timely motion to compel has been filed, the burden is on the responding party to justify any objection or failure to fully answer the interrogatories. (Fairmont Ins. Co. v. Super. Ct. (2000) 22 Cal.4th 245, 255.)

Timeline

Notice of the motion must be “given within 45 days of the service of the verified response, or any supplemental verified response, or on or before any specific later date to which the propounding party and the responding party have agreed in writing.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 2030.300(c).)