Litigants Must Meet & Confer to an Impasse Before Bringing Discovery Disputes to Court
Post 4889
PLAINTIFF ACTED INAPPROPRIATELY IN DISCOVERY DISPUTE
Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gvBm9r-d, see the full video at https://lnkd.in/gvEJDVak and at https://lnkd.in/gMFJgqUG and https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4850 posts.
In an insurance coverage action where Plaintiff alleged that Defendant breached its flood insurance policy by paying less than what Plaintiff asserts was the appropriate coverage amount under the policy, there was a dispute as a result of Plaintiff’s first set of interrogatories and first requests for production. On July 2, 2024, Plaintiff sought to initiate a Local Civil Rule 37 conference to discuss resolution of certain disputed items. The parties met on July 9, 2024. On July 26, 2024, Defendant sent Plaintiff a letter in response to the July 9, 2024, conference articulating Defendant’s position on certain discovery requests and agreeing to supplement its production where possible.
In Shane Collins v. American Bankers Insurance Company Of Florida, No. C23-1959-JCC, United States District Court, W.D. Washington, Seattle (August 29, 2024) the discovery dispute was resolved by the USDC finding the Plaintiff did not establish an impasse existed about the discovery discussions.
BACKGROUND
The record did not demonstrate an impasse, any subsequent conferral or attempt to confer, or any agreement in filing the Joint Submission.
DISCUSSION – Legal Standard
Parties may obtain discovery regarding any non privileged matter that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense and proportional to the needs of the case. If requested discovery is withheld inappropriately or goes unanswered, the requesting party may move to compel such discovery. The Court also has broad discretion to decide whether to compel discovery.
A party filing a motion to compel under Local Rule 37 may do so unilaterally or jointly. The joint option follows an expedited procedure and affords parties the benefit of same day noting. Importantly, the parties must affirmatively agree to utilize the expedited procedure.
The motion must include a certification that the moving party has “in good faith conferred or attempted to confer with the person or party failing to make disclosure or discovery in an effort to resolve the dispute without court action.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 37(a)(1).
A good faith effort to resolve discovery disputes requires an exchange of information until no additional progress is possible.
Plaintiff’s “Joint” Submission
Here, there is no indication that the parties agreed to file the LCR 37 Joint Submission. In fact, based on the record, it appears Plaintiff has entirely neglected the expedited procedure detailed in Local Rule 37 and proceeded without affirmative agreement from Defendant. Rather than share an initial draft with Defendant and allow Defendant seven days to insert its rebuttal, Plaintiff instead sent a final draft on July 31, 2024 and then only gave Defendant two days to respond.
Plaintiff ultimately filed the motion 12 days after it sent Defendant the “final” draft. However, the Court had no way of knowing if the parties agreed to or even complied with LCR 37’s procedural requirements in the meantime because the only record of discussion between the parties specifically regarding the motion is insignificant. Moreover, after receiving the purported final draft from Plaintiff, Defendant continued to question the need for a joint motion. The fact that Defendant questioned the need for a joint motion even after Plaintiff shared the purported final draft demonstrates the lack of agreement.
There is also no indication that the parties were at an impasse when Plaintiff filed the “joint” motion. Indeed, post-conference communications show that the parties agreed and expected that Defendant would continue to supplement its discovery responses. Ongoing discussions after an LCR 37 conference preclude a finding that no additional progress was possible. Defendant also provided Plaintiff with at least one supplemental production between the July 9, 2024, conference and the day Plaintiff filed the motion. The post-conference communications and supplemental production show the parties had not and have not reached an impasse justifying the Court’s intervention. As such, the Court concluded that the parties have not met the meet and confer certification requirements of Rule 37.
For the foregoing reasons, the Court denied the LCR 37 “Joint” Submission without prejudice.
ZALMA OPINION
Discovery in insurance disputes often bring about a lack of respect and cooperation between the parties. The courts, by rules like LCR 37, expect the litigants and their counsel to resolve their disputes – as much as possible – before seeking the assistance of the court. The parties submitted a discovery dispute to the court before they reached an impasse while meeting and conferring about the dispute. They failed to work together and the “Joint” submission was not joint and not submitted after the parties reached an impasse.
(c) 2024 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.
Please tell your friends and colleagues about this blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos.
Subscribe to my substack at https://barryzalma.substack.com/subscribe or Subscribe to my substack at https://lnkd.in/gmmzUVBy
Go to X @bzalma; Go to Newsbreak.com https://www.newsbreak.com/@c/1653419?s=01; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg
Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYk
Insurance Expert May Not Testify to Speculative and Contains Unsupported Conclusions.
Posted on September 18, 2026 by Barry Zalma
See the full video at and at https://rumble.com/v7fmifw-expert-may-only-testify-to-what-experience-supports.html
In Michele A. Over, and The Estate Of Paul R. Over v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and State Farm Fire And Casualty Company, Civil Action No. 23-cv-02243-PAB-STV, United States District Court, D. Colorado (September 14, 2026) Michele and Paul Over sued State Farm Fire and State Farm Auto over hail-damage and stolen-vehicle claims.
The operative dispute concerned State Farm Auto’s motion to exclude or limit opinions from plaintiffs’ insurance-industry expert, Aaron Castillo. Castillo.
Law
The proponent of expert testimony must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that an expert is qualified and that the opinions are helpful, sufficiently grounded, and reliably derived and applied. Experience-based opinions must explain how the...
150 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud
Post 4846
Posted on September 17, 2026 by Barry Zalma
See the full video at https://lnkd.in/g8rh3JBX and https://lnkd.in/gmkdy-9C, In United States Of America v. Thomas Addaquay, Nos. 25-10609, 25-10611, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (September 9, 2026) the Eleventh Circuit affirmed all challenged convictions, the 150-month aggregate sentence, and the challenged $4,123,474.55 restitution award.
FACTS
In United States Of America v. Thomas Addaquay, United States Of America v. Thomas Addaquay, Nos. 25-10609, 25-10611, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (September 9, 2026) the Eleventh Circuit affirmed all challenged convictions, the 150-month aggregate sentence, and the challenged $4,123,474.55 restitution award.
FACTS
Thomas Addaquay controlled United Consolidated Accounting and Business Services (UC), nominally a check-cashing business.
The government proved a three-stage tax-refund scheme that converted the resulting refund checks into usable funds through ...
Major Fraud Perpetrator Asserts Fifth Amendment Privilege to Avoid Prosecution
Post 5489
Posted on September 14, 2026 by Barry Zalma
Fraudster Refuses to Answer Questions About His Alleged Fraud
See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gvicAMDr and at https://lnkd.in/gvicAMDr
In Great American Insurance Co. v. Gemstone Property Management, LLC, et al., No. 23-cv-9100 (LJL), United States District Court, S.D. New York (September 8, 2026) Great American Insurance Company alleged that it was defrauded through a scheme in which Subin Associates, LLP recruited individuals to stage construction-site injuries, arranged unnecessary medical treatment and litigation funding, and pursued fraudulent personal-injury claims.
Luis Manuel Garcia Salcedo, resulted in a $6 million settlement. Non-party Jose Hernandez allegedly worked as an assistant manager at Subin, operated Hernandez Associates, and owned litigation-funding companies that shared office space with Subin and provided services to its clients.
After Great American ...
A Proposed Amended Complaint That Includes New Factual Allegations to Remedy Pleading Deficiencies
Posted on November 11, 2026 by Barry Zalma
After Dismissal Fraud Victim May Amend Complaint After Dismissal
Post 4580
If A Proposed Amendment Is Not Clearly Futile, Then Denial Of Leave To Amend Is Improper
In John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company v. Caring Connections LLC, Arthur Feldheim, and Blime a/k/a Vera Feldheim, Civ. No. 25-7574 (MAS)(JBD), United States District Court, D. New Jersey (November 6, 2026) John Hancock sued Caring Connections LLC, Arthur Feldheim, and Blime a/k/a Vera Feldheim on June 5, 2025, asserting thirteen claims, including fraud, breach of contract, and aiding and abetting fraud.
On March 26, 2026, this Court entered an order granting Caring Connections’ motion to dismiss and granting in part and denying in part the Feldheims’ motion to dismiss. The dismissed claims were dismissed without prejudice, and John Hancock timely sought leave to amend.
They also argued that the New ...
Is Exhaustion Required to Seek Declaratory Relief From an Excess Insurer?
Post 4578
Posted on November 9, 2026 by Barry Zalma
In Fox Paine & Company, LLC, et al. v. Twin City Fire Insurance Company et al., S287404, 593 P.3d 832, 593 P.3d 838, 346 Cal.Rptr.3d 541, Supreme Court of California, (July 27, 2026) the Supreme Court noted that Insurance is sometimes procured in a series of layers, with an insured acquiring a primary insurance policy that provides an initial layer of coverage for loss or liability and an excess insurance policy or policies that provide additional coverage in the event the underlying coverage is exhausted. Usually, the first layer of coverage must be exhausted before the excess layers are available to the insured.
Exhaustion
Fox and Paine’s investment-firm dispute generated extensive litigation and competing insurance claims. Their insurance tower consisted of a $10 million primary policy and four $10 million excess layers.
The Fox Parties alleged that insurers paid their rivals, withheld information,...
Payment of Fines & Completion of Probation Reinstates Right to Vote
Post 4576
Posted on November 5, 2026 by Barry Zalma
To Restore Voting Rights The Felon Must Pay Fines of $546.00
In Florida Supreme Court Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee, ETH F-26-377, No. F-26-377 (October 29, 2026) citizen unnamed and to Ron Desantis Governor, Cord Byrd the Secretary of State Florida Division of Elections provided an advisory opinion to a convicted felon about his right to vote:
To: [redacted] We received your request for an advisory opinion. You indicate that you have one or more felony convictions and request whether you are eligible to vote, including whether you have any outstanding legal financial obligations under section 98.0751, Florida Statutes, and, if so, a statement of the amount that must be paid to make you eligible to vote, and an explanation of how the amount was calculated.
The Division hereby responds to your request pursuant to its legal authority under section 106.23(2), Florida Statutes, and Florida ...
