Depositions

• Author: William M. Audet/Kimberly A. Fanady/David Ling Y. Kuang
• Pages: 297-346

DEPOSITIONS

11-1

CHAPTER 11:

DEPOSITIONS

TASKS

Task 57 Notice of Depositions

Task 58 Notice Entity Depositions

Task 59 Determine Deposition Recording Method

Task 60 Videotape Depositions

Task 61 Take Remote Depositions

Task 62 Object to Deposition Notice

Task 63 Prepare to Take Depositions

Task 64 Prepare Witnesses

Task 65 Take Depositions

Task 66 Defend Depositions

Task 67 Terminate or Limit Scope of Deposition

Task 68 Limit Deposition Length

Task 69 Request Transcript Correction and Signature

FORMS

Form 21 Notice of Deposition

Form 21.1 Notice of Deposition of Custodian of Records

Form 21.2 Attachment to Deposition Notice under Rule 30(b)(6)

Form 22 Objection to Notice of Deposition

Form 23 Witness Brief‌ing Checklist

Form 23.1 Motion

DEPOSITIONS

(This page intentionally left blank.)

DEPOSITIONS

11-3 Notice of Depositions Task 57

TASK 57

Notice of Depositions

I. WHAT AND WHY

A. You may take an individual’s deposition by naming the individual as the deponent in the deposition notice.

FRCP 30(b)(1); EEOC v. Tepro, Inc., 38 F. Supp. 3d 883 (E.D. Tenn. 2014) (EEOC required to produce for

deposition employee it had listed as potential witness); In re Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) AntiTrust Litigation,

82 Fed. Rules Serv. 3d 451 (N.D. Cal. 2012) (deposition of objector to proposed class action settlement com-

pelled). In situations where the name is misspelled, practicality comes into play. Small typos will not provide

a shield against an otherwise valid deposition notice. Medina v. Cty. of San Diego, No. 08cv1252 BAS(RBB),



care in preparing its papers, the issue is whether the defendant had ‘actual notice’ of the discovery request that

could be imputed to him as a party despite the wrong name.”) (citations omitted).

 -

nent’s name. FRCP 30(b)(1).

C. You can depose parties or nonparties. To depose a nonparty, you must also serve a subpoena. FRCP 45. See Task 40.

D. Review Task 58 to notice an entity’s deposition.

E. Absent a written stipulation, you must obtain leave of court to take more than 10 depositions. See FRCP 30(a)

(2)(A)(i); Scott v. City of Sioux City, 298 F.R.D. 400 (N.D. Iowa 2014) (party made particularized showing of

need for 21 depositions); Thykkuttathil v. Keese, 294 F.R.D. 601 (W.D. Wash. 2013) (same, 17 depositions).

The limit is 10 depositions per side, not per party. Thykkuttathil, 294 F.R.D. 601.

F. Absent a written stipulation, you must obtain leave of court to depose a witness who has already been deposed

in a case. See FRCP 30(a)(2)(A)(ii); See Madison v. Jack Link Assocs. Stage Lighting & Prods., 297 F.R.D. 532

 York v. Union Pac.

R.R. Co.-



take second deposition to inquire about that injury); In re Sulfuric Acid Antitrust Litig., 230 F.R.D. 527 (N.D. Ill.

2005) (leave to take additional deposition was denied where witness already was deposed for 17 hours, purpose

of additional deposition was to ask witness to decipher handwritten notes which requesting party obtained well



on the day discovery was closed). This prohibition applies to both parties and third-party witnesses. Ameristar Jet

Charter, Inc. v. Signal Composites, Inc., 244 F.3d 189 (1st Cir. 2001) (subpoenas issued to third party witnesses

for second depositions without leave of court quashed). This limitation includes Rule 30(b)(6) depositions of

entities. Foreclosure Management Co. v. Asset Management Holdings, LLC, 71 Fed. Rules Serv. 3d 516 (D.



   



deposed for purposes of this Rule. Paige v. Consumer Programs, Inc., 248 F.R.D. 272 (C.D. Cal. 2008).

G. Absent a written stipulation, you must obtain leave of court to take a deposition of longer than one day of

seven hours. The court must allow additional time if needed for a fair examination of the deponent or if the

deponent, another person, or other circumstance impedes or delays the deposition. JTR Enters., LLC v. An

Unknown Quantity of Colombian Emeralds, 297 F.R.D. 522 (S.D. Fla. 2013) (corporate designee’s failure to

bring responsive documents to deposition provided good cause to permit continued deposition); LaPlante v.

Estano-

erative during deposition and unilaterally discontinued examination). When a witness must testify in more

than one related action, the court should determine the appropriate total length of questioning for the witness,

rather than assuming a separate, independent limit of seven hours for each action. Miller v. Waseca Med. Ctr.,

205 F.R.D. 537 (D. Minn. 2002). Sanctions may be imposed for any impediment, delay, or other conduct

which frustrates the fair examination of the deponent. Rule 30(d)(2)-(3); Payne v. District of Columbia, 82

Fed. Rules Serv. 3d 560 (D.D.C. 2012) (in wrongful termination action, length of mayor’s deposition reduced

to 3.5 hours from presumptive seven hours).