Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-00944/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-00944-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 110
Nature of Suit: Insurance
Cause of Action: 12:635 Breach of Insurance Contract

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RONALD HAMILTON,

Plaintiff, No. CIV S-07-0944 MCE DAD

v.

PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE

COMPANY OF AMERICA, et al.,

Defendants. ORDER

 /

This case came before the court on January 25, 2008, for hearing of the January 8,

2008 amended motion to compel and for sanctions filed by defendant Prudential Insurance

Company of America (“Prudential”). Jenny H. Wang appeared telephonically for defendant

Prudential. No appearance was made by J. Chauncey Hayes, plaintiff’s attorney of record.

As indicated in defendant Prudential’s amended motion and on the record at the

hearing, the motion to compel responses to defendant’s first set of interrogatories, first request

for production of documents, and first request for admissions is moot. Plaintiff served responses

to defendant’s first set of interrogatories and first request for production of documents, without

objections, on December 29, 2007, and all matters contained in defendant’s first request for

admissions were admitted, in the absence of a stipulation or court order to the contrary, thirty

days after defendant Prudential served its request for admissions. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 36(a)(3). 

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See also Fed. R. Civ. P. 36(b) (“A matter admitted under [Rule 36] is conclusively established

unless the court, on motion, permits the admission to be withdrawn or amended.”).

It is undisputed that defendant Prudential’s discovery requests were served on

September 17, 2007, and that plaintiff’s responses were served only after defendant Prudential

filed a motion to compel on November 27, 2007. Where discovery responses are served after a

motion to compel has been filed, “the court must, after giving an opportunity to be heard, require

the party . . . whose conduct necessitated the motion . . . to pay the movant’s reasonable expenses

incurred in making the motion, including attorney’s fees,” unless (1) the movant filed the motion

before attempting in good faith to obtain the discovery without court action, (2) the opposing

party’s failure to respond was substantially justified, or (3) other circumstances make an award of

expenses unjust. Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(5)(A). The court has carefully considered all written

materials submitted in connection with defendant Prudential’s request for sanctions, as well as

the arguments made by counsel present at the hearing. The court finds that defendant’s motion

was not filed before attempting in good faith to obtain the discovery without court action,

plaintiff’s failure to serve timely responses was not substantially justified, and there are no

circumstances that make an award of expenses unjust in this case. Defendant Prudential is

therefore awarded its reasonable expenses in the amount of $1,015.00 for attorney’s fees at the

rate of $290.00 per hour for three and one half hours.

In accordance with the above, IT IS ORDERED that:

1. Defendant Prudential Insurance Company of America’s January 8, 2008

amended motion is granted with respect to the request for sanctions and is moot with respect to

the request for an order compelling plaintiff to respond to the discovery requests at issue.

2. All matters contained in defendant Prudential Insurance Company of

America’s first request for admissions were admitted by plaintiff pursuant to the operation of

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 36(a)(3) and are therefore conclusively established pursuant to

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 36(b).

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3. Plaintiff is required to pay the reasonable expenses incurred by defendant

Prudential Insurance Company of America in making its motion to compel. Plaintiff’s attorney

of record, J. Chauncey Hayes, Esq., shall pay $1,015.00 to defendant Prudential Insurance

Company of America within thirty days of the date of this order and shall file within five days

thereafter a declaration of having complied with this order.

DATED: January 28, 2008.

DAD:kw

Ddad1/orders.civil/hamilton0944.oah.012508

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