Opinion ID: 1863497
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Motion to Compel Discovery

Text: The Gonzalezes' final argument is that the trial court erred in overruling their motion to compel the defendants to comply with discovery requests that asked for information regarding all similarly situated policyholders who in the preceding three years had been denied maternity benefits on account of the waiting period and that asked for copies of all the defendants' commercials and advertisements that had run in Alabama in the preceding three years. The Gonzalezes' motion to compel was initially granted by the trial court. After Blue Cross and Alfa Mutual filed motions to reconsider that ruling, the trial court overruled the motion to compel. The Gonzalezes argue that the trial court erred because they say the information they requested is in fact discoverable, even if the trial judge subsequently should find it to be inadmissible. In Ex parte Mobile Fixture & Equipment Co., 630 So.2d 358, 360 (Ala.1993), this Court stated: Each request for a motion to compel answers to interrogatories [and each request for production] must of necessity be decided on its own facts and circumstances, a determination which the trial court is in a better position to make than is this Court. The rule of law, on review of orders entered in matters involving discovery[,] is that this Court will not reverse the trial court's decision ... unless there is a clear showing that the trial judge abused his discretion in making his decision. 630 So.2d at 360, quoting Ex parte McTier, 414 So.2d 460, 461 (Ala.1982). With this standard in mind, we conclude that the Gonzalezes have failed to show that the trial judge abused his discretion in overruling the motion to compel. On February 17, 1995, the judge held a status conference, at which he entered an order requiring that all medical discovery and other discovery be completed by June 15, 1995. The Gonzalezes did not file their two items styled Interrogatories and Request for Production asking both defendants to produce the information regarding the similarly situated policyholders and the defendants' advertisements, until October 5, 1995, and January 22, 1996. Both discovery requests came well beyond the deadline set by the trial court, and it was therefore within the court's discretion to overrule the motion to compel.