Changes Coming In 2020 To Rules Governing Interrogatories? Proposed Rule 33.01 Amendments Aim To Provide Guidance

Interrogatories can serve as a useful tool for parties to obtain basic information about their adversary's case and drive discovery strategy. Serving interrogatories allows parties to identify individuals with knowledge and information about the issues presented in the case, to gain an understanding of basic facts that support claims and defenses, and to ascertain calculations of damages sought. Too often, however, interrogatories become the subject of discovery disputes generated by boilerplate objections that do not allow parties to realize the benefits of obtaining written information that could significantly streamline the case. Proposed amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure seek to address the issues presented by the ways that parties commonly respond to interrogatories.