Marcus v. City of Buffalo
Marcus v. City of Buffalo
2022 WL 17747094 (W.D.N.Y. 2022)
December 1, 2022
Foschio, Leslie G., United States Magistrate Judge
Summary
The court granted Plaintiff's motions to compel expert disclosures, fact discovery, and responses to Requests for Admission. The deadline for dispositive motions was extended by 90 days, and Defendants must respond to Plaintiff's outstanding discovery requests, including ESI such as surveillance video and interrogatory answers, within 33 days. Any appeal must be taken within 14 days.
FELIPPE MARCUS, Plaintiff,
v.
CITY OF BUFFALO, OFFICER CALVIS McKNIGHT, OFFICER VINCENT HUMPHREY, COMMISSIONER BRYON LOCKWOOD, LIEUTENANT RONNY BLATCHFORD, THOMAS LYNCH, TYLER FONVILLE, AARON WATKINS, JOSEPH JUSZKIEWICZ, Defendants
v.
CITY OF BUFFALO, OFFICER CALVIS McKNIGHT, OFFICER VINCENT HUMPHREY, COMMISSIONER BRYON LOCKWOOD, LIEUTENANT RONNY BLATCHFORD, THOMAS LYNCH, TYLER FONVILLE, AARON WATKINS, JOSEPH JUSZKIEWICZ, Defendants
20-CV-316JLS(F)
United States District Court, W.D. New York
Filed December 01, 2022
Counsel
FELIPPE MARCUS, Pro Se, 2500 South Abilene Street, P.O. Box 441058, Aurora, Colorado 80044CAVETTE CHAMBERS, CITY OF BUFFALO CORPORATION COUNSEL, Attorney for Defendants, DAVID M. LEE, Assistant Corporation Counsel, of Counsel, 1000 City Hall, 65 Niagara Street, Buffalo, New York 14202
Foschio, Leslie G., United States Magistrate Judge
DECISION and ORDER
JURISDICTION
*1 In this action alleging violations of Plaintiff's rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and state law, by papers filed October 11, 2022, Plaintiff moves to compel expert disclosures (Dkt. 102) and to compel fact discovery (Dkt. 103). By papers filed November 1, 2022, Plaintiff further moves to compel fact discovery (Dkt. 108) (together, “Plaintiff's motions”). Defendants’ responses were filed November 8, 2022 (Dkts. 112, 113) (“Defendants’ Responses”).
In sum, Plaintiff's motions seek interrogatory answers, document production including unredacted surveillance video, and responses to Plaintiff's Requests for Admission. See Dkt. 78, 79. Defendants responses indicate Defendants have no objections, except with respect to Plaintiff's Interrogatories (see Dkts. 112 ¶ 14, Dkt. 113 ¶ 14), discussed, infra, to Plaintiff's motions, that Defendants will provide complete responses within 33 days, see Dkt. 112 ¶ 16; Dkt. 113 ¶ 16, and request the deadline for dispositive motions be extended by 90 days to February 28, 2023. See Dkt. 112 ¶ 16; Dkt. 113 ¶ 16. As indicated, Defendants object to Plaintiff's multiple interrogatories arguing that Rule 33(a)(1)’s limitation of 25 interrogatories per party should be construed to limit interrogatories to the “side” rather than per party. See Dkt. 112 ¶ 14; Dkt. 113 ¶ 14 (citing Zito v. Leasecomm Corp., 233 F.R.D. 395, 399 (S.D.N.Y. 2006)). Although the court in Zito acknowledges that such a construction may be appropriate in some instances, such an approach would require a case-by-case determination. Zito, 233 F.R.D. at 399 (citing 8B CHARLES ALAN WRIGHT & ARTHUR R. MILLER, FEDERAL PROACTICE AND PROCEDURE § 2168.1, at 261 (2d. ed. 1994). Here, the individual police officer Defendants are alleged to have engaged in discrete forms of excessive force by use of, e.g., “an unknown item” (see Dkt. 103 at 2), or a “Taser” (see id. at 5), physical contact with Plaintiff, and blows from “something” in the hands (“a silver object”) of another of the Defendant officers. See id. at 3. As such, individual interrogatories to each officer Defendant are warranted in this case. Moreover, Defendants’ failure to timely object waives any further grounds for objections to any of Plaintiff's discovery requests. See In re DG Acquisition Corp., 151 F.3d 75, 84 (2d Cir. 1998) (citing cases).
CONCLUSION
Plaintiff's motions (Dkts. 102, 103 and 108) are GRANTED. Defendants shall respond to Plaintiff's outstanding discovery requests within 33 days. Defendants’ request to modify the Scheduling Order has been GRANTED in a Text Order filed November 28, 2022 (Dkt. 114).
SO ORDERED.
Any appeal of this Decision and Order must be taken by filing written objection with the Clerk of Court not later than 14 days after service of this Decision and Order in accordance with Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(a).