DONALD G. WILKERSON, Magistrate Judge.
Now pending before the Court are the motion to compel and for appointment of counsel (Doc. 40),
On October 24, 2016, a Scheduling Order was entered setting September 29, 2017 as the discovery deadline (Doc. 17).
Plaintiff contends that the attorney for Defendants must have back-dated the certificates of service because he did not receive the objections and responses until July 17, 2017 or July 22, 2017. He further states that Defendants have refused to respond to the interrogatories and requests to produce and have instead objected to a majority of them. Plaintiff generally refers to his discovery requests but does not specify, by number, which objections or responses are inadequate. Plaintiff does not provide any argument as to why additional responses should be compelled.
As to the timeliness of Defendants' objections to the written discovery requests (that were mailed a day late) it is clear from the discovery responses that both the responses and objections were drafted contemporaneously. While the Court does not approve tardiness, any failure to comply with the Court's deadline by a day appears harmless and does not appear to be a tactic to frustrate this litigation. Plaintiff has identified no prejudice, specific to this case and situation, that would warrant any further action on the timeliness of the responses. The fact that Plaintiff may have received the responses a week after they were mailed also does not warrant any further action. There is no evidence that the certificates of service are false or that Defendants are responsible for delays in the mail. And, as an officer of the Court, Defendants' counsel is presumed to be truthful in each of the documents to which he signs his name, as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11. At the time the response/objections were received, Plaintiff still had sufficient time to conduct additional discovery.
As noted by Defendants, Plaintiff was limited to 15 interrogatories in the Scheduling Order and should have sought permission prior to asking more than 15. Therefore, Defendants' objections to the excessive number of interrogatories are reasonable. The Court has reviewed Defendants' responses and objections to Plaintiff's first set of interrogatories and generally finds the answers to be sufficient. However, Miner responded to interrogatory 11 by referring Plaintiff to a disciplinary report (Doc. 40, p. 27). This answer is insufficient: a disciplinary report is not the type of document contemplated by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 33(d) and is not a document made under penalty of perjury. Interrogatory answers must be made "under oath" and referring to a document that is not an affidavit or a declaration is improper. Defendant Miner shall supplement his response to interrogatory 11 within ten (10) days of the date of this Order.
As to the requests to produce, Plaintiff appears to seek all internal affairs records and any video or photographs depicting the area where he alleges he was assaulted by staff. In response, Defendants state that no internal affairs records exist, that no photographs exist, and that no videos exist. These answers are sufficient. Defendants are not required to produce material that does not exist and are not required to create evidence (i.e to take photographs). Plaintiff also seeks policies and protocols regarding IDOC procedures for intervening in altercations between staff and inmates. In this matter, Plaintiff is proceeding on one claim of retaliation and one claim of excessive force. There is no unconstitutional policy or practice claim in this lawsuit and no claim of deliberate indifference to a medical need. There also is no failure to intervene claim. Prison policies have no bearing on whether Plaintiff's constitutional rights, as alleged in this case, were violated. No further response by Defendants is required. Plaintiff's motion to compel is accordingly
Plaintiff's request for recruitment of counsel is
Plaintiff has not met his threshold burden of demonstrating that he has attempted to acquire counsel prior to seeking assistance from the Court. Plaintiff may refile this motion provided that he contact at least three attorneys, in writing, and seek representation in this matter. Plaintiff shall attach any letters he sends to or that he receives from these attorneys in any future motion for recruitment of counsel. Plaintiff also shall request recruitment of counsel using the form approved by the Court, which shall be sent to Plaintiff by the Clerk of Court along with a copy of this Order.
In light of this Order, Plaintiff's motion for status is
Plaintiff's motion to amend the complaint is
In light of these rulings and the other Orders entered in this matter, Plaintiff final motion is
For the foregoing reasons, motion to compel is