CAROL E. JACKSON, District Judge.
This matter is before the Court on the renewed motion of defendant Menard, Inc., to strike plaintiff's objections to defendant's written discovery. Plaintiff has responded in opposition, and the issues are fully briefed.
On February 12, 2016, defendant served on plaintiff its first set of interrogatories and requests for production of documents. Plaintiff requested an extension of time to respond to defendant's written discovery, which was granted by the state court in which the case was then pending. Accordingly, plaintiff's responses were due on April 15, 2016. On May 11, 2016, after receiving no responses to defendant's discovery requests, defense counsel telephoned plaintiff's counsel in an effort to resolve the issue without court involvement. That contact failed to prompt plaintiff's discovery responses.
On May 20, 2016, defendant filed a motion for sanctions, or in the alternative, a motion to compel against plaintiff in the state court proceeding. On May 27, 2016, plaintiff served his responses, including objections, to the discovery. On June 3, 2016, defendant withdrew its motion for sanctions and moved instead to strike plaintiff's objections to the discovery as untimely. On June 10, 2016, before the state court had the opportunity to hear the motion, defendant removed the case to this Court. The defendant now renews its motion to strike plaintiff's objections to its discovery.
Defendant argues that plaintiff waived all objections to the interrogatories and requests for production of documents by failing to assert them in a timely manner.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 33(b)(4) provides that "[a]ll grounds for an objection to an interrogatory must be stated with specificity." "Any ground not stated in a timely objection is waived unless the court, for good cause, excuses the failure." Fed. R. Civ. P. 33(b)(4);
Plaintiff's explanation for his late responses is that his counsel mistakenly believed that the discovery responses had been submitted before the April 15 deadline and was not aware that a problem existed until he was contacted by defense counsel on May 11. Nevertheless, plaintiff concedes that no certificate of service was filed with the state court showing compliance with the April 15 deadline. Additionally, plaintiff provides no explanation for failing to "re-send" the discovery responses after being told by defense counsel that they had not been received. reminded by d to the discovery requests after counsels' May 10 telephone conversation, when he concedes notice of his failure to timely respond. The Court finds that plaintiff has not shown good cause to excuse his failure to make timely objections to the discovery. Therefore, the objections are waived.
In finding that plaintiff has waived any objections to defendant's discovery requests, the Court recognizes that some courts have expressed concern that a "waiver of privilege is a serious sanction most suitable for cases of unjustified delay, inexcusable conduct, and bad faith."
Plaintiff asserted attorney-client privilege and work product protection in his objections to Interrogatory No. 22 and Requests for Product Nos. 11 and 15. [Doc. #38]. Rule 26(b)(5) provides that when a party withholds information on the basis of a privilege or protection, the party must "expressly make the claim" and "describe the nature of the documents, communications, or tangible things not produced or disclosed . . . in a manner that, without revealing information itself privileged or protected, will enable other parties to assess the claim." Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(5)(A). Courts have consistently interpreted this requirement to mean that the party must produce a document index or privilege log.
Plaintiff did not serve a duly signed privilege log meeting the requirements of Rule 26(b)(5)(A) with his late assertions of privilege in response to defendant's discovery requests. Thus, plaintiff's failure to timely produce a privilege log in support of his untimely objections supports the Court's finding that plaintiff has waived any objections to discovery, including assertions of privilege.
Accordingly,