Bill Text: CA SB632 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Civil discovery: depositions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-09-11 - Ordered to inactive file on request of Assembly Member Calderon. [SB632 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB632-Amended.html
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Amended
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September 05, 2017 |
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Amended
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July 10, 2017 |
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Amended
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June 22, 2017 |
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Amended
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April 17, 2017 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Bill | No. 632 |
| Introduced by Senator Monning |
February 17, 2017 |
An act to add Section 2025.295 to the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to depositions.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 632, as amended, Monning.
Civil discovery: depositions.
Existing law authorizes any party to obtain discovery in civil actions by taking the oral deposition of any person, including any party to the action. Under existing law, a deposition examination of the witness by all counsel, other than the witness’ counsel of record, is generally limited to 7 hours of total testimony. Existing law provides an exception to the 7-hour limitation for depositions taken in cases designated as complex. In such cases, the deposition examination of a witness by all counsel other than the witness’ counsel of record is limited to 2 days of no more than 7 hours of total testimony each day, or 14 hours of total testimony, unless a licensed physician attests that the deponent suffers from an illness or condition that raises substantial medical doubt of the deponent’s survival beyond 6 months.
This bill would require
that, in any civil action for injury or illness that results in mesothelioma, a deposition examination of the witness by counsel other than the witness’ counsel of record be limited to 7 hours of total testimony if a licensed physician attests in a declaration that the deponent suffers from mesothelioma and is either (1) over 70 years of age and his or her health is such that a deposition of more than 7 hours will prejudice the deponent’s well-being, or (2) without regard to age of the deponent, the deponent’s mesothelioma raises mesothelioma, raising substantial medical doubt of the survival of the deponent beyond 6 months. A party would be authorized by this bill to seek up to 7 hours of additional deposition testimony for no more than 14 hours of total testimony. The bill would prohibit
authorize a court to grant an extension from being granted unless a
beyond 7 hours if the court makes a factual finding supporting the finds that an extension beyond 7 hours, is in the interest of fairness, and determines that the health of the deponent does not appear to be endangered by the grant of additional time.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 2025.295 is added to the Code of Civil Procedure, to read:2025.295.
(a) Notwithstanding Section 2025.290, in any civil action for injury or illness that results in mesothelioma, a deposition examination of the witness by all counsel, other than the witness’ counsel of record, shall be limited to seven hours of total testimony if a licensed physician attests in a declaration served on the parties that(1)The deponent suffers from mesothelioma, is over 70 years of age, and his or her health is such that a deposition of more than seven hours will prejudice the deponent’s well-being.
(2)Without regard to the age of the deponent, the deponent suffers from mesothelioma,
which raises substantial medical doubt of the survival of the deponent beyond six months.
(b)A party may seek up to seven hours of additional deposition testimony for no more than 14 hours of total testimony. An extension shall not be granted unless a court makes a factual finding supporting the extension beyond seven hours, and determines that the health of the deponent does not appear to be endangered by the grant of additional time.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), upon request by a party, a court may, in its discretion, grant an additional seven hours of deposition testimony for no more than 14
hours of total testimony. The court may grant an extension if it finds that an extension is in the interest of fairness, and determines that the health of the deponent does not appear to be endangered by the grant of additional time.
(c) This section does not affect the existing right of any party to move for a protective order or the court’s discretion to make any order that justice requires to limit a deposition in order to protect any party, deponent, or other natural person or organization from unwarranted annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, undue burden, or expense.
