LR 37.1

LR 40.1 (e) Each District Court may, by separate General Order, designate a person to implement, administer, oversee, and evaluate alternative dispute resolution in such District. Discovery Responses. (a) (b) Repetition of Request. In responding to interrogatories, requests for production of documents or things or for entry upon land, and requests for admission, the responding party must repeat the question or request immediately before the answer or objection.

Custodian of Discovery Documents. The party responsible for service of a discovery document not filed of record pursuant to F.R.Civ.P. 5(d), including disclosures, notices, interrogatories, requests and answers or responses thereto, shall be the custodian and must retain the original document. The custodian must provide access to all parties of record during the pendency of the action. Motions Relating to Discovery Prior to filing a discovery motion, all counsel must make a good faith effort to resolve extrajudicially any dispute relating to discovery.

The Court will not entertain discovery motions unless counsel have conferred -- or attempted to confer -- with other affected parties in an effort to resolve their dispute. The moving party must attach to every discovery motion a certification that counsel have conferred and are unable to resolve their differences. The certification must detail counsel’s attempts to resolve the dispute. Assignment of Cases Among Judges and Calendaring (a) Assignment of Cases Among Judges.

Cases are assigned among the various judges within a district in a manner established by the Court’s General Order. Unless otherwise ordered, cases are calendared for trial or other appropriate proceedings by the assigned judge. Reassignment of Cases; Motion to Reassign Related Cases. A case may be reassigned to another judge within the district upon the Court’s own motion, in the interests of justice, for reasons stated in an order of reassignment.

A party may file a motion to reassign a case if it is related to another case pending in the district. Cases may be considered related if they meet the requirements of F.R.Civ.P.42(a), or if a substantial savings of judicial time and resources would result if they were handled by the same judge. The Court will determine a motion to reassign on the basis of whether reassignment is in the interests of justice. Judge Not Available.

If it appears that any matter demands immediate attention and the judge to whom the case has been assigned is not or will not be available, the Clerk -- upon request -- must determine if another judge is available who will consent to hear the matter. (b) (c) 9