Tennessee Injury Law Center
I am in the middle of a lawsuit and my lawyer just sent me a mess of interrogatories that she says I have to answer. I don’t want to answer these questions – the information is none of their business. What happens if I don’t answer them?
Interrogatories are written questions sent from one party in a lawsuit to an opposing party about issues related to the lawsuit. For example, in a lawsuit arising from a motor vehicle collision, each driver may send interrogatories to the other ask for driving histories, including whether the opposing driver has ever received a driving citation. The party responding to interrogatories must sign a statement swearing or affirming that the responses to the interrogatories are true.
If you don’t answer the interrogatories, your opponent can go to court and get an order requiring you to answer them. You might be forced to pay the legal fees incurred by your opponent to obtain this court order. If you don’t comply with the court order you can face more fees and, in fact, you risk having your case dismissed.
You need to discuss your concerns with your lawyer immediately. She will tell you which questions you must answer and which, if any, you may refuse to answer.