(a) If a deponent fails to answer a question asked, or a party upon whom a discovery request is made pursuant to §§68.18 through 68.22 fails to respond adequately or objects to the request or to any part thereof, or fails to permit inspection as requested, the discovering party may move the Administrative Law Judge for an order compelling a response or inspection in accordance with the request. A party who has taken a deposition or has requested admissions or has served interrogatories may move to determine the sufficiency of the answers or objections thereto. Unless the objecting party sustains his or her burden of showing that the objection is justified, the Administrative Law Judge may order that an answer be served. If the Administrative Law Judge determines that an answer does not comply with the requirements of the rules in this part, he or she may order either that the matter is admitted or that an amended answer be served.

(b) The motion shall set forth and include:

(1) The nature of the questions or request;

(2) The response or objections of the party upon whom the request was served;

(3) Arguments in support of the motion; and

(4) A certification that the movant has in good faith conferred or attempted to confer with the person or party failing to make the discovery in an effort to secure information or material without action by the Administrative Law Judge.

(c) If a party, an officer or an agent of a party, or a witness, fails to comply with an order, including, but not limited to, an order for the taking of a deposition, the production of documents, the answering of interrogatories, a response to a request for admissions, or any other order of the Administrative Law Judge, the Administrative Law Judge may, for the purposes of permitting resolution of the relevant issues and disposition of the proceeding and to avoid unnecessary delay, take the following actions:

(1) Infer and conclude that the admission, testimony, documents, or other evidence would have been adverse to the non-complying party;

(2) Rule that for the purposes of the proceeding the matter or matters concerning which the order was issued be taken as established adversely to the non-complying party;

(3) Rule that the non-complying party may not introduce into evidence or otherwise rely upon testimony by such party, officer, or agent, or the documents or other evidence, in support of or in opposition to any claim or defense;

(4) Rule that the non-complying party may not be heard to object to introduction and use of secondary evidence to show what the withheld admission, testimony, documents, or other evidence would have shown;

(5) Rule that a pleading, or part of a pleading, or a motion or other submission by the non-complying party, concerning which the order was issued, be stricken, or that a decision of the proceeding be rendered against the non-complying party, or both;

(6) In the case of failure to comply with a subpoena, the Administrative Law Judge may also take the action provided in §68.25(e); and

(7) In ruling on a motion made pursuant to this section, the Administrative Law Judge may make and enter a protective order such as he or she is authorized to enter on a motion made pursuant to §68.42.

(d) Evasive or incomplete response. For the purposes of this section, an evasive or incomplete response to discovery may be treated as a failure to respond.

[Order No. 2203-99, 64 FR 7076, Feb. 12, 1999]