In Invensas Corporation v. Renesas Electronics Corporation, C.A. No. 11-448-GMS-CJB (D. Del. June 27, 2012), Judge Burke recently considered defendant’s request to modify the general default standard in the Court’s scheduling order regarding the location of depositions of party representatives in Delaware, unless the Court makes an exception. Id. at 1-2. The form scheduling order for Judges Stark, Andrews, Burke and Fallon contain the following language regarding the location of depositions:
“Any party or representative (officer, director, or managing agent) of a party filing a civil action in this district court must ordinarily be required, upon request, to submit to a deposition at a place designated within this district. Exceptions to this general rule may be made by order of the Court. A defendant who becomes a counterclaimant, cross-claimant, or third-party plaintiff shall be considered as having filed an action in this Court for the purpose of this provision.” Id. at 1-2.
When submitting the scheduling order, the parties disputed whether the default provision should apply and Judge Burke permitted supplemental briefing on the issue. Defendant, whose principal place of business is in Japan, asked the Court to eliminate this standard language and instead require corporate depositions take place at the party’s principal place of business (i.e., Japan). Id. at 2. Judge Burke declined to modify the Court’s form language in the scheduling order, finding that defendant “ma[de] the general assertion that it would be burdensome for its employees to travel to the United States for corporate depositions, but ha[d] not made a particularlize showing as to how this would be the case.” Id. at 6. Defendant’s request was “non-specific and premature” because, “[a]t this early stage of the case, topics for corporate depositions have not been noticed, nor have specific witnesses . . . been identified[,]” such that the court could know the impact travelling to the United States would have on one or more witnesses. Id.
Invensas Corporation v. Renesas Electronics Corporation, C.A. No. 11-448-GMS (D. Del. June 27, 2012)
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