Defendants wanted to examine GEICO’s Rule 30(b)(6) witness about GEICO’s special investigation unit practices, protocols and guidelines, as well as its resources and procedures devoted to claim verification and fraud detection, as GEICO’s complaint alleged the defendants engaged in insurance fraud. The Court allowed few topics to proceed.

Rule 30(b)(6) depositions are intended to discover the facts and it is improper to use them in order to “ascertain how a party intends to marshal the facts and support its legal theories.” The topics that required GEICO to marshal the evidence GEICO believes constitutes or supports any potential defense to the Complaint were not allowed, nor were topics unrelated to the defendants’ claims or issues in the case.

GEICO also moved to quash two non-party subpoenas it believed was a “back-door attempt by defendants to improperly seek information that was previously requested in counsel’s Fed.R.Civ.P. 30(b)(6) Notice.” GEICO stated the non-parties had no involvement in investigating the insurance claims at issue and the Court agreed, finding the subpoenas to be harassing and unwarranted, granting the motion to quash.

Gov’t Employees Ins. Co. v. Lenex Services, Inc., et al., 16-cv-6030 (USDC EDNY Mar. 16, 2018)