Short answer. Yes — fully, in writing, under oath, within fifteen calendar days after service, unless the court for good cause extends or shortens the time. The answers must be signed and sworn to by the person making them, and a copy filed and served on the party who submitted the interrogatories.
What the law says
The interrogatories shall be answered fully in writing and shall be signed and sworn to by the person making them.
Rule 25, Section 2 — Answer to interrogatories. Read the full provision →
What the law says
within fifteen calendar days after service thereof, unless the court, on motion and for good cause shown, extends or shortens the time
Rule 25, Section 2 — Answer to interrogatories. Read the full provision →
What written interrogatories are
Interrogatories are one of the discovery tools the Rules provide: written questions from one party desiring to elicit material and relevant facts from any adverse parties, served to be answered by the party served. They are not harassment, and they are not optional correspondence — they are part of the machinery by which each side learns the facts of the case before trial. Where the party served is a public or private corporation or a partnership or association, the questions are answered by any officer thereof competent to testify in its behalf — so a company must actually select someone who knows, not someone convenient.
The standard the answers must meet
The rule is exacting about form: the interrogatories shall be answered fully in writing and shall be signed and sworn to by the person making them. Each word carries obligation. Fully — evasive half-answers and selective silence fall short of what the rule commands. In writing, so the answers become fixed and usable in the case. Signed and sworn to — the answers are given under oath, with everything an oath implies; they are the answering party's testimony in written form, and inconsistencies with what is later said in court will not go unnoticed.
Fifteen calendar days, adjustable only by the court
The deadline is fixed by the rule itself: the party served shall file and serve a copy of the answers on the party submitting the interrogatories within fifteen calendar days after service thereof, unless the court, on motion and for good cause shown, extends or shortens the time. Calendar days, not working days. The only lawful way to move the deadline is a motion to the court showing good cause — an agreement with opposing counsel, however cordial, is not what the rule provides. Note the direction runs both ways: the court may also shorten the time where cause is shown.
Answering well, not just answering
Treat the fifteen days as working time, not waiting time. Go through each question with counsel: some call for facts you must state, some may be objectionable in form or scope, and the response to those is a matter for legal judgement, not self-help silence. Gather the records that let you answer accurately — dates, amounts, names — because sworn answers guessed at are hostages to cross-examination later. And keep proof of when you were served and when you filed and served your answers; in discovery disputes, the calendar is half the argument.
Related provisions
- Rule 25, Section 1 — Interrogatories to parties; service thereof
- Rule 25, Section 2 — Answer to interrogatories