Service of interrogatories · as in force on May 31, 2026
Rule 3132. Service of interrogatories. After commencement of an action, any party may serve written interrogatories upon any other party. Interrogatories may not be served upon a defendant before that defendant's time for serving a responsive pleading has expired, except by leave of court granted with or without notice. A copy of the interrogatories and of any order made under this rule shall be served on each party.
After a case starts, a party may serve written interrogatories on another party, but generally cannot serve them on a defendant before that defendant’s deadline to answer or otherwise respond has expired unless the court gives permission, with or without notice. ★ The serving party must give every party a copy of the interrogatories and any order under this rule.
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Court Clerk in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Court Clerk: Civil Practice Law and Rules; Volume 1 — Your Career: Civil Practice in Plain English.