Sec. 74.352. DISCOVERY PROCEDURES. (a) In every health care liability claim the plaintiff shall within 45 days after the date of filing of the original petition serve on the defendant's attorney or, if no attorney has appeared for the defendant, on the defendant full and complete answers to the appropriate standard set of interrogatories and full and complete responses to the appropriate standard set of requests for production of documents and things promulgated by the Health Care Liability Discovery Panel.

(b) Every physician or health care provider who is a defendant in a health care liability claim shall within 45 days after the date on which an answer to the petition was due serve on the plaintiff's attorney or, if the plaintiff is not represented by an attorney, on the plaintiff full and complete answers to the appropriate standard set of interrogatories and complete responses to the standard set of requests for production of documents and things promulgated by the Health Care Liability Discovery Panel.

(c) Except on motion and for good cause shown, no objection may be asserted regarding any standard interrogatory or request for production of documents and things, but no response shall be required where a particular interrogatory or request is clearly inapplicable under the circumstances of the case.

(d) Failure to file full and complete answers and responses to standard interrogatories and requests for production of documents and things in accordance with Subsections (a) and (b) or the making of a groundless objection under Subsection (c) shall be grounds for sanctions by the court in accordance with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure on motion of any party.

(e) The time limits imposed under Subsections (a) and (b) may be extended by the court on the motion of a responding party for good cause shown and shall be extended if agreed in writing between the responding party and all opposing parties. In no event shall an extension be for a period of more than an additional 30 days.

(f) If a party is added by an amended pleading, intervention, or otherwise, the new party shall file full and complete answers to the appropriate standard set of interrogatories and full and complete responses to the standard set of requests for production of documents and things no later than 45 days after the date of filing of the pleading by which the party first appeared in the action.

(g) If information or documents required to provide full and complete answers and responses as required by this section are not in the possession of the responding party or attorney when the answers or responses are filed, the party shall supplement the answers and responses in accordance with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.

(h) Nothing in this section shall preclude any party from taking additional non-duplicative discovery of any other party. The standard sets of interrogatories provided for in this section shall not constitute, as to each plaintiff and each physician or health care provider who is a defendant, the first of the two sets of interrogatories permitted under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 204, Sec. 10.01, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.