Bunnell v. Superior Court of Alameda Cty.

In this mandate proceeding, wherein we issued an alternative writ, the question presented. is whether the court below abused its discretion in ordering plaintiff to further answer certain of defendant’s written interrogatories, to pay $250 attorneys’ fees, and imposing the sanction that if said answers were not filed within five days plaintiff could not present any witnesses at trial.

The instant action is one for defamation brought by plaintiff against defendant. The case has been tried twice. A new trial, after a verdict in favor of plaintiff, was granted in the first trial, and the second…