Short hijack:
@theloniusmonk
There are no judges at depositions. The deposition is a process that generally takes place in a lawyers office, with the lawyers from both sides, the witness, possibly the parties, and the court reporter. No judge. No rulings on objections.
During the course of the deposition, lawyers are allowed to make objections for the sake of preserving the record, but in most cases the witness is still expected to answer the question. The reason the lawyers object is so that later on, if the opposing party wants to introduce parts of the deposition in a court trial, the objection has been preserved (not waived).
Example, at a deposition:
Lawyer A: “What did your sister’s cousin say happened?”
Lawyer B: “Objection, calls for hearsay.”
Witness: “My sister’s cousin said that her uncle saw the kangaroo fly.”
The main exception would be if there was a claim of privilege, because answering a question in any context could constitute a waiver of the privilege.
In that case, the lawyer who asked the question would have to go to court to get a ruling and to compel an answer. That might mean adjourning the deposition and returning at a different time.
End of thread hijack.
Carry on.