What does a motion to compel entail?

• A. A request to a court to order either a party to a court case or a third person to do something; failure to obey may incur sanctions including penalties or contempt of court
• B. A request to postpone the trial
• C. A motion to dismiss the case
• D. A request for a jury to be sequestered

Answer: (A)

A motion to compel is a request to a court asking it to force a party or a third party to take a required action, most commonly to comply with a discovery request. It is used when one side believes the other has not adequately answered requests for documents, interrogatories, or other discovery duties, and it asks the judge to order the compelled party to provide the information or materials. If the ordered party still refuses or ignores the ruling, the court can impose sanctions, penalties, or even hold them in contempt of court.

This differs from asking for a continuance to postpone the trial, which is about timing; from requesting dismissal of the case, which ends the action; and from seeking sequestration of jurors, which concerns juror conduct during trial.