INTERROGATORY

in civil action, a pretrial discovery tool in which one party's written questions are served on the adversary, who must serve written replies under oath. Interrogatories can only be served on parties to the action, and while not as flexible as depositions, which include opportunity of cross-examination, they are regarded as a good and inexpensive means of establishing important facts held by the adversary. Source: Barron's Dictionary of Legal Terms, Steven H. Gifis, 5th Edition; © 2016