Originally Posted by NALEM

I read the background story on this case. The person being deposed represents the defendant (his employer - the public recorder's office) who is being sued. It has to do with extraordinarily high fees being charged by the recorders office to get a "copy" of public records.

His inability to answer the question, likely doesn't come from the fact that he is an absolute idiot. Instead it is caused by his anxiety to satisfy (and do what he was told by) his employers and their defense counsel who had prepped him in advance. They likely instructing him to avoid answering certain questions directly, and instead, ask or raise questions seeking clarification about the question being asked.

I do not know the terminology used, but I have seen this tactic used before to derail the deposition process, and to convolute the Q and A process, that in the end, waters everything down. Does that make more sense?