Rule 45. Subpoena
Arizona Revised Statutes AnnotatedRules of Civil Procedure for the Superior Courts of Arizona
16 A.R.S. Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 45
Rule 45. Subpoena
(2) Issuance by Clerk. The clerk must issue a signed but otherwise blank subpoena to a party requesting it. That party must complete the subpoena before service. The State Bar of Arizona may also issue signed subpoenas on behalf of the clerk through an online subpoena issuance service approved by the Supreme Court.
(1) Issuing Court. A subpoena commanding attendance at a hearing or trial must issue from the superior court in the county where the hearing or trial is to be held. Except as otherwise provided in Rule 45.1, a subpoena commanding attendance at a deposition must issue from the superior court in the county where the action is pending.
(2) Combining or Separating a Command to Produce or to Permit Inspection. A command to produce documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things, or to permit the inspection of premises, may be included in a subpoena commanding attendance at a deposition, hearing, or trial, or may be set out in a separate subpoena.
(5) Objections; Appearance Required. Objections to a subpoena commanding attendance at a deposition, hearing, or trial, must be made by timely motion under Rule 45(e)(2). Unless excused from doing so by the party or attorney serving a subpoena, by a court order, or by any other provision of this Rule 45, a person who is properly served with a subpoena must attend and testify at the date, time, and place specified in the subpoena.
(1) Issuing Court. If separate from a subpoena commanding attendance at a deposition, hearing, or trial, a subpoena commanding a person to produce designated documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things, or to permit the inspection of premises, must issue from the superior court in the county where the production or inspection is to be made.
(B) Form for Electronically Stored Information Not Specified. If a subpoena does not specify a form for producing electronically stored information, the person responding may produce it in native form or in another reasonably usable form that will enable the receiving party to have the same ability to access, search, and display the information as the responding person.
(D) Inaccessible Electronically Stored Information. The person responding need not provide discovery of electronically stored information from sources that the person identifies as not reasonably accessible because of undue burden or expense, including sources that are unduly burdensome or expensive to access because of the past good-faith operation of an electronic information system or good-faith and consistent application of a document retention policy. Any such objection must be made in the time and manner provided in Rule 45(c)(6). On motion to compel discovery or for a protective order, the person responding must show that the information is not reasonably accessible because of undue burden or expense. If that showing is made, the court may nonetheless order discovery from such sources if the requesting party shows good cause, considering the limitations of Rule 26(b)(1) and (b)(2). The court may specify conditions for the discovery. Rule 26(e) applies to any motion to quash, motion for protective order, or motion to compel concerning an objection that electronically stored information is not reasonably accessible.
(3) Appearance Not Required. A person commanded to produce documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things, or to permit the inspection of premises, need not appear in person at the place of production or inspection unless the subpoena also commands attendance at a deposition, hearing, or trial.
(A) A person withholding subpoenaed information under a claim that it is privileged or subject to protection as work-product material must promptly comply with Rule 26(b)(6)(A), unless a timely objection is made under Rule 45(c)(6)(A) that providing the information required by Rule 26(b)(6)(A) would impose an undue burden or expense. If such an objection is made, the procedures in Rule 45(c)(6)(C) apply. On any such objection, unless the court orders otherwise for good cause, a subpoenaing party requesting a privilege log must pay the subpoenaed person's reasonable expenses in preparing the log.
(i) A person commanded to produce documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things, or to permit inspection, may serve a written objection to producing, inspecting, copying, testing, or sampling any or all of the materials; to inspecting the premises; or to producing electronically stored information in the form or forms requested or from sources that are not reasonably accessible because of undue burden or expense, including sources that are unduly burdensome or expensive to access because of the past good-faith operation of an electronic information system or good-faith and consistent application of a document retention policy. The objection must state the basis for the objection, and must include the name, address, and telephone number of the person, or the person's attorney, serving the objection.
(iii) A person served with a subpoena that combines a command to produce materials or to permit inspection, with a command to attend a deposition, hearing, or trial, may object to any part of the subpoena. A person objecting to the part of a combined subpoena that commands attendance at a deposition, hearing, or trial must attend and testify at the date, time, and place specified in the subpoena, unless excused as provided in Rule 45(b)(5).
(i) A person objecting to a subpoena to produce materials or to permit inspection need not comply with those parts of the subpoena that are the subject of the objection, unless ordered to do so by the issuing court. The objecting person also may move for a protective order or to modify or quash the subpoena.
(C) Duty to Confer. Before bringing any motion to compel, motion to quash, or motion for protective order regarding compliance with a subpoena, the movant must attempt to resolve the dispute by good faith consultation with the opposing party or person. Any motion regarding compliance with a subpoena must be accompanied by a good faith consultation certificate under Rule 7.1(h). Absent agreement of the subpoenaed person, the expedited procedures in Rule 26(d) do not apply to motions under this rule.
(7) Production to Other Parties. Unless otherwise stipulated by the parties or ordered by the court, a party receiving documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things in response to a subpoena must promptly make such materials available to all other parties for inspection and copying, along with any other disclosures required by Rule 26.1.
(1) General Requirements; Tendering Fees. A subpoena may be served by any person who is not a party and is at least 18 years old. Serving a subpoena requires delivering a copy to the named person and, if the subpoena requires that person's attendance, tendering to that person the fees for one day's attendance and the mileage allowed by law.
(3) Notice to, and Service on Other Parties. A copy of every subpoena and any proof of service must be served on every other party in accordance with Rule 5(c). If the subpoena commands the production of documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things, or the inspection of premises before trial, a notice and a copy of the subpoena must be served on each party at least 2 days before it is served on the person to whom it is directed.
(5) Proof of Service. Proof of service may not be filed except as allowed by Rule 5.1(c)(2)(A). Any such filing must be with the court clerk for the county where the action is pending and must include the server's certificate stating the date and manner of service and the names of the persons served.
(A) Generally. A party or an attorney responsible for serving a subpoena must take reasonable steps to avoid imposing undue burden or expense on a person subject to the subpoena. Absent good cause, a subpoena may not seek production of materials that have already been produced in the action or that are available from parties to the action.
(B) Subpoena to Produce Materials or to Inspect Premises. Unless otherwise ordered by the court for good cause, the party seeking discovery must pay the reasonable expenses incurred by the subpoenaed person in responding to a subpoena seeking the production of documents, electronically stored information, tangible things, or an inspection of premises. A subpoenaed person seeking payment of expenses other than routine clerical and per-page copying costs as allowed by statute must object on the grounds that the expenses will cause an undue burden without payment by the subpoenaing party, and must provide an advance estimate of those expenses. The procedures in Rule 45(c)(6) govern any such objection. On any dispute, the court may quash or modify the subpoena or may, in the alternative, specify conditions that include the payment of such additional expenses by the subpoenaing party and the payment of expenses in advance. The issuing court must impose an appropriate sanction--which may include lost earnings and reasonable attorney's fees--on a party, attorney, or person who fails to comply with Rule 45(e)(1)(A) or (B).
(C) Specifying Conditions as an Alternative. In the circumstances described in Rule 45(e)(2)(B), the court may, instead of quashing or modifying a subpoena, order appearance or production under specified conditions, including any conditions and limits set forth in Rule 26(c), as the court deems appropriate:
(f) Contempt. The issuing court may hold in contempt a person who, having been served, fails without adequate excuse to obey the subpoena or an order related to it. A failure to obey must be excused if the subpoena purports to require a person who is neither a party nor a party's officer to attend or produce at a location other than the places specified in Rule 45(b)(3)(B).
Credits
Added Sept. 2, 2016, effective Jan. 1, 2017. Amended Aug. 31, 2017, effective July 1, 2018.
16 A. R. S. Rules Civ. Proc., Rule 45, AZ ST RCP Rule 45
State Court Rules are current with amendments received through November 15, 2023. The Code of Judicial Administration is current with amendments received through November 1, 2023.
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