Arizona

Family Law

Family Law

Rule 52 – Subpoena

(a)Generally.

(1)Requirements-Generally. Every subpoena must:

(A) state the name of the Arizona court from which it issued;
(B) state the title of the action, the name of the court in which it is pending, and the case number;
(C) command each person to whom it is directed to do the following at a specified time and place:

(i) attend and testify at a deposition, hearing, or trial;
(ii) produce and permit inspection, copying, testing, or sampling of designated documents, electronically stored information, or tangible things in that person’s possession, custody, or control; or
(iii) permit the inspection of premises.
(D) include the following language:

You may object to this subpoena if you feel that you should not be required to respond. You must make any objection within 14 days after the subpoena is served upon you, or before the time specified for compliance, by providing a written objection to the party or attorney serving the subpoena. If you object to the subpoena in writing, you do not need to comply with the subpoena until a court orders you to do so. It will be up to the party or attorney serving the subpoena to seek an order from the court to compel you to provide the documents or inspection requested, after providing notice to you.

(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.
(3)Interstate Depositions and Discovery. Rule 45.1 of the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure applies when an action pending in another jurisdiction requires the issuance of a subpoena in Arizona, or a pending Arizona action requires the issuance of a subpoena in another jurisdiction.
(b)Subpoena for Deposition, Hearing, or Trial; Duties; Objections.

(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. 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.
(3)Place of Appearance.

(A)Trial Subpoena. Subject to Rule 52(e)(2)(B)(iii), a subpoena commanding attendance at a trial may require the subpoenaed person to travel from anywhere within the state.
(B)Deposition or Hearing Subpoena. A subpoena commanding a person who is neither a party nor a party’s officer to attend a deposition or hearing may not require the subpoenaed person to travel to a place other than:

(i) the county where the person resides or transacts business in person;
(ii) the county where the person is served with a subpoena, or within 40 miles from the place of service; or
(iii) such other convenient place fixed by a court order.
(4)Command to Attend a Deposition-Notice of Recording Method. A subpoena commanding attendance at a deposition must state the method for recording the testimony.
(5)Appearance Required. Objections to a subpoena commanding attendance at a deposition, hearing, or trial, must be made under subparts (a)(1)(D) or (c)(6). 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 52, a person who is properly served with a subpoena must attend and testify at the date, time, and place specified in the subpoena.
(c)Subpoena to Produce Materials or to Permit Inspection; Duties; Objections.

(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.
(2)Time for Compliance. A person who is served with a subpoena to produce materials must be given at least 14 days to comply.
(3)Electronically Stored Information.

(A)Specifying the Form for Electronically Stored Information. A subpoena may specify the form or forms in which electronically stored information is to be produced.
(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.
(C)Electronically Stored Information Produced in Only One Form. The person responding need not produce the same electronically stored information in more than one form.
(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. 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 51(b)(1) and (b)(2). The court may specify conditions for the discovery.
(4)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.
(5)Documents. A person responding to a subpoena to produce documents must produce them as they are kept in the usual course of business or organize and label them to correspond with the categories in the demand.
(6)Objections.

(A)Form and Time for Objection.

(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. 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. The objection must be served on the party or attorney serving the subpoena before the time specified for compliance or within 14 days after the subpoena is served, whichever is earlier.
(ii) 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 52(b)(5).
(B)Procedure After Objecting.

(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.
(ii) The party serving the subpoena may move under Rule 65(a) to compel compliance with the subpoena. The motion must be served on the subpoenaed person and all other parties under Rule 43.
(iii) Any court order to compel must protect a person who is neither a party nor a party’s officer from undue burden or expense resulting from compliance.
(C)Claiming Privilege or Protection.

(i) 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 51(b)(5)(A).
(ii) If information produced in response to a subpoena is subject to a claim of privilege or of protection as work-product material, the person making the claim and the receiving parties must comply with Rule 51(b)(5)(A) or, if applicable, Rule 51(b)(5)(B).
(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 49.
(d)Service.

(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.
(2)Exceptions to Tendering Fees. Fees and mileage need not be tendered when the subpoena commands attendance at a trial or hearing or is issued on behalf of the State of Arizona or any of its officers or agencies.
(3)Service on Other Parties. A copy of every subpoena must be served on every other party in accordance with Rule 43.
(4)Service Within the State. A subpoena may be served anywhere within the state.
(5)Proof of Service. Proof of service may not be filed except as allowed by Rule 43.1. 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.
(e)Protecting a Person Subject to a Subpoena; Motion to Quash or Modify.

(1)Avoiding Undue Burden or Expense; Sanctions. 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. The issuing court must enforce this duty and may impose an appropriate sanction-which may include lost earnings and reasonable attorney fees-on a party or attorney who fails to comply.
(2)Quashing or Modifying a Subpoena.

(A)When Required. On timely motion, the court in the county where the case is pending or from which a subpoena was issued must quash or modify a subpoena if it:

(i) fails to allow a reasonable time to comply;
(ii) requires a person who is neither a party nor a party’s officer to travel to a location other than the places specified in Rule 52(b)(3)(B);
(iii) requires disclosure of privileged or other protected matter, if no exception or waiver applies; or
(iv) subjects a person to undue burden.
(B)When Permitted. On timely motion, the superior court in the county where the case is pending or from which a subpoena was issued may quash or modify a subpoena if:

(i) it requires disclosing a trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial information;
(ii) it requires disclosing an unretained expert’s opinion or information that does not describe specific occurrences in dispute and results from the expert’s study that was not requested by a party;
(iii) it requires a person who is neither a party nor a party’s officer to incur substantial travel expense; or
(iv) justice so requires.
(C)Specifying Conditions as an Alternative. In the circumstances described in Rule 52(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 51(b), as the court deems appropriate:

(i) if the party or attorney serving the subpoena shows a substantial need for the testimony or material that cannot otherwise be met without undue hardship; and
(ii) if the person’s travel expenses or the expenses resulting from the production are at issue, the party or attorney serving the subpoena assures that the subpoenaed person will be reasonably compensated for those expenses.
(D)Time for Motion. A motion to quash or modify a subpoena must be filed before the time specified for compliance or within 14 days after the subpoena is served, whichever is earlier.
(E)Service of Motion. Any motion to quash or modify a subpoena must be served on the party or the attorney serving the subpoena. The party or attorney who served the subpoena must serve a copy of any such motion on all other parties.
(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 52(b)(3)(B).

Ariz. R. Fam. Law. proc. 52

Added Oct. 19, 2005, effective Jan. 1, 2006. Amended Sept. 5, 2007, effective Jan. 1, 2008;Sept. 16, 2008, effective Jan. 1, 2009; amended effectiveJan. 1, 2019.