Subpoena someone or something

A subpoena is a court order requiring an individual provide documents as evidence or appear at a deposition.

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A subpoena is a way to get information from people who are not part of your case

You may need to get information - typically business records - from a party that is not involved in your case. To do this, you use a subpoena.

To use a subpoena, you fill out a form and have the court clerk sign it. Then you serve this form, which officially orders the person to give you documents.

You can use also use subpoenas to have the court order a person who is not involved in your case to:

Appear at a deposition, the taking of testimony outside of the court
Appear at a deposition and bring evidence

Taking a deposition is complicated and expensive. It requires knowledge of the law and rules of evidence. If you're interested in taking a deposition, consider asking a lawyer for help. You can also visit your local law library and ask a librarian to recommend a how-to book on how to take a deposition if you're not a lawyer.