HOW TO DOMESTICATE A FOREIGN SUBPOENA IN North Dakota

As a model act, the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA) North Dakota has been approved to provide a uniform procedure for depositions and discovery with other taking part jurisdictions. Most states have implemented UIDDA, although a few have not.

Obtaining a foreign subpoena may be more difficult than initially supposed because every court has its protocol set out with the UIDDA and North Dakota procedures. The procedure is a little simpler in states that have implemented the UIDDA.

When preparing a subpoena, the individual should find out where the summons must be issued in order to get the UIDDA and North Dakota procedures documents or serve the person to be deposed. The person should identify a court in the city or state where the subpoena needs to be issued and find the same sort of case that they have pending in the UIDDA and North Dakota jurisdiction.

Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA)-North Dakota

A foreign subpoena may be obtained from a foreign court by contacting that court and asking about the UIDDA and North Dakota process. The person should find out whether there are any additional UIDDA and North Dakota costs and to who the check should be made out if there are. They should thus make certain that they adhere to the UIDDA and North Dakota instructions to the letter. Even within the same state, UIDDA and North Dakota court processes may vary greatly from county to county or court to court, and some courts can reject a subpoena for the tiniest mistakes.

Depending on the jurisdiction, the individual may be required to get an authorized commission, letters rogatory, or an order from the respective court in order to use the UIDDA. Once the document has been adequately fulfilled,  it must be submitted to the appropriate court. The UIDDA and North Dakota document may then be sent to the out-of-state court to issue an out-of-state subpoena after it has been accepted and received in return. 

Once the out-of-state subpoena has been received, the next step is to issue it as per the UIDDA and North Dakota. To issue a subpoena, the court will follow the usual UIDDA and North Dakota procedure for issuing subpoenas for the sort of discovery the applicant may be seeking after they have received the stamped subpoena back from the out-of-state court (i.e., Notice to Take Deposition, Notice to Patient, Notice of Service, Health General Article, etc.) It is necessary to verify that the subpoena adheres to the local UIDDA and North Dakota standards in the state where the individual may want the discovery.

Having adequate d UIDDA and North Dakota documents is imperative before serving legal papers in North Dakota. Docket number and title are both required. Each matter coming formally before the board will be given a docket number and a title descriptive of the subject matter. All pleadings must include the case number and title. The docket number should be included in any contact to the board about a specific issue.

Individuals or their attorneys are required to sign all pleadings and other papers presented in court. There will be four copies of the exhibits. An original and five copies of each UIDDA and North Dakota document presented as evidence as exhibits should be provided for the board's convenience in compiling transcripts.

NORTH DAKOTA RULES FOR DEPOSITIONS

The UIDDA and North Dakota Rules of Civil Procedure govern how the board's other notices, procedures, and orders are served. Any notices, processes, and orders issued by the board may be served by sending them to the last known address of the person to be served unless otherwise permitted by UIDDA and North Dakota law.

Proof of service should be provided by the affidavit or certificate of service issued by the person, sheriff, or other authority who made the UIDDA and North Dakota service. An affidavit or certificate of mailing must be provided as evidence of service by mail, and service by mail is completed once it is sent. It is also possible to acknowledge service in writing. To prove service through publication, the North Dakota affidavit is required.

In order to set the date and location for a formal trial, the board must issue a formal notice of hearing. Complaint and hearing notices must be served at least forty-five days before the hearing, either in person or via certified mail. The responder can waive service in writing, or the parties might agree on a certain day and location for the hearing.

Complaints must be answered within twenty days after delivery of the complaint and notice of hearing, or they will be presumed acknowledged by the board, and the order will be based on facts or law as the board deems appropriate. There must be a clear and straightforward explanation of the facts that support the defense. Each truth asserted in the complaint must be admitted, denied, or explained, unless the respondent does not know the facts, in which case the respondent should indicate so.

HOW SUBPOENAS MAY BE ISSUED IN NORTH DAKOTA

The board, its executive secretary, or a hearing officer may issue subpoenas for witnesses' presence or the production of documents only if an application is made to the board, the executive secretary, or a hearing officer. There must be a detailed description of what evidence is sought and what facts are to be shown by it in a written application. The party seeking the service of a subpoena is responsible for the expense of such service.

The party or agency on whose behalf the witness attends must pay the witness's costs and mileage if he or she is called as a witness in a civil lawsuit before a district court. Only a subpoena will authorize a witness fee. There are no differences between deposing a witness or party in front of the board and deposing a witness or party in district court. In the same way and with the same notice as in action pending in district court, interrogatories may be submitted to any witness or party in a case. Before engaging in discovery, including the issuance of interrogatories, a party other than the board must demonstrate good cause.

However, A hearing officer may disregard the customary common law or statutory standards of evidence to protect the interests of the public and other interested parties. A hearing officer may accept evidence if an objection is raised to its admission by the board.

A party must identify relevant and material evidence if it is included in a book, paper, or other documents that also contain irrelevant or non-material information. An exhibit or a transcript of the relevant and material information may be read into the record if the other matter is too large to fit on the record. The book, paper, or document in its entirety should be made available to all parties so that they may review it and present any further sections they find relevant and substantial evidence.

It is up to the board to take notice of any truth or facts set out in its established rules or any facts that the courts of this state have judicially recognized. Hearing officers may choose a day and time for an oral argument presentation on their initiative or at the request of any party, and they can impose time limitations on the argument as they see fit. During the hearing, at the completion of the evidence-gathering process or on brief, a party may request permission to offer an oral argument before a quorum of the board. If permitted, the board will announce and set the day and time for oral argument.

A "foreign subpoena" refers to a subpoena issued by a court in a foreign country within the power of a subpoena that may be able to attend and give testimony at deposition or produce and permit inspection and copying of designated books or permit inspection of premises under the person's control.  When a subpoena is issued, the clerk of court in the county where discovery is to take place must be notified by sending a foreign subpoena to the clerk of court in that county as per the UIDDA and North Dakota. It is not required for a subpoena request to be made under the UIDDA and North Dakota regulations to be filed with the court. A clerk of court in North Dakota must quickly issue a subpoena for service on the person to whom a foreign subpoena is addressed, in accordance with the UIDDA and North Dakota process of that court.

A foreign subpoena must include the phrases used in the domestic one, and a domestic subpoena must include the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all counsel of record in the process to which the subpoena pertains, as well as any parties not represented by counsel. The clerk of court must comply with UIDDA and North Dakota legislation and regulations when issuing subpoenas. That application must be filed in the county where discovery is to be performed in accordance with that country's rules and statutes.

INTERSTATE DEPOSITIONS AND DISCOVERY IN NORTH DAKOTA

If the individual has been summoned to appear before a court of law, they are required to comply with a subpoena. The subpoena will compel the individual to either attend a deposition and provide testimony or produce and authorize the examination and copying of specified records and documents, electronic data, or physical items in the person's possession, custody, or control. Alternatively, the subpoena will allow for the examination of premises that are under the individual's control.

The clerk of court in the county where discovery will be performed in this state must be served with a foreign subpoena. It is not required for a subpoena request to be made to be filed with the court. A clerk of court following the UIDDA and North Dakota must quickly issue a subpoena for service on the person to whom a foreign subpoena is addressed, in accordance with the UIDDA and North Dakota process of that court.

All counsel for all parties involved in the action to which the subpoena pertains and any party not represented by counsel must be included in or accompany the subpoena.

North Dakota

Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act Adopted - 2013
Bill Number: Court Rule
N.D. R. CT. 5.1; N.D. R. CIV.P. 45(a)(b)
North Dakota Courts Click Here

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Sources

1. Number of days before a deposition that the subpoena needs to be served, the distance the person may require a deponent to travel to appear at a deposition, fees to be paid to a deponent, etc.

2. NDCC 4.1-26-35 is a general authority.

NDCC 4.1-26-35 51-01-02-02 Pleadings and papers were used to implement the law.

3. NDCC 4.1-26-35 is a general authority. NDCC 4.1-26-35 51-01-02-03.

4. North Dakota Century Code § 31-04-06

5. It is not necessary to include the first day of the specified period for calculating any period mandated or authorized by this chapter, any district court, the North Dakota Rules of Civil Procedure, or any relevant legislation. A Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday counts as the end of the period; otherwise, the period continues until the end of the following day, which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday. Intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays are not included as part of seven days if it is mandated or authorized.

6. Law Implemented: NDCC 4.1-26-35 four 51-01-02-10 Depositions and interrogatories: NDCC 28-32-09 General Authority

7. Sworn testimony from witnesses is required before their evidence may be taken into consideration by the board. Any other party or its attorney or representative, as well as members of the board and their attorney or representative, may cross-examine any witness they call to testify at the hearing they are appearing. An agreement between the parties to a hearing or investigation before the board to agree on the details of a dispute or investigation may be presented as evidence during the hearing.

8. Unless waived by the hearing officer and both parties, this argument will be recorded and bound with the evidence.

9. According to the kind of case, a subpoena issued by a clerk of court under Rule 5.1 (b) must be served in accordance with the provisions of NDRCP 45(b), NDRCP 17(d), or NDRCP 13(a) (b).

Production, Inspection, and Deposition. North Dakota Requirements of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and Juvenile Procedure each have their own specific discovery rules that apply to subpoenas issued under Rule 5.1. (b).

10. Under Rule 5.1 (b), the clerk of court must comply with state legislation and regulations when issuing subpoenas. That application must be filed in the county where discovery is to be performed in accordance with that country's rules and statutes.