There continues to be a steady increase in subpoenas seeking claims files and human resources or personnel files from applicant’s counsel. Receiving and responding to subpoenas can be burdensome and costly, especially for...more
Business records can be vital to divorce or family law matters. Business records can become important in various ways. Business records could comprise of many types: employment, medical, school, investment, retirement,...more
On August 23, Judge Rebecca Beach Smith issued a notable decision that serves as a stern warning to out-of-state counsel seeking to practice in the Eastern District — and, perhaps more so, to the local counsel who choose to...more
A federal court in Kansas recently granted Defendant Sandvik Mining and Construction’s motion to quash a deposition subpoena of its in-house counsel. Roadbuilders Machinery and Supply Co., Inc. v. Sandvik Mining and...more
Federal criminal cases can broadly be divided into four phases: (i) the government’s investigation, (ii) grand jury proceedings, (iii) pretrial practice, and (iv) trial. The empanelment of a grand jury is a critical juncture,...more
Can internet service providers necessarily be compelled to unmask anonymous copyright infringers? In an opinion touching on Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) subpoenas, First Amendment concerns, and fair use, the...more
Receiving a federal grand jury subpoena is a serious matter. Whether you are the target of a federal investigation or prosecutors believe you have information they can use to pursue charges against another person or company,...more
On June 1, 2021, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Chancery’s decision to quash an administrative subpoena seeking extensive records in an unclaimed property audit of AT&T. The Delaware Department of Finance...more
As the nation’s chief domestic investigative agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has substantial authority to collect information through a variety of different means. This includes utilizing subpoenas to compel...more
On August 13, 2020, the Supreme Court of California issued its decision in Facebook, Inc. v. Superior Court (Lance Touchstone), S245203, which examines the enforceability of third-party subpoenas issued by criminal defendants...more
The statutory mechanism for judicial enforcement of an arbitration “subpoena” – in actuality, an arbitrator’s summons to give evidence -- is simply by petition to “the United States District Court for the district for which...more
Last week, in Servotronics, Inc. v. Boeing Co., the Fourth Circuit became the latest United States Court of Appeals to allow Section 1782 discovery for use in private international arbitrations. Section 1782 is a powerful...more
In Sound View Innovations, LLC v. Hulu, LLC, a district court denied Hulu’s motion to quash a subpoena directed to its trial-supervising in-house attorney. The court agreed that Sound View may question Hulu’s attorney live,...more
In an important decision for all law enforcement agencies, the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County quashed a civil subpoena directed to a local police department. The subpoena sought a toxicology report that the...more
In Lewis PR v. Murphy, Judge Kaplan quashed the plaintiff’s subpoena requesting 20 months of the defendant’s cell phone records. Judge Kaplan found that the subpoena was abusive and “stunning in its over breadth.” The...more
As discussed in a previous blog post, an interested party in a foreign or international proceeding may apply to a United States District Court for discovery from an individual or corporation who resides or is found in the...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had broad examination authority to determine the correct amount of tax owed by taxpayers. In addition to seeking information directly from a taxpayer, the IRS is also authorized to seek...more
The Third Circuit has vacated and remanded a district court’s decision quashing a subpoena issued pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782, which allows a party to procure discovery for us in a foreign proceeding, finding that the...more
In a dispute previously reported on this blog, the Southern District of California overruled a defendant’s objections to subpoenas served on a former expert witness in defendant’s unrelated divorce case and to a bank for...more
A recent decision by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia draws a sharp line of distinction for hospitals responding to nonparty subpoenas against the unauthorized disclosure of confidential mental health records. In...more
Defendants wanted to examine GEICO’s Rule 30(b)(6) witness about GEICO’s special investigation unit practices, protocols and guidelines, as well as its resources and procedures devoted to claim verification and fraud...more
The CLOUD Act resolves the central issue in United States v. Microsoft — U.S. law enforcement agencies now have explicit legal authority to obtain electronic data from U.S. cloud and communication companies regardless of...more
The Holding - In Cheatwood v. Christian Brothers Services, 2018 WL 287389 (D. Ariz. Jan. 4, 2018) (Unpublished) (Order), a bad faith case arising from a health benefits claim, the Arizona District Court quashed portions of...more
In a case with free speech implications, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on November 8, 2017, affirmed the denial of Glassdoor, Inc.’s motion to quash a grand jury subpoena for the identities of the Glassdoor...more
On June 21, 2017, a New York appellate court curtailed on constitutional grounds an investigative subpoena issued by the New York Attorney General. In the Matter of Evergreen Assoc., Inc., 54 N.Y.S.2d. 135 (App. Div. 2017)....more