What is the subpoena in an accident case?

A subpoena is an opportunity to request a person, who is not a party to a lawsuit, produce documents or appear at a deposition or trial.

A subpoena can be issued to a public agency or a private company or a private person that possesses documents relevant to a case. As an example, a medical doctor may have records of your treatment and therefore is subject to the power of a subpoena to understand what is contained in those medical records. Additionally, you may wish to subpoena records of your past medical history or your medical bills or if you are getting uncooperative efforts from the police department, subpoena the police records or police photographs.

At trial, if you want a witness to attend, you should subpoena the witness and pay witness and mileage fees. If you need a California personal injury attorney, please do not hesitate to contact us at 866-981-5596.


James Ballidis is the managing attorney for Allen, Flatt, Ballidis & Leslie and has been practicing personal injury law for 25 years.