This article will provide guidance on How To Domesticate a Foreign Subpoena in Florida. On July 1st, 2019, Florida officials adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act UIDDA Florida. This meant that the entire process for domesticating and enforcing out-of-state subpoenas in Florida was thus streamlined.
Cross-border issues typically hamper depositions and other forms of discovery in complicated litigation. An individual's right to be summoned for compelled testimony in a state court case only extends as far as the state where the summons was issued. State court subpoena power, in and of itself, does not extend beyond the boundaries of a single state. Depending on the foreign state's laws, the procedure of subpoenaing a foreign national differs.
The Act requires minimal judicial oversight and eliminates the need for obtaining a commission or local counsel in the discovery state, letters rogatory, or filing a miscellaneous action during the discovery phase of litigation. Discovery authorized by the subpoena must comply with the rules of the state where the discovery occurs. In addition, motions to quash, enforce, or modify a subpoena issued pursuant to the Act will be brought in and governed by the Florida UIDDA Service rules of the discovery state.
To request the issuance of a subpoena, a party from a foreign jurisdiction must submit a foreign subpoena to a clerk of court in the county where discovery is sought as per Florida UIDDA Service. A request to issue a subpoena under Florida UIDDA Service rules would not constitute an appearance in Florida.
When a party submits a foreign subpoena to a clerk of court in this state, the clerk, in accordance with that court’s Florida UIDDA Service procedure, will promptly issue a subpoena for service upon the person to which the foreign subpoena is directed. The state’s Subpoena’s service would require it to incorporate the terms used in the foreign subpoena and could have to contain or be accompanied by the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all counsel of record in the proceeding to which the subpoena relates and of any party not represented by counsel.
Suppose an individual has to take depositions or get documents by subpoena from outside of the state. In that case, they may have to look into the service of the subpoena in accordance with the rules of the originating state. This means that the individual must have the subpoena issued by the court clerk in the state where they are attempting to depose a witness or get documents if that state has already approved the UIDDA. They do not need the commission granted in Florida first.
Foreign parties must submit their own foreign subpoena to the county clerk in this state, where discovery is sought to have their request for a subpoena granted. Subpoenas issued under Florida UIDDA Service rules do not require a person to appear before a judge. A court clerk in this state must quickly issue a subpoena for Florida UIDDA Service on the person to whom a foreign subpoena is addressed, in accordance with the process of that court.
A subpoena issued must include the language used in the foreign subpoena and include or be accompanied by the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all counsel of record in action and any party not represented by counsel. Subpoenas issued by clerks of court must be presented to the court in the county where the discovery is to take place for an application for a protective order or to enforce, quash, or alter a subpoena.
In many civil cases, witnesses who reside in distant states must be deposed by a litigating attorney. The regulations controlling Florida UIDDA Service procedure vary from state to state and are not all the same. Deposition of a Florida witness may be done ‘in the same way and through the same procedure and proceeding’ as permitted under the Uniform Foreign Depositions Act (UFDA), which was enacted in 1920 and has been in effect in Florida since 1996. Out-of-state lawyers must follow the regulations of the Florida county where they seek discovery. Lawyers, court clerks, and judges are all hampered by the patchwork of state and municipal legislation.
With the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA), interstate discovery requests may be handled more easily. More than forty states have ratified the UIDDA. Several UIDDA states do not reciprocate with other states that have not embraced the UIDDA, like Florida. Lawyers in Florida who need to conduct discovery in states that have adopted the UIDDA but do not provide reciprocity to Florida are hampered by the state's refusal to adopt the UIDDA.
UIDDA streamlines the discovery process by allowing Florida court clerks to issue discovery subpoenas without judicial oversight, allowing out-of-state attorneys access to Florida courts without having to appear in person, and requiring that any disputes arising from Florida discovery be resolved by a Florida court applying Florida law. In order to acquire reciprocity from other UIDDA states, the measure declares Florida a UIDDA state.
In civil litigation, it is not uncommon for a lawyer working on a case in one state (referred to as the ‘trial court state’) to summon a witness from another state for deposition (the ‘discovery state’).
Each state has its own set of rules for conducting foreign depositions, but the rules are not the same across the board. The legal jumble that results when a Florida lawyer tries to conduct discovery in a state with a distinct set of rules and processes may be confusing and inefficient. States have established standard legislation to streamline the discovery process amongst them.
Subpoenaing witnesses from out-of-state lawsuits are complicated further by the fact that various counties in Florida use different Florida UIDDA Service procedures for issuing subpoenas. The NCCUSL (National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws) suggested 2007 the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act as a solution to this patchwork legal system's problems (UIDDA).
First, a subpoena must be obtained by an out-of-state attorney in the trial court state, and then the subpoena must be sent to the court clerk in Florida. Taking this step does not constitute an appearance in a court of law in Florida. Afterward, the clerk issues a Florida subpoena, which must: Contain or be accompanied by the contact information of all counsel of record and of any party who counsel does not represent; Be served in accordance with Florida laws and procedures.
A Florida court will use Florida UIDDA Service law to decide a subpoena disagreement. If an individual wants to get a protection order or have a subpoena enforced, quashed, or modified, they will need to go via the Florida court system. In criminal cases, the UIDDA procedure is not applicable. Cross-border hurdles to depositions and other discoveries are regularly encountered by parties in complicated litigation. As long as the party requested to be subpoenaed is located in the state from where the subpoena is issued, subpoena power extends to that party. In other words, a subpoena issued by a state court does not extend outside its borders. Depending on the foreign state's laws, the procedure of subpoenaing a foreign national differs. To guarantee that a subpoena is legitimate and enforceable, it is essential to adhere to the Florida UIDDA Service laws and procedures of the foreign state in question.
The first step for a lawyer should be to examine the laws of the foreign state where the witness is situated after establishing that the state in which action is ongoing does not have jurisdiction over an out-of-state person or corporation. The next step is to learn about the laws and regulations in effect in the county or region of the foreign country where the person or business is located.
However, some states make it exceedingly easy to issue and execute subpoenas from other jurisdictions. Several states adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA) uniformly, making the Florida UIDDA Service procedure of domesticating a foreign subpoena straightforward and uncomplicated. Without the need for a commission, UIDDA states generally allow one party from an ongoing case in one state to issue a legally valid summons in the forum state and hand it over to the clerk of court in a foreign jurisdiction, who will then issue a foreign summons adopting and incorporating the terms of the original summons in its language. The requirements for UIDDA states may vary, though. Subpoenas under the UIDDA may be issued by a foreign counsel in several jurisdictions.
UFDL, which is a precursor to the UIDDA, has been accepted by Florida and gives limited advice. It is only with the assistance of the court or an agreement between the parties that ‘witnesses [may be required to appear and testify in the same manner and by the same process and proceeding as may be employed for the purpose of taking testimony in proceeding’ if a party to a foreign action seeks to subpoena a Florida resident.
At the commissioner's request, the clerk of any circuit court may order any named witness inside Florida to appear and testify before any person authorized by Florida law to administer oaths as commissioner to take the testimony of any other state, jurisdiction, or government.’ In order to issue a subpoena for a witness in a Florida UIDDA Service case, a ‘commissioner’ must be appointed, and the ‘clerk of any circuit court at the instance of that commissioner’ may issue a witness subpoena, according to the court's interpretation. Now, the Clerk of the Circuit Court will issue a Florida UIDDA Service subpoena at the commissioner's request. This requires a formal Florida UIDDA Service request in writing, accompanied by adequate proof of appointment.
In order for a Florida citizen to be compelled to comply with a foreign subpoena, the court in the forum state must designate a commissioner from the State of Florida to administer oaths (such as a court reporter). The commission does not have to schedule the deposition or discovery in advance. The Clerk of the Circuit Court for the county where the wanted witness lives shall receive the order of commission in the way the Clerk thinks appropriate.
According to the Clerk of Court, a ‘pleading’ may be filed by itself without a petition or complaint. The filing fee is assessed, and the case number is assigned. An official Florida UIDDA Service subpoena may be issued by a deputy clerk on behalf of the foreign commission after the case number has been assigned, and this should force the desired deponent to attend for his or her deposition at the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court. A subpoena issued in Florida must then be physically delivered to the deponent, according to Florida UIDDA Service law. These Florida UIDDA Service procedures allow for the filing of motions for protective orders inside the Florida action that was begun, and they allow the foreign plaintiff seeking the deposition to employ Florida processes and procedures such as orders of contempt or enforcement to compel compliance with its subpoena.
Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act Adopted - 2019
Bill Number: SB 7006
FLA.STAT.ANN § 92.251
Florida Courts Click Here
To request the issuance of a subpoena, a party from a foreign jurisdiction must submit a foreign subpoena to a clerk of court in the county in this state in which discovery is sought. A request for the issuance of a subpoena under this act does not constitute an appearance in the courts of this state.
(b) When a party submits a foreign subpoena to a clerk of court in this state, the clerk, in accordance with that court’s procedure, shall promptly issue a subpoena for service upon the person to which the foreign subpoena is directed.
(c) A subpoena pursuant to paragraph (b) shall:
(1) Incorporate the terms used in the foreign subpoena; and
(2) Contain or be accompanied by the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all counsel of record in the proceeding to which the subpoena relates and of any party not represented by counsel.
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1. Which is codified in Section 92.251, Fla. Stat
2. Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act Adopted - 2019
Bill Number: SB 7006
Florida Courts https://www.flcourts.org
3. The Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (‘UIDDA’), which takes effect on July 1st, 2019, was just enacted by the state of Florida. Requests for discovery filed on or after July 1, 2019, are covered under the new rule.
4. For example, if a New York attorney wants to get information protected under Florida law and challenges the subpoena in Florida court, the Florida citizen has the right to do so under Florida law.
5. ‘This implies that a Florida court has all the powers of enforcement as if an action were being litigated in Florida, and any procedures related to the deposition are governed by that state's laws.’ union am mortg., Inc v. greenlight financial services, 971 Oklahoma state 2d 983, 985 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008).
6. Safeco Insurance Company of America v. Reedy, 721 So. 2d 803, 805 (Fla. (Fla. 1st DCA 1998)
