Generally, the prosecution must provide discovery within a set period after the defense's formal request, often ranging from a few weeks to several months. Evidence should be available to the defense either at the preliminary hearing or after the accused has been indicted by a grand jury.
During discovery, both parties must exchange evidence they plan to use during trial and certain disclosures are automatically required in most cases. These are called initial or required disclosures. Initial disclosures are not required in family law cases such as divorce and custody.
When a party requests documents or answers to questions from the opposing party in a lawsuit, you must do so in the form of a Motion for Discovery. A Motion for Discovery may be filed with the Court via E-File, Email, in person, or by US Mail.
The Discovery Rule essentially means that the two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases doesn't necessarily start from the date of the incident but from the date the injury is discovered or, in the exercise of reasonable diligence, should have been discovered.
In 2020, the Texas Supreme Court made significant changes to both TRCP 194 and 195, notably the implementation of “Required Disclosures,” automatically obligating parties in civil suits filed after January 1, 2021, to provide certain information and documents to the other parties without waiting for a discovery request ...
Discovery requests typically follow a common format that you can mirror. First, list instructions detailing the request for production. Be sure to mention Rule 34 and Rule 26(b), which outline the scope of the discovery request. It's also necessary to include a section with definitions.
In the United States, there are five basic forms of discovery: depositions, interrogatories, requests for production of documents (or permission to inspect), physical and mental examinations, and requests for admission.
Generally, the party receiving the discovery request has 30 days to respond. Some exceptions and variations apply, so make sure you review how much time you have to respond depending on the type of case, the rules, and the type of discovery method used.
The first phase of the discovery process is the written discovery phase. During this phase, your attorney may send and receive requests to produce documents, requests for admissions of facts, and written interrogatories.
Every case filed in Texas state court requires the plaintiff to choose a discovery plan: Level One, which applies only for cases where the plaintiff seeks less than $100,000 in damages; Level Two, which applies by default to all other cases and has its own specific set of deadlines; and Level Three, which allows the ...