In certain cases, you might be able to write a letter to the other side and request the documents that you need. However, in more formal cases, you will likely have to draft more formal discovery demands. There are usually forms available for this in local law libraries, from the court clerk's office, or online.
Discovery allows you to get information and evidence from the other party or other persons you can use in your lawsuit.
Requests for the Production of Documents are a discovery device used by a party to enable the individual to learn the facts that are the basis for, or support, a pleading with which he or she has been served by the opposing party.
If you want to file a motion, the process is generally something like this: You write your motion. You file your motion with the court clerk. The court clerk inserts the date and time your motion will be heard by the judge. You “serve” (mail) your motion to the other side.
Write out each fact you wish the other party to admit is true. When writing these facts, be as clear and concise as possible. Each request must be for a single fact; do not include multiple facts, compound questions, or subparts.
Discovery materials are, for the most part, understood to be public so long as filed with a court; otherwise, they are not necessarily accessible.
In the United States, discovery is mostly performed by the litigating parties themselves, with relatively minimal judicial oversight. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure guide discovery in the U.S. federal court system.
If the parties are having a dispute, either party can file a motion with the court asking the judge to order the other side to respond to discovery requests or punish the other side for failing to respond to discovery requests or for making unreasonable discovery requests.