Divorce Procedure… The Discovery Process
Divorce Procedure… the Discovery Process
The next step in the divorce process is discovery. This procedure allows both sides to determine the size of the community estate and to learn the position the other party will take on certain issues. Discovery can be written or oral.
Written Discovery During Divorce
Request for Disclosure: These are standard questions that are asked in every civil suit. Parties are required to identify persons with information relevant to the case, identify expert witnesses, detail the legal contentions and specify any economic damages.
Interrogatories: One of the most useful pretrial discovery methods, interrogatories are a set of written questions sent to the opposing party that require responses about relevant issues, such as the location of bank accounts, balances in those accounts and signatory privileges on the accounts. Although almost anything relevant to the case can be asked, the total number of questions is limited to 25.
Request for Production of Documents: This discovery tool allows a party to request copies of documents relevant to the issues in the case. Just about any document can be requested. The most frequently requested items are records reflecting bank accounts, 401(k) plans, stock options, income, gifts to people other than the spouse, safe deposit boxes, telephone records and insurance plans.
Request for Admission: These are statements that the opposing party must either admit or deny. If they refuse, they must state a reason why the statements can neither be admitted nor denied. The person answering these requests will be stuck with the answers, and failure to answer them will result in all of the requests being deemed admitted.
Sworn Inventory and Appraisement: This type of discovery is unique to divorce cases. It requires the answering party to list every asset he or she knows about. It also requires the party to characterize the assets as either separate property or community property and to place a value on it. This document is signed under oath, so a party who deliberately hides assets and keeps them off of the inventory will be subject to punitive remedies from the court.
Oral Discovery During Divorce
Oral discovery is in the form of depositions. These are pretrial witness examinations taken under oath in front of a court reporter. Any witness with information that will affect the case can be deposed. Under Texas law, the deposition testimony can be presented to the court as if the witness were testifying in person before the court.
The deposition is an incredibly useful tool because it locks the witness into the testimony he or she will give. The witness cannot come back later and change his or her story regarding a certain event. If they do this, then the deposition can be used to challenge their truthfulness as a witness.
Tags: divorce discovery, divorce process
