Request for production

What request for production means

In short, request for production is a term you will meet in court papers, rules and legal research. The definition above gives its usual meaning in American civil practice. However, the exact meaning can depend on the rule, statute or court decision that uses it. So it helps to read the term in context.

Where request for production comes up

For example, the term appears in these procedures:

• Requests for Production of Documents (Fed. R. Civ. P. 34): requests that another party produce documents, electronically stored information or tangible things, or permit inspection.

How to research the term

Start with the primary source. For example, if request for production appears in a federal rule, read the rule itself and its official notes. After that, check your court’s local rules and any standing orders from the judge. In addition, search recent decisions from your own state or federal district. They show how courts read request for production in practice. Because state rules often differ, our state procedures guide links to each state’s official rules. Above all, make sure the version you read is still in force.

You can read the official rule text online for free.

Related legal terms

• Discovery: the pretrial process in which parties obtain information and evidence from each other and from nonparties.
• Removal: moving a case from state court to federal court under the federal removal statutes.
• Request for admission: a discovery request asking another party to admit the truth of a specific matter.
• Res judicata: claim preclusion: a final judgment on the merits generally bars the same parties from relitigating the same claim.
• Rescission: undoing a contract and restoring the parties to their positions before it was made.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.