2009 California Code of Civil Procedure - Section 2025.210-2025.280 :: Article 2. Deposition Notice

2025.210.  Subject to Sections 2025.270 and 2025.610, an oral
deposition may be taken as follows:
   (a) The defendant may serve a deposition notice without leave of
court at any time after that defendant has been served or has
appeared in the action, whichever occurs first.
   (b) The plaintiff may serve a deposition notice without leave of
court on any date that is 20 days after the service of the summons
on, or appearance by, any defendant. On motion with or without
notice, the court, for good cause shown, may grant to a plaintiff
leave to serve a deposition notice on an earlier date.

2025.220.  (a) A party desiring to take the oral deposition of any
person shall give notice in writing. The deposition notice shall
state all of the following:
   (1) The address where the deposition will be taken.
   (2) The date of the deposition, selected under Section 2025.270,
and the time it will commence.
   (3) The name of each deponent, and the address and telephone
number, if known, of any deponent who is not a party to the action.
If the name of the deponent is not known, the deposition notice shall
set forth instead a general description sufficient to identify the
person or particular class to which the person belongs.
   (4) The specification with reasonable particularity of any
materials or category of materials to be produced by the deponent.
   (5) Any intention by the party noticing the deposition to record
the testimony by audio or video technology, in addition to recording
the testimony by the stenographic method as required by Section
2025.330 and any intention to record the testimony by stenographic
method through the instant visual display of the testimony. If the
deposition will be conducted using instant visual display, a copy of
the deposition notice shall also be given to the deposition officer.
Any offer to provide the instant visual display of the testimony or
to provide rough draft transcripts to any party which is accepted
prior to, or offered at, the deposition shall also be made by the
deposition officer at the deposition to all parties in attendance.
Any party or attorney requesting the provision of the instant visual
display of the testimony, or rough draft transcripts, shall pay the
reasonable cost of those services, which may be no greater than the
costs charged to any other party or attorney.
   (6) Any intention to reserve the right to use at trial a video
recording of the deposition testimony of a treating or consulting
physician or of any expert witness under subdivision (d) of Section
2025.620. In this event, the operator of the video camera shall be a
person who is authorized to administer an oath, and shall not be
financially interested in the action or be a relative or employee of
any attorney of any of the parties.
   (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), where under Article 4
(commencing with Section 2020.410) only the production by a nonparty
of business records for copying is desired, a copy of the deposition
subpoena shall serve as the notice of deposition.

2025.230.  If the deponent named is not a natural person, the
deposition notice shall describe with reasonable particularity the
matters on which examination is requested. In that event, the
deponent shall designate and produce at the deposition those of its
officers, directors, managing agents, employees, or agents who are
most qualified to testify on its behalf as to those matters to the
extent of any information known or reasonably available to the
deponent.

2025.240.  (a) The party who prepares a notice of deposition shall
give the notice to every other party who has appeared in the action.
The deposition notice, or the accompanying proof of service, shall
list all the parties or attorneys for parties on whom it is served.
   (b) If, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1985.3 or
subdivision (a) of Section 1985.6, the party giving notice of the
deposition is a subpoenaing party, and the deponent is a witness
commanded by a deposition subpoena to produce personal records of a
consumer or employment records of an employee, the subpoenaing party
shall serve on that consumer or employee all of the following:
   (1) A notice of the deposition.
   (2) The notice of privacy rights specified in subdivision (e) of
Section 1985.3 or in subdivision (e) of Section 1985.6.
   (3) A copy of the deposition subpoena.
   (c) If the attendance of the deponent is to be compelled by
service of a deposition subpoena under Chapter 6 (commencing with
Section 2020.010), an identical copy of that subpoena shall be served
with the deposition notice.

2025.250.  (a) Unless the court orders otherwise under Section
2025.260, the deposition of a natural person, whether or not a party
to the action, shall be taken at a place that is, at the option of
the party giving notice of the deposition, either within 75 miles of
the deponent's residence, or within the county where the action is
pending and within 150 miles of the deponent's residence.
   (b) The deposition of an organization that is a party to the
action shall be taken at a place that is, at the option of the party
giving notice of the deposition, either within 75 miles of the
organization's principal executive or business office in California,
or within the county where the action is pending and within 150 miles
of that office.
   (c) Unless the organization consents to a more distant place, the
deposition of any other organization shall be taken within 75 miles
of the organization's principal executive or business office in
California.
   (d)  If an organization has not designated a principal executive
or business office in California, the deposition shall be taken at a
place that is, at the option of the party giving notice of the
deposition, either within the county where the action is pending, or
within 75 miles of any executive or business office in California of
the organization.

2025.260.  (a) A party desiring to take the deposition of a natural
person who is a party to the action or an officer, director, managing
agent, or employee of a party may make a motion for an order that
the deponent attend for deposition at a place that is more distant
than that permitted under Section 2025.250. This motion shall be
accompanied by a meet and confer declaration under Section 2016.040.
   (b) In exercising its discretion to grant or deny this motion, the
court shall take into consideration any factor tending to show
whether the interests of justice will be served by requiring the
deponent's attendance at that more distant place, including, but not
limited to, the following:
   (1) Whether the moving party selected the forum.
   (2) Whether the deponent will be present to testify at the trial
of the action.
   (3) The convenience of the deponent.
   (4) The feasibility of conducting the deposition by written
questions under Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 2028.010), or of
using a discovery method other than a deposition.
   (5) The number of depositions sought to be taken at a place more
distant than that permitted under Section 2025.250.
   (6) The expense to the parties of requiring the deposition to be
taken within the distance permitted under Section 2025.250.
   (7) The whereabouts of the deponent at the time for which the
deposition is scheduled.
   (c) The order may be conditioned on the advancement by the moving
party of the reasonable expenses and costs to the deponent for travel
to the place of deposition.
   (d) The court shall impose a monetary sanction under Chapter 7
(commencing with Section 2023.010) against any party, person, or
attorney who unsuccessfully makes or opposes a motion to increase the
travel limits for a party deponent, unless it finds that the one
subject to the sanction acted with substantial justification or that
other circumstances make the imposition of the sanction unjust.

2025.270.  (a) An oral deposition shall be scheduled for a date at
least 10 days after service of the deposition notice.
   (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), in an unlawful detainer
action or other proceeding under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section
1159) of Title 3 of Part 3, an oral deposition shall be scheduled for
a date at least five days after service of the deposition notice,
but not later than five days before trial.
   (c) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) and (b), if, as defined in
Section 1985.3 or 1985.6, the party giving notice of the deposition
is a subpoenaing party, and the deponent is a witness commanded by a
deposition subpoena to produce personal records of a consumer or
employment records of an employee, the deposition shall be scheduled
for a date at least 20 days after issuance of that subpoena.
   (d) On motion or ex parte application of any party or deponent,
for good cause shown, the court may shorten or extend the time for
scheduling a deposition, or may stay its taking until the
determination of a motion for a protective order under Section
2025.420.

2025.280.  (a) The service of a deposition notice under Section
2025.240 is effective to require any deponent who is a party to the
action or an officer, director, managing agent, or employee of a
party to attend and to testify, as well as to produce any document or
tangible thing for inspection and copying.
   (b) The attendance and testimony of any other deponent, as well as
the production by the deponent of any document or tangible thing for
inspection and copying, requires the service on the deponent of a
deposition subpoena under Chapter 6 (commencing with Section
2020.010).