2006 Kansas Code - 60-245

      60-245.   Subpoenas. (a) Form; issuance. (1) Every subpoena shall:

      (A)   State the name of the court from which it is issued;

      (B)   state the title of the action, the name of the court in which it is pending and the file number of the action;

      (C)   command each person to whom it is directed to attend and give testimony or to produce and permit inspection and copying of designated books, documents or tangible things in the possession, custody or control of that person, or to permit inspection of premises, at a time and place specified in the subpoena; and

      (D)   set forth the text of subsections (c) and (d) of this section.

      A command to produce evidence or to permit inspection may be joined with a command to appear at trial or hearing or at deposition, or may be issued separately. Subpoena and production of records of a business which is not a party shall be in accordance with K.S.A. 60-245a and amendments thereto.

      (2)   A subpoena commanding attendance at a trial or hearing shall issue from the district court in which the hearing or trial is to be held. A subpoena for attendance at a deposition shall issue from the district court in which the action is pending or the officer before whom the deposition is to be taken or, if the deposition is to be taken outside the state, from an officer authorized by the law of the other state to issue the subpoena. If separate from a subpoena commanding the attendance of a person, a subpoena for production or inspection shall issue from the district court in which the action is pending or, if the production or inspection is to be made outside the state, an officer authorized by the law of the other state to issue the subpoena.

      (3)   Every subpoena issued by the court shall be issued by the clerk under the seal of the court or by a judge. Upon request of a party, the clerk shall issue a blank subpoena. The blank subpoena shall bear the seal of the court, the title and file number of the action and the clerk's signature or a facsimile of the clerk's signature. The party to whom a blank subpoena is issued shall fill it in before service.

      (b)   Service. Service of a subpoena upon a person named therein may be made anywhere within the state, shall be made in accordance with K.S.A. 60-303, and amendments thereto, and shall, if the person's attendance is commanded, be accompanied by the fees for one day's attendance and the mileage allowed by law. When sought independently of a deposition, prior notice of any commanded production of documents or inspection of premises before trial shall be served on each party in the manner prescribed by subsection (b) of K.S.A. 60-205 and amendments thereto.

      (c)   Protection of persons subject to subpoenas.

      (1)   A party or an attorney responsible for the issuance and service of a subpoena shall take reasonable steps to avoid imposing undue burden or expense on a person subject to that subpoena. The court on behalf of which the subpoena was issued shall enforce this duty and impose upon the party or attorney in breach of this duty an appropriate sanction, which may include, but is not limited to, a reasonable attorney fee.

      (2) (A)   A person commanded to produce and permit inspection and copying of designated books, papers, documents or tangible things or inspection of premises need not appear in person at the place of production or inspection unless commanded to appear for deposition, hearing or trial.

      (B)   Subject to subsection (d)(2), a person commanded to produce and permit inspection and copying may, within 14 days after service of the subpoena or before the time specified for compliance if such time is less than 14 days after service, serve upon the party or attorney designated in the subpoena written objection to inspection or copying of any or all of the designated materials or of the premises. If objection is made, the party serving the subpoena shall not be entitled to inspect and copy the materials or inspect the premises except pursuant to an order of the court by which the subpoena was issued. If objection has been made, the party serving the subpoena may, upon notice to the person commanded to produce, move at any time for an order to compel the production. Such an order to compel production shall protect any person who is not a party or an officer of a party from significant expense resulting from the inspection and copying commanded.

      (3) (A)   On timely motion, the court by which a subpoena was issued shall quash or modify the subpoena if it:

      (i)   Fails to allow reasonable time for compliance;

      (ii)   requires a resident of this state who is not a party or an officer of a party to travel to a place more than 100 miles from the place where that person resides, is employed or regularly transacts business in person or requires a nonresident who is not a party or an officer of a party to travel to a place more than 100 miles from the place where the nonresident was served with the subpoena, is employed or regularly transacts business, except that, subject to the provisions of subsection (c)(3)(B)(iii), such a nonparty may in order to attend trial be commanded to travel to the place of trial;

      (iii)   requires disclosure of privileged or other protected matter and no exception or waiver applies; or

      (iv)   subjects a person to undue burden.

      (B)   If a subpoena:

      (i)   Requires disclosure of a trade secret or other confidential research, development or commercial information; or

      (ii)   requires disclosure of an unretained expert's opinion or information not describing specific events or occurrences in dispute and resulting from the expert's study made not at the request of any party; or

      (iii)   requires a person who is not a party or an officer of a party to incur substantial expense to travel more than 100 miles to attend trial, the court may, to protect a person subject to or affected by the subpoena, quash or modify the subpoena or, if the party in whose behalf the subpoena is issued shows a substantial need for the testimony or material that cannot be otherwise met without undue hardship and assures that the person to whom the subpoena is addressed will be reasonably compensated, the court may order appearance or production only upon specified conditions.

      (4)   A person confined in prison may be required to appear for examination by deposition only in the county where the person is imprisoned.

      (d)   Duties in responding to subpoena. (1) A person responding to a subpoena to produce documents shall produce them as they are kept in the usual course of business or shall organize and label them to correspond with the categories in the demand.

      (2)   When information subject to a subpoena is withheld on a claim that such information is privileged or subject to protection as trial preparation materials, the claim shall be made expressly and shall be supported by a description of the nature of the documents, communications or things not produced that is sufficient to enable the demanding party to contest the claim.

      (e)   Contempt. Failure by any person without adequate excuse to obey a subpoena served upon the person may be considered a contempt of the court in which the action is pending or the court of the county in which the deposition is to be taken. Punishment for contempt shall be in accordance with K.S.A. 20-1204 and amendments thereto. An adequate cause for failure to obey exists when a subpoena purports to require a nonparty to attend or produce at a place not within the limits provided by subsection (c)(3)(A)(iii).

      History:   L. 1963, ch. 303, 60-245; amended by Supreme Court order dated July 20, 1972; amended by Supreme Court order dated July 28, 1976; L. 1982, ch. 243, § 1; L. 1985, ch. 196, § 2; L. 1990, ch. 202, § 2; L. 1997, ch. 173, § 24; July 1.