What is a subpoena?

A subpoena is a court order that requires someone to appear in court or produce specified documents or records. In the state of California, a subpoena is issued by the court or an attorney in a civil or criminal case. A subpoena can be served on a person or company who holds documents that are relevant to a court case. It is important to note that you cannot ignore a subpoena as ignoring it can result in a contempt of court order. When a person is served with a subpoena they must appear in court on the specified day and time. If they are subpoenaed to produce documents or records then they must hand over the documents to the court or to the attorney who issued the subpoena. It is important to note that a person should never destroy, conceal, or hide any documents specified in the subpoena. Doing so can result in severe legal consequences, such as fines and possible jail time. Subpoenas can also be used to compel people to testify in court or give a deposition. In such a situation, the person must appear in court or attend the deposition in order to provide testimony that may be relevant to a legal case.

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