Welcome to the California Law Revision Commission

-- Last revised 6/10/07 --

Civil Discovery Improvements

    The Commission is studying whether California law on civil discovery could be improved by adopting approaches used in the federal courts or in other jurisdictions. This is a multi-year project.
    The Commission is assisted in this study by Professor Gregory Weber of McGeorge School of Law, who reviewed the discovery laws of the other forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the federal courts. Prof. Weber prepared a background study describing potentially useful approaches used in these other jurisdictions.
    The Commission has considered Prof. Weber's background study and identified a number of areas for further exploration. For details, see the Minutes of the Commission's May 2002 meeting, below. The Commission welcomes suggestions regarding additional matters in need of reform.
    The Commission has begun to investigate some areas of civil discovery. A final recommendation proposing a number of minor substantive improvements was enacted as 2005 Cal. Stat. ch. 294. A final recommendation on time limits for discovery in an unlawful detainer case was enacted as 2007 Cal. Stat. ch. 113.
      The Commission recently approved a final recommendation on the procedure for taking a deposition in California for purposes of an out-of-state proceeding. The Commission will seek an author to introduce this proposal in the Legislature in 2008.
    The Commission will examine other substantive issues relating to discovery as time permits.
    The Commission also proposed a nonsubstantive reorganization of the discovery statute, which was enacted and became operative on July 1, 2005. See 2004 Cal. Stat. ch. 182; Reorganization of Discovery Statute (Study J-504).
    If you have questions or comments on this study, send email to Barbara Gaal at bgaal@clrc.ca.gov.

Related Material

Legislation

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Final Recommendation

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Tentative Recommendations and Other Requests for Comment

  • Tentative Rec. -- Deposition in Out-of-State Litigation (August 2007) -- Comments Due: 11/9/2007

  • Tentative Rec. -- Time Limits for Discovery in an Unlawful Detainer Case (June 2006) -- Comments Due: 9/30/2006

  • Tentative Rec. --  Civil Discovery: Miscellaneous Issues (September 2005) -- Comments Due: 1/31/2006

  • Tentative Rec. -- Civil Discovery: Statutory Clarification and Minor Substantive Improvements (February 2004) -- Comments Due: 5/15/2004

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Meeting Minutes

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Staff Memoranda

  • Memo 2008-12, Supp. 3 -- 2008 Legislative Program: AB 2193 (Tran) (6/5/2008)

  • Memo 2007-51 -- Civil Discovery: Deposition in Out-of-State Litigation (Comments on Revised Tentative Recommendation) (12/4/2007)

  • Memo 2007-35 -- Civil Discovery: Deposition in Out-of-State Litigation (Draft of Revised Tentative Recommendation) (8/20/2007)

  • Memo 2007-02 -- Civil Discovery Improvements: Subpoenaed Consumer Records (1/19/2007)

  • Memo 2006-46 -- Civil Discovery: Deposition in Out-of-State Litigation (Draft of Recommendation) (12/1/2006)

  • Memo 2006-40 -- Time Limits for Discovery in an Unlawful Detainer Case (Comments on Tentative Recommendation) (10/13/2006)

  • Memo 2006-41 -- Deposition in Out-of-State Litigation (Draft of Recommendation) (10/3/2006)

  • Memo 2006-24, Supp. 1 -- Time Limits for Discovery in an Unlawful Detainer Case (6/22/2006)

  • Memo 2006-11, Supp. 3 -- Civil Discovery Improvements (Discussion of Issues) (6/14/2006)

  • Memo 2006-24 -- Time Limits for Discovery in an Unlawful Detainer Case (Draft of Tentative Recommendation) (6/6/2006)

  • Memo 2006-07, Supp. 3 -- Civil Discovery: Miscellaneous Issues (Material Received at Meeting) (4/27/2006)

  • Memo 2006-07, Supp. 2 -- Civil Discovery: Miscellaneous Issues (Further Comments and Issues) (4/25/2006)

  • Memo 2006-07, Supp. 1 -- Civil Discovery: Miscellaneous Issues (Additional Comments) (4/20/2006)

  • Memo 2006-07 -- Civil Discovery: Miscellaneous Issues (Comments on Tentative Recommendation) (4/17/2006)

  • Memo 2006-11, Supp. 2 -- Civil Discovery Improvements: Failure to Substantively Respond to Discovery Request (Discussion of Issues) (2/23/2006)

  • Memo 2006-11, Supp. 1 -- Civil Discovery Improvements: Failure to Substantively Respond to Discovery Request; Comments on Issues in Main Memorandum (Discussion of Issues) (2/17/2006)

  • Memo 2006-11 -- Civil Discovery Improvements: Discovery Motion in Unlawful Detainer; Request for Admission (Discussion of Issues) (1/31/2006)

  • Memo 2006-8 -- Civil Discovery Improvements: Subpoenaed Consumer Records (Discussion of Issues) (12/20/2005)

  • Memo 2005-33, Supp. 1 -- Civil Discovery: Calendar Preference for Writ Review of a Discovery Ruling on an Issue Common to Consolidated Cases (9/27/2005)

  • Memo 2005-33 -- Civil Discovery (Draft of Tentative Recommendation) (9/20/2005)

  • Memo 2005-26 -- Civil Discovery: Miscellaneous Issues (7/6/05)

  • Memo 2005-27 -- Civil Discovery: Calendar Preference for Writ Review of a Discovery Ruling on an Issue Common to Consolidated Cases (6/28/2005)

  • Memo 2004-30 -- Civil Discovery: Statutory Clarification and Minor Substantive Improvements (Comments on Tentative Recommendation) (5/27/2004)

  • Memo 2004-11 -- Discovery Improvements from Other Jurisdictions (Draft of Tentative Recommendation) (1/22/2004)

  • Memo 2003-17, Supp. 1 -- Discovery Improvements from Other Jurisdictions (Discussion of Issues) (5/23/2003)

  • Memo 2003-17 -- Discovery Improvements from Other Jurisdictions (Discussion of Issues) (4/30/2003)

  • Memo 2002-33 -- Discovery Improvements from Other Jurisdictions (Discussion of Issues) (7/2/2002)

  • Memo 2002-21, Supp. 1 -- Discovery Improvements from Other Jurisdictions: Comments of the Civil Justice Association of California (5/13/2002)

  • Memo 2002-21 -- Discovery Improvements from Other Jurisdictions (Background Study) (5/3/2002)

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Background Study

  • Background Study -- Potential Innovations in Civil Discovery: Lessons for California from the State and Federal Courts; Prof. Gregory S. Weber (July 2001)

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