NJSBA Family Law Section

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  • 1.  Subpoenas before answer

    Posted 07-28-2015 02:48 PM

    Hi. I seem to recall there was a post a few weeks ago about serving subpoenas either while the defendant is in default or before he or she has answered. I thought I would never have that situation and so I didn't pay attention.

     

    Of course now I have that exact situation: I served the complaint, he has 35 days to answer but I'm pretty sure he will not, but I need to serve subpoenas.

    so ... What did I miss? Is there any problem with issuing subpoenas before an answer is filed or while he is in default?



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    Brian Winters Esq.
    Bradley Beach NJ
    (732)774-1212
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  • 2.  RE: Subpoenas before answer

    Posted 07-28-2015 03:40 PM

    I have experienced several judges on reverse sides of this issue. More often, I have had them disallow any sort of discovery with the other party in default. IMO, not the best approach since, particularly with self-employed defendants and financially uninformed plaintiff's, this promotes default hearings without enough data to make fair financial determinations. For that reason, I would say that the better approach is to permit the discovery subpoenas. Good luck.

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    Curtis Romanowski Esq.
    Senior Attorney - Proprietor
    Metuchen NJ
    (732)603-8585
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