Which discovery tool asks the other side to produce documents and tangible items?

• A. Deposition
• B. Hearsay
• C. Document Demand (Request for Production of Documents)
• D. Authentication

Answer: (C)

The ability to obtain evidence through discovery hinges on asking for what you need in a concrete way. A document demand, or request for production of documents, is the tool that specifically asks the other side to produce documents and tangible items for inspection and copying. It covers things like papers, contracts, emails, invoices, photos, or physical objects relevant to the case, and it’s served in writing as part of the discovery process.

This is distinct from a deposition, which is a live, sworn testimony taken under oath and focuses on what a person will say rather than what materials they must hand over. Hearsay is an evidentiary rule about the admissibility of statements made outside the courtroom, not a mechanism for obtaining evidence. Authentication deals with proving a document’s genuineness, a later step once documents are in play, not the act of requesting production.

So the document demand is the discovery mechanism that specifically asks the opposing party to produce documents and tangible items.