Like getting a written demand to bring your receipts, emails, or lab notes to a meeting, this is a court-backed order requiring a person or business to produce documents, records, or other tangible evidence. Unlike a regular subpoena, which may order someone to appear and testify, a subpoena duces tecum focuses on things: papers, photographs, digital files, maintenance logs, medical records, safety reports, and similar materials. It can be directed at a party in a case or at a third party that has relevant evidence.

This matters because key proof in an injury case is often sitting in someone else's file cabinet or server. A trucking company may have inspection records. A hospital may have imaging. An employer may have exposure logs or incident reports. A subpoena duces tecum can force that evidence into the open, but it can also be misused to fish for private information or bury someone in overbroad demands.

In Massachusetts, document subpoenas in civil cases are governed mainly by Massachusetts Rule of Civil Procedure 45. The rule was significantly updated in 2015 to address electronically stored information and protections for nonparties. If a subpoena seeks irrelevant, privileged, or overly broad material, a person can object or ask for a protective order. That can make a real difference in an injury claim, especially where low insurance limits like Massachusetts' 20/40/5 minimum liability coverage can intensify fights over evidence, fault, and damages.