What type of description must the subpoena give of an item requested to be brought to trial?

• A. A general description is sufficient
• B. The subpoena should give a reasonably accurate description of the document or item desired as evidence
• C. No description is required
• D. A precise, exhaustive description is required

Answer: (B)

A subpoena must describe the requested item with reasonably accurate particularity. This ensures the person served can identify what to produce without guessing, while still allowing practical variations in how items are stored or named. The description should be specific enough to locate the item, such as identifying the type of document, its subject, and relevant dates or file names, but it doesn’t have to list every exact copy or version.

General or vague language would leave you with ambiguity and hinder compliance, and insisting on a precise, exhaustive inventory is often impractical and unnecessary. The aim is a description that is clear enough to identify the item and not overly burdensome to produce. For example, describing “the contract titled ‘Service Agreement’ between X and Y dated 2022-01-15, in possession of the firm” is reasonably particular, whereas “all documents related to X” would be too broad.