Legal Research on Depositions

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s l2-21-260

witness, a c

I.]\/ I I )I]N( ]H AN I) WI'I'NI.)SSF]S

ich inLerrogatories must be served on the

I t2-2t-260

arrrl the judgment nray bc marle absolut,r, thereon. (oode 1g52, $ 6?4; code 1g6?,
5 4226; code 18?(i, 5 4931; code 1ti86, t 4472; oode 1896, s 5296; code 1907, d
78911; Code 1923, S 5631; Code 1940, T. tb, tj :104.)

) kkL,DL
(lross reference. - As to u'itnt,ss fees irr

<:riminal eases, s(,o $ l2-lg-21i0 et st,r1.

S l2-21-26.0. Causes and manner of taking - Ily defendant.
(a) The defendant may take the deposition of any witness who from age,

infirmity offi, is unable to attencl court or who resides out of the state
or more than 100 rniles from the place of trial, computing by the route usually
traveled, or who is absent fronr the sLrte or where the deflnse, or a material
part thereof, deperrds exclusively on the testimony of the witness.

(b) When the defendant desires to take the deplsition of any wi[ness under
the provisiotts of subsection (a) of this seetion, he must make affidavit before
some officer authorized to administer oaths, setting forth some one or more of
the above cause!&Ltakrrg tlre rleposition and thatihe testimony of the witness
is material and must file with the clerk interrogatories to be propounded to the

on the dis[rict attorney, if eithe. r e1
district attorney may, within 10 days thereafter, file cross-interrogatories, to

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which the defendant may, within a like period of 10 days, file" rebutting
interrogatories, at the expiration of which [i." o., if no cro"ss-interrogatorie-s
are filed, at the expiration of r0 days from the filing of the interrogatories in
chief, the clerk must issue a commission, accompanied with a copy of all the
interrogatories filed, and the deposition must be taken at such timl and place
as the commissioner may appoint. If neither the district attorney nor prosecutor
is in the county, service of the interrogatories may be hal by filing the
inLerrogaLories in the office of the clerk for 10 days. icoa" 1gb2, 

-ss 
als, gla;

code 1867, 95 4227, 4228; cocle 1826, ss 4982, 49BB; code 1gg6, ss 4465, 4466;
code 1896, SS 5289, 5290; Code 1907, ss ?996, ?98?; code 1g23, 55 5624; 5625;
Code 1940, T. 15, 55 Zg7, Zg8.)

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'l'he proper procedure to obtain the
testinron.r' of the ph_vsician in charge of the
state nrental hospital is ll.y wav of delrosition.
Sheppard v. Statc, 4f) Ala. App. :.i{)tt, 2?2 So. 2rl
(i0J-r ( ll)73).

(litcd in Sturdevant v. Oaines, 5 A la. 4:15
(lll4jj); Anrlerson v. St*1t,, 8g Ala. 12,7 So. ,l2ll
(.li{fX)); l1g1; v. SLrte, 42 Al:r. A1r1r. l-r,l(i, l(i8 So.
2rl l1) (ll)(i4); Argo v. Slatr,,2l{2 Ai:r.5(X}, Zl:l So.

1,] .2.1 
l(llrtix); Slrrrrks v. St:ttr,,.l{i Al:r. A1r1r.;tt?,

2,,l2 So tll .10:t (|lf70), r.r,rt . rlIrrilrl, 40:t Ii.S. I01,,
1)t s. cl l;}i2,2t( 1,. l,ll.2rl (i5() iltf?l):

N{irrrricfielrl r'. State, 4? Ala. App. (j1)f), 2(i0 So. 2rl
(i0? (1972); Snrith v. State, 54 Ala. App. E6l, BI0
So. 2d 4lt4 (1975).

('ollateral references. - 28 C.J.S., Crinrinal
l,aw, A l0itft; 264 C.J.S., t)epositions, Sg 22-72.
27 C.,r.S., Discovery, SS 1, 16.

I,)iir,ct of prosecrrting attorney's <.onsent to
ust,of rlepositions taken without conrplying with
crrrrrlilirrrrs ;rrlsr,rilrorl hy stltrrtr,. 27 Al,ll 1041.

A,lrrrilsilrrlilv of rlr,;xrsiliorr of clrilrl of tcrrrl.r
vr':rrs. ilO hl,ll'Al 771.

577



T
.Strffit'it'rrc.y of slrorr'itrr{ of grorrrrrls for

arlrrrissiorr of rk,prositions in crirrriiurl ca*,,r. ,1.1

A1,ll2(l 7(i8.
(irrrstructiorr of statutt, or rrrlt, arlrnittirrg irr

evirlerrcu rlt,lrosil.iorr of wittrt,ss ulrst,rrl or rlistant
frrrnr lrlirt'o rrl' tri:rl. ll4 Al,ll2ll 1172.

s 12-2t-261

S 12-21-261. Same -

Adrnissihilitv in evirlence of deposition as
irg:rirrst on(, llot a l)arty at tirne uf iL tating.i
ALR:td l0?5.

5 t2-2r-263

Collatcrnl references. llffect of

couRl's s12

5 391

7890:

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tlte cor
Mager'
( 196'i).

The deposition of any witness on the part of the state may be taken in likemanner and for similar causes wlgnlhejefendaxt files hii written cnnspnr
thereto. (Code 18b2, ! 6Zi; Coa. t
4467; Code 1tt96. S 5291; Cocle 1902, S ?888; Code 192g, S SOiOI Coa" tgtO, t. iS,5 2sr.)

State harrcd from offering tlefenrlant's
dcpositions. -. Whorc tlrc rlt,fcndtrnt. harl
rrrtttplierl rvitlr tlrt' Irr.ovisilrrs 1f ti t2-21-2{i(), :rntl
tlt,lrrrsition lr:rrl I'r't'n litkt,n for l lrt, rlt,forrtllrrrt urrrl
returrrerl.to t'orrrt, it beirrg announcerl, rrlxrn {pixl,
lhitt tht,dt,;xrsitiorrs woukl not t,,,offer,rrl for tlrcirlt,fensr, the state coukl nut offt,. *,ii,l
rlepositi,rns rrr.r'r tlrt objeetiorr of the rleferrrlurrt.
,\trrlerson v. Stitte, t{lt Alu. 12, ? So. 42lt ilFlX}).

Application of section lZ-Zl-:1.1, - tJnder li 6
of thc (lorrstitutiorr, it c:rnrrot Irt,sairl thata 12-21-3,1 c:rn a14rly in a crirnirr:rl prosecution
rrnrkrr srrlrrlivision (10) of Q 2g-:1.i60. ex(,er)t
urrrler the strir.tures of this st,<.tion. Harris'v.
State, .12 Ala. App. Z6t, t60 So. 2d 5u (t{,fi4).

prosecrrtirtg irttorneV's cons(,nt to use Of(lelx)srtron tirkerr withrut contplying with the
conditions prescrilred bv statute. 2? ALR l0.ll.('onstitution:rlit.r' of statute yrermitting state
to take delxrsitiorrs or use them in evidence in
criminal case. l)0 ALR B?7.

lntrorluctiorr of deposition liy party other than
one at whose instance it was taken. 134 ALR 212.

.Suf ficiency of showing of grountls for
arlmission of delrositions in criminal cases. 44
ALRzd 76it.

O 12-21-262. Rules governing use; exclusion at trial.
Depositions taken under the provisions of L2-21-260 t2-2r-26 regoverned by the same rules which are applicable

cases, and no such de tion can be on the if itthat the witness is ali (Code
4468; Code 1896,
15, S 300.)

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1i152, S 6?il; Code 186?, S aZgO; C@
9 5292; Code 190?, S ?889; Code 1928, S E6Z7; Code 1940, t.

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fl,,j:l.',,SLrrith r,. Stfltt,, t.t2 Ata, lLl, iI) So, ;t2t) rences. 26A C.J.S.,|(l|}{)il);Srrrithr,.Stitte'54Ala.A1t1l.56l,:Jl0So'@......"
1148.1ile?5).

s l2'2r-263. Taking testimony of convict in penitentiary on interrogatories
by defendant.

The defendant in any criminal prosecution may take the testimony of anyconvict in the penitentiary on interrogatories and notice as in other cases oftaking testimony by intemogatories, the conviet,s answer being taken on oath
an(l rcturnerl with the cornnrission as in other cases, r"i ir,r" ,riitc in such case,with a t:o1ly of the intcrrogirtories, rnust be riu.ro,i on the district attorney oithc circuit i, which the prosecution is pen<li,g. (code t8sz, t-:i6s; code lg6?,

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