Legal Definitions - document request

A document request is a written request made by one party to another party in a legal case, asking for specific documents or other tangible items to be provided for inspection and copying. This is part of the pretrial discovery process, where each party gathers information and evidence to build their case.

For example, in a personal injury case, the plaintiff's lawyer may make a document request to the defendant's lawyer, asking for medical records related to the injury, insurance policies, and any communication between the defendant and their insurance company. The defendant would then have to provide these documents for inspection and copying.

Another example could be in a business dispute, where one party may request financial records, contracts, and emails related to the dispute from the other party.

These examples illustrate how a document request is a formal way for one party to obtain information and evidence from another party in a legal case.