Depositions may not be ordered for discovery or any other purpose except as specifically provided by statute or rule. If due to exceptional circumstances it is in the interests of justice that the testimony of a prospective witness of a party be taken and preserved for use at the hearing, the court may upon motion of the party and notice to the parties order that the testimony of the witness be taken by deposition and that any designated book, paper, document, record, recording, or other material not privileged be produced at the same time and place.

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Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 26-7A-75

  • Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.

Source: SL 1991, ch 217, § 70A.