A.Form; issuance.(1) Every subpoena shall (a) state the name of the court from which it is issued;(b) state the title of the action and its civil action number;(c) command each person to whom it is directed to attend a trial or hearing and give testimony or to produce for trial or hearing designated books, documents, or tangible things in the possession, custody or control of that person;(d) state the time and date of the hearing or trial and the name of the judge before whom the witness is to appear or produce documents; and(e) be substantially in the form approved by the Supreme Court.(2) All subpoenas shall issue from the court for the court in which the matter is pending.(3) The judge or clerk shall issue a subpoena, other than a subpoena duces tecum, signed but otherwise in blank, to a party requesting it, who shall fill it in before service. The judge or clerk may issue a subpoena duces tecum to a party only if the subpoena duces tecum is completed by the party prior to issuance by the judge or clerk. An attorney authorized to practice law in New Mexico and who represents a party, as an officer of the court, may also issue and sign a subpoena on behalf of the court in which the case is pending.(4) Proof of service when necessary shall be made by filing with the clerk of the court a return substantially in the form approved by the Supreme Court. B.Service.(1) A subpoena may be served by any person who is not a party and is not less than eighteen (18) years of age. Service of a subpoena on a person named therein shall be made by delivering a copy thereof to that person and, if that person's attendance is commanded, by tendering to that person the full fee for one day's expenses provided by Section 10-8-4(A) NMSA 1978 as per diem for nonsalaried public officers attending a board or committee meeting and the mileage provided by Section 10-8-4(D) NMSA 1978. The fee for per diem expenses shall not be prorated. If attendance is required for more than one (1) day, a full day's expenses shall be paid prior to commencement of each day attendance is required. When the subpoena is issued on behalf of the state or an officer or agency thereof, fees and mileage need not be tendered. Prior to or at the same time as service of any subpoena commanding production of documents and things or inspection of premises before trial, notice shall be served on each party in the manner prescribed by Rule 3-203 NMRA.(2) Proof of service when necessary shall be made by filing with the clerk of the court a return substantially in the form approved by the Supreme Court.C.Protection of persons subject to subpoenas.(1) A party or an attorney responsible for the issuance and service of a subpoena shall take reasonable steps to avoid imposing undue burden or expense on a person subject to that subpoena. The court on behalf of which the subpoena was issued shall enforce this duty and impose upon the party or attorney in breach of this duty an appropriate sanction, which may include, but is not limited to, lost earnings and reasonable attorney fees. (2)(a) Unless specifically commanded to appear in person, a person commanded to produce and permit inspection and copying of designated books, papers, documents or tangible things need not appear in person at the hearing or trial.(b) Subject to Subparagraph (D)(2) of this rule, a person commanded to produce and permit inspection and copying may, within fourteen (14) days after service of the subpoena or before the time specified for compliance if that time is less than fourteen (14) days after service, serve a written objection on all parties to the lawsuit or file a motion to quash the subpoena with the court. If objection is made, the party serving the subpoena shall not be entitled to inspect and copy the materials except under an order of the court by which the subpoena was issued. If objection has been made, the party serving the subpoena may, upon notice to the person commanded to produce, move at any time for an order to compel production. The order to compel production shall protect any person who is not a party or an officer of a party from significant expense resulting from the inspection and copying commanded.(c) Absent a court order, a person commanded to produce and permit inspection and copying shall not respond to the subpoena before the expiration of fourteen (14) days after the date of service of the subpoena.(3)(a) On timely motion, the court by which a subpoena was issued shall quash or modify the subpoena if it (i) fails to allow reasonable time for compliance,(ii) requires disclosure of privileged or other protected matter and no exception or waiver applies, or(iii) subjects a person to undue burden.(b) The court may, to protect a person subject to or affected by the subpoena, quash or modify the subpoena if a subpoena(i) requires disclosure of a trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial information,(ii) requires disclosure of an unretained expert's opinion or information not describing specific events or occurrences in dispute and resulting from the expert's study made not at the request of any party, or(iii) requires a person who is not a party or an officer of a party to incur substantial expense to travel more than one hundred (100) miles to attend trial. If the party in whose behalf the subpoena is issued shows a substantial need for the testimony or material that cannot be otherwise met without undue hardship and assures that the person to whom the subpoena is addressed will be reasonably compensated, the court may order appearance or production only upon specified conditions.
D.Duties in responding to subpoena.(1) A person responding to a subpoena to produce documents shall produce them as they are kept in the usual course of business or shall organize and label them to correspond with the categories in the demand.(2) When information subject to a subpoena is withheld on a claim that it is privileged or subject to protection as trial preparation materials, the claim shall be made expressly and shall be supported by a description of the nature of the documents, communications or things not produced that is sufficient to enable the demanding party to contest the claim.E.Contempt. Failure by any person without adequate excuse to obey a subpoena served on that person may be deemed a contempt of the court from which the subpoena issued.N.M. R. Civ. P. Metro. Ct. 3-502
As amended, effective 1/1/1994;5/1/1994;5/1/2002; as amended by Supreme Court Order No. 20-8300-005, effective for all cases pending or filed on or after 12/31/2020. ANNOTATIONS The 2002 amendment, effective May 1, 2002, rewrote Paragraph A, which formerly related to attendance of witnesses, deleted former Paragraphs B through D relating to production of documentary evidence, service and manner of service; added present Paragraphs B, C and D; in Subsection E, deleted "magistrate" preceding "court" and deleted the former second sentence relating to service by mail. The second 1994 amendment, effective May 1, 1994, moved prior Paragraph C to the second paragraph of Paragraph A and redesignated the remaining paragraphs accordingly; and amended the former Paragraph C by deleting "within the metropolitan district". The first 1994 amendment, effective January 1, 1994, deleted "by tendering to him fees for one (1) day's attendance and the mileage allowed by law, if payment of such fee and mileage is demanded at the time of service of the subpoena" following "and" at the end of the first paragraph in Paragraph D, and added Subparagraphs D(1) and D(2).
For jurisdiction of the magistrate court, see Section 34-8A-3 NMSA 1978. For territorial jurisdiction of the metropolitan court, see Section 35-3-6 NMSA 1978. For forms on subpoena, return for completion by sheriff or deputy and return for completion by other person making service, see Rule 4-503 NMRA.