§ 2025.610.Subsequent deposition of deponents; restrictions; exceptions
Title 4. Civil Discovery Act · Chapter 9. Oral Deposition Inside California · Article 6. Post-Deposition Procedures · Enacted 2004 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2025.610 bars a party from taking a second deposition of the same natural person once any party has already deposed that person, absent a stipulation or a court order for good cause, and carves out narrow exceptions for a person redeposed as an organization's designated witness or under the writ-of-attachment discovery statute.
(a)Once any party has taken the deposition of any natural person, including that of a party to the action, neither the party who gave, nor any other party who has been served with a deposition notice pursuant to Section 2025.240 may take a subsequent deposition of that deponent.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivision (a), for good cause shown, the court may grant leave to take a subsequent deposition, and the parties, with the consent of any deponent who is not a party, may stipulate that a subsequent deposition be taken.
(c)This section does not preclude taking one subsequent deposition of a natural person who has previously been examined under either or both of the following circumstances:
(1)The person was examined as a result of that person's designation to testify on behalf of an organization under Section 2025.230.
(2)The person was examined pursuant to a court order under Section 485.230, for the limited purpose of discovering pursuant to Section 485.230 the identity, location, and value of property in which the deponent has an interest.
(d)This section does not authorize the taking of more than one subsequent deposition for the limited purpose of Section 485.230.
Plain-English Summary
Once a witness has sat for a deposition, the Act does not let parties keep calling that same person back for another round, absent good reason. Once any party has deposed a natural person, including a party to the case, neither the party who noticed that deposition nor any other party served with the notice can take a subsequent deposition of that same deponent.
Two paths around that bar exist. A court can grant leave for a subsequent deposition on a showing of good cause, or the parties can stipulate to one, so long as any nonparty deponent involved consents. The section also leaves room for two narrower, recurring situations: a person can be deposed again after having earlier testified as an organization's designated witness on a particular set of topics, and a person examined under the special discovery procedure tied to a writ of attachment can be deposed one more time for that limited purpose, though never more than once even in that circumstance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the same witness be deposed twice?
Not without a court order for good cause or a stipulation, with any nonparty deponent's consent required for the stipulation route.
What exceptions exist to the one-deposition rule?
A person redeposed after testifying as an organization's designated witness, and a person examined under the discovery statute tied to a writ of attachment.
Is there a limit on how many subsequent depositions the attachment exception allows?
Yes, only one subsequent deposition for that limited purpose.
Amendment History
(Added by Stats.2004, c. 182 (A.B.3081), § 23, operative July 1, 2005.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
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