§ 2031.290.Retention of original demand, with proof of service,

Discovery paperwork under this chapter is not meant to clutter the court file, and this section keeps it out. The demand for inspection, copying, testing, or sampling, and the response to it, are not filed with the court at all.

Instead, the demanding party carries the retention burden directly. That party has to keep the original demand, with the original proof of service attached, and the original of the sworn response, until six months after the action reaches final disposition. Once that six-month window closes, both originals may be destroyed, unless a court, on a motion by any party and for good cause, orders that they be preserved longer, a safeguard that matters most when the demand or response might later become relevant to an appeal, a malpractice claim, or a related proceeding.