§ 485.230.Discovery of Identity, Location and Value of Property

Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 5. Ex Parte Hearing Procedure for Obtaining Writ of Attachment · Article 2. Order Determining Right to Attach; Issuance of Writ of Attachment · Last amended 2005 · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 485.230 lets a plaintiff, once a right to attach order has issued, use the discovery tools of the Civil Discovery Act (Title 4, commencing with § 2016.010) to find out the identity, location, and value of the defendant's property, subject to that Act's own protections.

Full Text of § 485.230

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Where a right to attach order has been issued by the court, a plaintiff may discover, through any means provided for by, and subject to the protections included in, Title 4 (commencing with Section 2016.010) of Part 4, the identity, location, and value of property in which the defendant has an interest.

Plain-English Summary

Getting a right to attach order is one thing; finding property worth attaching is another. This section confirms that once a right to attach order has issued, a plaintiff can turn to the ordinary civil discovery process — the Civil Discovery Act, Title 4 commencing with § 2016.010 — to learn what property the defendant has, where it sits, and what it's worth.

That discovery isn't unlimited. Section 485.230 makes it subject to the same protections the Civil Discovery Act provides in any other setting, so the usual limits on privilege, proportionality, and protective orders still apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a plaintiff use ordinary discovery to find a defendant's attachable property?

Yes, once a right to attach order has issued, using the standard discovery procedures of the Civil Discovery Act.

Do the normal discovery protections still apply to this kind of discovery?

Yes. Section 485.230 subjects it to the same protections the Civil Discovery Act otherwise provides.

What discovery tools can a plaintiff use under this section?

Any of the means provided for by Title 4 (commencing with § 2016.010) of Part 4, the Civil Discovery Act.

Amendment History

Amended by Stats 2004 ch 182 (AB 3081),s 10, eff. 7/1/2005

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: discovery of defendant's assets after attachment california