§ 140B.056.Compliance with Demand

Two rules governing the interval between a demand and a ruling on it.

A person served shall comply with the terms of the demand unless otherwise provided by court order.

Self-help is unavailable. A recipient who thinks the demand improper has one remedy, and it is the petition; disregarding the demand leads to an enforcement petition and, past that, contempt.

The time for compliance does not run during the pendency of a petition — wholly or partly — provided that the petitioner complies with any portions not sought to be modified or set aside.

"Wholly or partly" is the phrase to read carefully. The suspension matches the challenge. Object to six requests out of fifty and the clock stops on six; the other forty-four are due when the demand says.

That has a practical consequence for how a petition is drafted. A recipient who needs time on everything must find a ground reaching the whole demand, and must hold it against the good-faith presumption.

It also means partial compliance is the normal posture. A petitioner is producing documents and contesting the demand at the same time, which is why the specificity requirements matter — a recipient has to know which requests are which.

Under this chapter the section carries an added burden. Nothing coordinates demands issued by different offices, so a business could face demands from two prosecutors at once, each with its own return date, and this section requires compliance with both.