1006 Summaries

When a case involves huge amounts of paperwork, recordings, or photos that would be too hard to go through piece by piece in court, this rule lets someone use a chart, summary, or calculation instead. This makes it easier for the judge and jury to understand the information without sitting through hours of raw material.

But there are some ground rules. If a party wants to use a summary like this, they have to tell the other side ahead of time, in writing, that they plan to do it. They also need to file proof with the court showing they gave that notice. This gives everyone a fair chance to prepare.

The original documents or recordings, or copies of them, must be made available so the other side can look them over or make copies. This has to happen at a reasonable time and place, not at the last minute or somewhere hard to access. The judge also has the power to order that the original materials be brought to court if needed, so everyone can check that the summary is accurate.