(a) When Depositions May Be Taken: After a notice of trial has been issued or after a case has been assigned to a Judge or Special Trial Judge of the Court, and within the time for completion of discovery under Rule 70(a)(2), any party may, without leave of Court, take a deposition for discovery purposes of a non-party witness in the circumstances described in paragraph (b) of this Rule. Unless the Court shall determine otherwise for good cause shown, the taking of such a deposition will not be regarded as sufficient ground for granting a continuance from a date or place of trial theretofore set.

(b) Availability: The taking of a deposition of a non-party witness under this Rule is an extraordinary method of discovery and may be used only where a non-party witness can give testimony or possesses documents or things which are discoverable within the meaning of Rule 70(b) and where such testimony, documents, or things practicably cannot be obtained through informal consultation or communication (Rule 70(a)(1)) or by a deposition taken with consent of the parties (Rule 74). If such requirements are satisfied, then a deposition may be taken under this Rule, for example, where a party is a member of a partnership and an issue in the case involves an adjustment with respect to such partnership, or a party is a shareholder of an electing small business corporation (as described in Code Section 1371(b) prior to the enactment of the Subchapter S Revision Act of 1982), and an issue in the case involves an adjustment with respect to such corporation. See Title XXIV, relating to partnership actions, brought under provisions first enacted by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982.

(c) Notice: A party desiring to take a deposition under this Rule shall give notice in writing to every other party to the case and to the non-party witness to be deposed. The notice shall state that the deposition is to be taken under Rule 75 and shall set forth the name of the party seeking the deposition, the name and address of the person to be deposed, the time and place proposed for the deposition, and the officer before whom the deposition is to be taken. If the deposition is to be taken on written questions, a copy of the questions shall be annexed to the notice.

(d) Objections: Within 15 days after service of the notice of deposition, a party or a non-party witness shall serve on the party seeking the deposition any objections to the deposition. The burden shall be upon the party seeking the deposition to move for an order with respect to any such objections or any failure of the non-party witness, and such party shall annex to any such motion the notice of deposition with proof of service thereof, together with a copy of any responses and objections. Prior to moving for such an order, neither the notice nor the responses shall be filed with the Court.

(e) Other Applicable Rules: Depositions for discovery purposes under this Rule shall be governed by the provisions of the following Rules with respect to the matters to which they apply: Rule 74(d) (transcript), 74(e) (depositions upon written questions), Rule 81(c) (designation of person to testify), 81(e) (person before whom deposition taken), 81(f) (taking of deposition), 81(g) (expenses), 81(h) (execution, form, and return of deposition), 81(i) (use of deposition), and Rule 85(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) (objections and irregularities). For Rules concerned with the timing and frequency of depositions, supplementation of answers, protective orders, effect of evasive or incomplete answers or responses, and sanctions and enforcement action, see Title X.

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