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discovery. n. the entire efforts of a party to a lawsuit and his/her/its attorneys to lawfully obtain information before trial through demands for production of documents, depositions of parties and potential witnesses, written interrogatories, written requests for admissions of fact, examination of the scene and the petitions and motions employed to enforce discovery rights.

The theory of broad rights of discovery is that all parties will go to trial with as much knowledge as possible and that neither party should be able to keep secrets from the other (except for constitutional protection against self-incrimination). Often much of the fight between the two sides in a suit takes place during the discovery period.