The Complete Guide to § 1782
The full picture: what the statute is, the three requirements, the arbitration limit, the Intel factors, the step-by-step process, and FAQs.
What's Changed Since ZF Automotive
Post-2022 developments through 2025: the Second Circuit's ICSID ruling (Webuild) and the 2025 wave of circuit decisions.
Can You Use § 1782 for International Arbitration?
After ZF Automotive (2022), private commercial arbitration generally falls outside § 1782 — but court and government proceedings still qualify.
Trace Assets & Enforce a Foreign Judgment
Use U.S. banking and financial records to follow the money and collect on a judgment against a debtor with U.S. ties.
Who Can Apply for § 1782 Discovery?
The "interested person" standard is read broadly — what it means, and the other two pieces that have to line up.
How to File a § 1782 Application
The step-by-step sequence: pick the district, build the petition and declaration, file ex parte, serve the subpoena, handle a motion to quash.
The Four Intel Factors, Explained
Eligibility gets you in the door; these four discretionary factors decide whether the court actually grants the discovery.
Evidence from U.S. Banks & Tech Companies
Financial records and electronic data held by U.S. institutions and platforms — the ideal non-party § 1782 targets.
§ 1782 vs. Letters Rogatory & Hague
How the three routes to U.S. evidence stack up on speed, breadth, and control — and when each makes sense.
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