Are you a lawyer whose client has recently been caught up in a housing scam? Or do you have a plaintiff looking to sue the person who sold them a home for undisclosed structural and foundational issues?
Zillow may have the answers and evidence you need to build a compelling case for your client.
Zillow’s online real estate marketplace has about 228 million active users. It’s one of the world’s biggest property listing platforms for both rental units and sales.
As an attorney, there may come a time when you must domesticate an out-of-state subpoena to Zillow for property listings. Read on to learn what this process entails and how subpoena domestication under UIDDA legal procedures can help you gather evidence and build a case.
The Basics of an Out-of-State Subpoena
The state in which an attorney handles cases is called the trial state. This is because it’s the jurisdiction in which they:
- Talk with clients
- Handle evidence
- Build a case
- Negotiate plea deals
- Go to court
For example, for an attorney practicing in Los Angeles, California will be the trial state. Lawyers in Orlando will consider Florida the trial state.
Sometimes, all eyewitnesses and evidence are local and fall under the trial state’s jurisdiction. That’s lucky because it’s easy to manage, but it isn’t always the case.
Many civil and criminal cases require evidence from entities based in other states. These discovery states hold information that you, an attorney in the trial state, need access to. To get this, you’ll need to file an out-of-state subpoena with courts in the discovery state.
Validating these documents requires you to undergo the subpoena domestication process so that the recipient is legally compelled to comply with your requests.
Subpoena Domestication 101: What to Know
Subpoena domestication is a process for making a subpoena in one state valid in another jurisdiction.
Subpoenas are only legally binding when served appropriately in the discovery state. Simply filing them in the trial state is insufficient when requesting information from out-of-state entities.
Zillow’s legal department handles subpoena requests from Seattle. Therefore, all court documents that ask Zillow’s team for information must be valid in Washington.
It doesn’t matter what state you practice law in. If you’re in New York, you’ll work with the same court system as an Illinois or Kansas lawyer would. This ensures that requests get to Zillow’s representatives and that Zillow must comply with your requests.
If you fail to domesticate a foreign subpoena appropriately in Washington, Zillow will simply discard your documents. However, if you file them appropriately, Zillow’s team can offer you a wide range of invaluable information.
What Information Can Zillow Provide to Attorneys?
Civil subpoenas can force Zillow to send user data to attorneys working on active cases. Some of this data might include:
- Contact information of users
- Credit cards and other payment methods on file
- Users’ saved browsing history in their accounts
- Property owners whom users have contacted
- Locations that a user has visited when looking for rental units
- Transaction records of bought and sold houses
Zillow might also:
- Look at the information of other website users when specifically compelled to
- See the rental history of a specific property as requested
- Look into the terms under which someone rented out or sold a property
To get this information, you will need to be as specific as possible when drafting your subpoena request. Zillow may object to a request that it deems too broad, meaning that the document wants it to seek information from unspecified or overly large groups of users.
Additionally, if information is publicly available on Zillow, the company may not need to provide it in response to a subpoena.
When to Serve an Out-of-State Subpoena to Zillow for Property Listings
Attorneys may serve a subpoena on Zillow in a wide range of specific legal situations. Housing scams are one of the most common.
If a defendant has recently been duped out of money for a home that does not exist or isn’t up for sale, Zillow can help you track down the scammer. This information leads to the enforcement of your client’s legal rights after they encountered fraud on Zillow.
You can get this information by requesting information about the seller or rental property owner that your client worked with. Zillow may be compelled to send you their contact information and GPS location if possible. This will make it easier for you to identify the scammer so your client can press charges.
Zillow may also be subpoenaed in cases of public safety. If a rental property owner is consistently offering dilapidated, structurally unsound rental units, tracking them may become a legal necessity. An out-of-state subpoena to Zillow for property listings can help you find the unscrupulous user and nip their unsafe sales practices in the bud.
Property listing subpoenas may also help you navigate criminal cases. If you’re looking to confirm an alibi or track down a specific individual, they may have purchased or rented property on Zillow. Looking into their history can help you find their location to issue a search warrant or even make an arrest.
These are just some reasons to consider serving subpoenas to Zillow. You may also want to do so in cases of privacy policy violations or mobile app data theft. The possibilities are limitless.
If Zillow fails to comply with a legally binding subpoena request, it may face legal action. To ensure that the subpoena is domesticated appropriately, attorneys must follow procedures outlined in the UIDDA.
UIDDA Procedures for Domesticating Subpoenas
Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA) is a 2007 law. It standardized the subpoena domestication process across most US states.
The core benefit of this act was to streamline the process and make it go more quickly. Consistent procedures are significantly easier to follow. Attorneys and courts can domesticate subpoenas with minimal confusion since they don’t need to research and memorize state-specific procedures.
All states besides New Hampshire have adopted the UIDDA. Since Zillow is headquartered in Washington, attorneys looking to domesticate subpoenas on Zillow can use UIDDA procedures to do so.
Drafting Your Documents Independently
The first step toward subpoena domestication is to draft subpoena documents. It’s critical that you’re thorough in these requests when drafting them. Vague, nonspecific requests are likely to be denied.
If Zillow can legally refuse your subpoena request, you will need to draft it again. You will also need to re-file and re-serve it.
So, how do you make a comprehensive data request when asking for specific information from Zillow? To begin, the subpoena order should contain:
- The name of the court that’s issuing the subpoena
- Details relevant to the case
- A complete, comprehensive list of all the information you want Zillow to offer up
- The name of your client
- Your client’s contact information
- Information about your client’s Zillow account
- Specifics of any other Zillow account that you’re seeking information about
- Your contact information as the attorney handling the case
For example, let’s say that your client has recently fallen victim to a rental scam on Zillow. They paid a security deposit and the first month’s rent on a unit that does not exist or isn’t as described.
In this instance, finding the scammer is a top priority. In your request, you will describe the nature of the scam and how much money your client lost. You will then send your client’s Zillow account information and specific information about the account that scammed them.
Zillow can be compelled to offer up the scammer’s name, property listings, and account-associated contact information. This makes it easier for attorneys to track them down and for clients to press charges.
You can also ask Zillow to give you the names and account information of other people that the scammer rented out apartments to. This might help you find others who have been scammed and can offer witness statements. It’s a great way to find and assemble a deposition.
Drafting a subpoena document is an independent process.You can do it without the help of a process server. There are several templates for subpoena requests online to help attorneys get started.
Court Filing and Subpoena Service
Once you draft subpoena documents, you can complete the next steps with the help of a professional process server. Serve Index, LLC helps those across the nation comply with UIDDA procedures for court filing and service to Zillow executives.
Once you contact us, our team will:
- Figure out which precise entities to serve subpoena documents to
- Determine what courts will make the subpoena legally binding in that jurisdiction
- Research the process of serving subpoenas to Zillow
- Fill out all court documents and file them appropriately with the Washington courts
We’ll then file the papers in the appropriate Washington courts and ensure that they are domesticated in a legally binding way. There are several ways to file, including:
- In person
- Via physical mail services
- Over easy-to-use fax systems
- Electronic filing platforms
Electronic filing is growing in popularity because of its convenience and accessibility. Since Serve Index, LLC is committed to streamlined processes, we frequently utilize this filing method.
The filing process domesticates the subpoena to Washington entities and makes your request legally binding in the jurisdiction under which Zillow operates.
Our professionals will then serve several documents to subpoena executives:
- Summons to Zillow that legal action has been taken “against” them and that they need to comply with requests on the subpoena document you filed
- A copy of the petition that you filed in Washington courts, which includes your comprehensive data requests and ensures that Zillow has all the information about the nature of your legal action
- A temporary order that imposes specific obligations on Zillow until a final decision about the dispute is made
We make three attempts at delivering the documents and are committed to tracking down even the most evasive of recipients. However, Zillow is a major company and is unlikely to be evasive. This makes them likely to respond to the first delivery attempt, so the process of gathering evidence will be faster for you.
Why Domesticate a Foreign Subpoena to Zillow With Serve Index, LLC?
Serve Index, LLC is a comprehensive law support agency. We’re process servers who serve subpoena documents to out-of-state entities.
Since our team has a lot of experience in domesticating foreign subpoenas, you don’t need to worry about whether or not your documents will be legally binding. Assuming that you draft them appropriately, we will serve them in a manner that gets results.
As an attorney working with us, you can expect us to:
- Research Washington court processes and subpoena laws meticulously
- Accurately assess your specific situation before filing subpoena documents on Zillow
- Uphold the highest possible standards throughout the filing process
- Find defendants and witnesses who evade subpoena requests
- Operate within strict timelines to ensure that you get the information needed to build a strong case for your client
You can get 3-5 day standard delivery for all subpoena forms. We also offer a 24-48 hour rush delivery option for those who want to serve subpoenas and collect evidence more quickly. Same-day delivery is also an option for the most time-sensitive cases.
At Serve Index, LLC, we work with attorneys all across the US. Our operations aren’t limited to a single geographical area, so you can rest assured that we will get the job done regardless of the trial or discovery state.
Make Zillow Legal Inquiries the Right Way
Understanding how to serve an out-of-state subpoena to Zillow for property listings can be challenging. However, Serve Index, LLC makes the process simple with court filing and subpoena service.
Our team is committed to helping you file your previously drafted subpoena documents with courts in the discovery state. We’ll make three attempts at service to ensure that Zillow legal representatives receive and comply with your requests.
We’re excited to help you find success in your trial state, regardless of where in the nation you practice law. Give us a call at 888-994-6339 or email [email protected]. Then get a quote online to begin the process of fulfilling your subpoena domestication needs!
