Electronic subpoena service

• US 6,975,996 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Company (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Company (Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lawrence, David, Childers, J. Gilmore
• Primary Examiner(s): COSIMANO, EDWARD R
• Application Number:
  US09/974,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/500, 707/1
• US Class Current: 705/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/186 Estate planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method and system for delivering a subpoena via an electronic subpoena service. The electronic delivery can constitute legal service of the subpoena or be accompanied by hardcopy service. Utilization of a system to serve subpoenas can provide timely and efficient service with an automated audit trail. The system can enable broad service with confirmed identification of relevant parties to be served. An automated search of electronic records provides uniform search criteria for compliance, even with multiple locations and subsidiaries, including foreign subsidiaries. Ongoing searching via real time monitoring of accounts, credit, entities, wire transfer and other activities also provides a level of detail and uniformity heretofore unavailable.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating delivery of a subpoena, the method comprising:

receiving into a computer server, information from one or more governmental agencies comprising the subject matter of a subpoena, wherein the information comprises data providing a legal description of one or more legal persons to be served the subpoena;

storing the information comprising the subject matter of the subpoena on the computer server;

associating a unique subpoena identifier with the stored information comprising the subject matter of the subpoena;

designating a particular computing device for each of the persons to be served the subpoena, each of the respective computing devices in operative communication with the computer server via an electronic communications network;

transmitting the information comprising the subpoena and the unique subpoena identifier from the server to each of the designated computing devices associated with each of the one or more persons to be served the subpoena;

receiving data into the computer server from one or more of the computing devices associated with each of the one or more persons to be served the subpoena, wherein the data received into the computer server comprises an indication generated by an affirmative action by the person to be served the subpoena or a person acting on behalf of the person to be served the subpoena, acknowledging;

receipt of the subpoena identified with the unique subpoena identifier;

receipt of a hardcopy of the subpoena and data related to the subject matter of the subpoena;

tracking those designated computing devices from which data is received; and

creating an indication of which persons have responded to the subpoena based upon the tracking of the designated computing devices and the unique subpoena identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information comprising the subject matter of the subpoena is received from more than one different government agencies.

3. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the steps of:

creating a second subpoena based upon the data received from one or more of the computing devices associated with each of the one or more persons to be served a first subpoena, and identified with the unique subpoena identifier for the first subpoena; and

transmitting new information comprising the subject matter of the second subpoena from the computer server to one or more of the computing devices associated with each of one or more persons to be served the second subpoena.

4. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of transmitting from the computer server a search algorithm to the computing device, wherein the search algorithm is based upon the subject matter of the subpoena.

5. The method of claim 4 additionally comprising the steps of:

transmitting from the computer server executable search software to each of the computing devices, wherein the executable search software is operative with the search algorithm to search for data related to the subject matter of the subpoena; and

tracking in the computer server data received into the computer server from two or more of the computing devices that results from executing the search software, wherein the data received from the two or more computing devices is identified with the unique subpoena identifier.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5 wherein the search algorithm comprises variations of subject matter contained in the subpoena transmitted to the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of receiving an acknowledgement into the computer server from the one or more of the designated computing devices that the information comprising the subject matter of the subpoena had been received by the one or more designated computing devices.

8. The method of claim 7 additionally comprising the steps of:

storing the data received from the one or more designated computing devices in the computer server;

combining in the computer server the data received from each of the respective designated computing devices;

generating a report in the computer server descriptive of the subject matter of the subpoena and also comprising the data received from each of the respective designated computing devices;

associating in the computer server the report with the unique subpoena identifier; and

transmitting from the computer server the report and unique subpoena identifier to the one or more government agencies.

9. The method of claim 8 additionally comprising the steps of:

receiving additional information comprising the subject matter of a second subpoena to be served to the same one or more persons to be served a first subpoena and associated with a second unique identifier; and

combining the information comprising the subject matter of the first subpoena with the information comprising the subject matter of the second subpoena.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the additional information relating to the second subpoena is received from a second computer server associated with a government agency that is different than a government agency associated with the computer server of claim 1.

11. A computer-implemented method for processing an electronic subpoena, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving into a computing device, electronic information comprising;

a subpoena, a legal description of a person to be served the subpoena, a unique subpoena identifier and one or more government agencies associated with the subpoena;

transmitting from the computing device to a computer server a designation of the computing device associated with the subpoenaed person;

transmitting from the computing device to the computer server, by affirmative action, an acknowledgement of receipt of the electronic information comprising the subpoena and receipt of a hardcopy of the subpoena, wherein the acknowledgement is also identified with the unique subpoena identifier;

searching stored computer records on a computer storage operatively attached to the computing device for data relating to the information comprising the subject matter of the subpoena;

indicating with a processor operatively attached to the computer storage which computer records relate to the information comprising the subject matter of the subpoena; and

transmitting from the computing device to a designated aggregation device for aggregating the subpoenaed information, data comprising;

the stored computer records and related to the information comprising;

the subject matter of the subpoena, the unique subpoena identifier and an indication of one or more government agencies which are to receive the transmitted data.

12. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of:

monitoring electronic data stored in the computer storage and descriptive of one or more transactions with the processor operatively attached to the computer storage;

indicating, with the processor operatively attached to the computer storage, which data is related to the one or more transactions and which data also relates to the subject matter of the subpoena; and

transmitting with the computing device the data which relates to the transaction and also relates to the subject matter of the subpoena, to the designated aggregation device.

13. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of:

receiving into the computing device an updated request comprising new information related to the subject matter of the subpoena and the unique subpoena identifier;

searching the stored computer records in the computer storage operatively attached to the computing device with the processor operatively attached to the computer storage for data relating to the new information related to the subject matter of the subpoena; and

transmitting with the computing device data relating to the new information related to the subject matter of the subpoena to a designated aggregation device.

14. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of:

receiving into the computing device a search algorithm generated by a computer server and related to the request contained within the subpoena; and

searching the stored computer records on the computer storage operatively attached to the computing device based upon the received search algorithm.

15. The method of claim 14 additionally comprising the steps of:

receiving into the computing device an executable search software program from a computer server and operative with the search algorithm to search the stored computer records on the computer storage operatively attached to the computing device; and

executing the executable search software program with a processor operatively attached to the computer storage to ascertain data related to the subject matter of the subpoena.

16. A computer-implemented method for delivering a subpoena, the method comprising:

storing digital information comprising a subpoena on a computer server, wherein the stored information comprises a unique subpoena identifier;

delivering a hardcopy of the subpoena to one or more subpoenaed parties;

associating the unique subpoena identifier with each hardcopy of the subpoena, wherein the subpoena identifier uniquely identifies the subpoena and the stored information;

receiving into the computer server a request for the digital information comprising the subpoena and a search algorithm generated by the computer server and based upon subject matter of the subpoena;

transmitting the digital information comprising the subpoena, the search algorithm and the subpoena identifier from the computer server to one or more designated computing devices, each computing device being associated with a subpoenaed party; and

receiving digital data into the computer server, said data identified with the unique subpoena identifier and responsive to a request contained within the subpoena and the search algorithm.

17. A method for processing a subpoena, the method comprising:

a subpoenaed person or their agent receiving a hardcopy of a subpoena including a subpoena identifier;

receiving electronic information from a computer apparatus connected to a communications network into a computing device connected to the communications network and also associated with the subpoenaed person, the electronic information comprising the subpoena, a search algorithm and the subpoena identifier, wherein the search algorithm and the subpoena identifier have been generated by an electronic subpoena service system;

generating in the computing device an indication confirming that the subpoena identifier received electronically corresponds with the hardcopy subpoena identifier;

searching stored computer records stored in an electronic storage connected to the computing device with a processor operatively connected to the computer storage for data relating to a request contained within the subpoena and the search algorithm; and

transmitting with the computing device data discovered in the search of the stored computer records which relates to the request contained within the subpoena to the computer apparatus via the communication network.

18. A computer-implemented method of interacting with a network access device so as to electronically receive and respond to a subpoena, the method comprising the steps of:

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative receiving a hardcopy of a subpoena and a unique subpoena identifier identifying the subpoena;

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative initiating interaction with a host computer server via the network access device, wherein the network access device is operatively connected to an electronic communications network;

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative inputting information into the network access device via a graphical user interface on the network access device, wherein the information identifies an entity to which a subpoena is to be served and the unique subpoena identifier;

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative transmitting from the network access device the input information to a host computer server storing an electronic version of the subpoena;

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative downloading from the first computer server to the network access device, an electronic version of the subpoena; and

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative acknowledging receipt of the subpoena through an affirmative interaction with a user input device operatively connected to the network access device, wherein the affirmative interaction causes an indication of the receipt of the subpoena to be transmitted to the first computer server.

19. The method of claim 18 additionally comprising the steps of:

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative receiving from the first computer server into the network access device a search argument related to the subpoena; and

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative implementing a search of data on a second computer server based upon the received search argument, wherein the second computer server is in operative communication with the network access device.

20. The method of claim 19 additionally comprising the steps of:

one or more of the subpoenaed person and their representative receiving from the first computer server into the network access device an executable software program operative with the search argument to search data files stored on the second computer server for information related to the subject matter of the subpoena; and

creating with the network access device a report comprising data related to the subject matter of the subpoena discovered during a search of the data files stored on the second computer server with the executable software program and the search argument.