Subpoenas are generally used to order someone to come to court and testify
under oath. This can be asked for by the plaintiff or defendant if he
or she feels that the information is relevant to the issue at hand. Since
divorces can be high stake and personal, information can sometimes be
hidden. Subpoenas force that information out in the open.
There are three separate types of subpoenas: personal appearance, production
of documents, and a mix of the two. An example of a production of documents
subpoena would be if you asked the bank for financial records of your
divorcing spouse. Ignoring subpoenas is highly unrecommended, as those
who do may face criminal charges and heavy fines.