Effective January 1, 2015, Missouri Supreme Court Rule 57.03(f) regarding submitting a deposition transcript to a witness, making changes, and signing has been updated.
New language
(f) Submission to Witness; Changes; Signing. When the testimony is fully transcribed, the officer shall make the deposition available to the witness for examination, reading and signing, unless such examination, reading, and signing are waived by the witness or by the parties. Any changes in form or substance that the witness desires to make shall be entered upon an errata sheet provided to the witness with a statement of the reasons given for making such changes. The answers or responses as originally given, together with the changes made and reasons given therefor, shall be considered as a part of the deposition. The deposition shall then be signed by the witness before a notary public unless the witness is ill, cannot be found, is dead or refuses to sign. If the deposition is not signed by the time of trial, it may be used as if signed, unless, on a motion to suppress, the court holds that the reasons given for the refusal to sign requires rejection of the deposition in whole or in part.
Old language
(f) Submission to Witness; Changes; Signing. When the testimony is fully transcribed, the deposition shall be submitted by the officer to the witness for examination and shall be read to or by him, unless such examination and reading are waived by the witness and by the parties. Any changes in form or substance which the witness desires to make shall be entered upon the deposition by the officer with a statement of the reasons given by the witness for making them; provided, however, that the answers or responses as originally given, together with the changes made and reasons given therefor, shall be considered as a part of the deposition. The deposition shall then be signed by the witness, unless the parties by stipulation waive the signing or the witness is ill or cannot be found, or is dead or refuses to sign. If the deposition is not signed by the witness, the officer shall sign it and state on the record the fact of the waiver or of the illness, or death or absence of the witness or the fact of the refusal to sign together with the reasons, if any, given therefor; and the deposition may then be used as fully as though signed, unless, on a motion to suppress, the court holds that the reasons given for the refusal to sign require rejection of the deposition in whole or in part.
