Rules of Court · Part 4 · New Jersey
R. 4:10-3 New Jersey Rules of Court, R. 4:10-3: Protective Orders, rendered as code with every cross-reference linked
Protective Orders
On motion by a party or by the person from whom discovery is sought, the court, for good cause shown or by stipulation of the parties, may make any order that justice requires to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following:
(a) That the discovery not be had;
(b) That the discovery may be had only on specified terms and conditions, including a designation of the time or place;
(c) That the discovery may be had only by a method of discovery other than that selected by the party seeking discovery;
(d) That certain matters not be inquired into, or that the scope of the discovery be limited to certain matters.
(e) That discovery be conducted with no one present except persons designated by the court;
(f) That a deposition after being sealed be opened only by order of the court;
(g) That a trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial information not be disclosed or be disclosed only in a designated way;
(h) That the parties simultaneously file specified documents or information enclosed in sealed envelopes to be opened as directed by the court.
If the motion for a protective order is denied in whole or in part, the court may, on such terms and conditions as are just, order that any party or person provide or permit discovery. The provisions of R. 4:23-1(c) apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.
When a protective order has been entered pursuant to this rule, either by stipulation of the parties or after a finding of good cause, a non-party may, on a proper showing pursuant to R. 4:33-1 or R. 4:33-2, intervene for the purpose of challenging the protective order on the ground that there is no good cause for the continuation of the order or portions thereof. Neither vacation nor modification of the protective order, however, establishes a public right of access to unfiled discovery materials.
Note: Source - R.R. 4:20-2. Former rule deleted (see R. 4:14-3(a)) and new R. 4:10-3 adopted July 14, 1972 to be effective September 5, 1972 (formerly R. 4:14-2); paragraph (e) amended July 29, 1977 to be effective September 6, 1977; amended July 27, 2006 to be effective September 1, 2006.
Verbatim rule text, unmarked. Nothing here is a summary.
rule 4:10-3 "Protective Orders" {
On motion by a party or by the person from whom discovery is sought, the court, for good cause shown or by stipulation of the parties, may make any order that justice requires to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following:
(a) That the discovery not be had;
(b) That the discovery may be had only on specified terms and conditions, including a designation of the time or place;
(c) That the discovery may be had only by a method of discovery other than that selected by the party seeking discovery;
(d) That certain matters not be inquired into, or that the scope of the discovery be limited to certain matters.
(e) That discovery be conducted with no one present except persons designated by the court;
(f) That a deposition after being sealed be opened only by order of the court;
(g) That a trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial information not be disclosed or be disclosed only in a designated way;
(h) That the parties simultaneously file specified documents or information enclosed in sealed envelopes to be opened as directed by the court.
If the motion for a protective order is denied in whole or in part, the court may, on such terms and conditions as are just, order that any party or person provide or permit discovery. The provisions of R. 4:23-1(c) apply to the award of expenses incurred in relation to the motion.
When a protective order has been entered pursuant to this rule, either by stipulation of the parties or after a finding of good cause, a non-party may, on a proper showing pursuant to R. 4:33-1 or R. 4:33-2, intervene for the purpose of challenging the protective order on the ground that there is no good cause for the continuation of the order or portions thereof. Neither vacation nor modification of the protective order, however, establishes a public right of access to unfiled discovery materials.
Note: Source - R.R. 4:20-2. Former rule deleted (see R. 4:14-3(a)) and new R. 4:10-3 adopted July 14, 1972 to be effective September 5, 1972 (formerly R. 4:14-2); paragraph (e) amended July 29, 1977 to be effective September 6, 1977; amended July 27, 2006 to be effective September 1, 2006.
}
referenced_by: 1:38-3, 1:4-3, 4:10-1, 4:103-2, 4:11-4, 4:14-3, 4:14-4, 4:14-7, 4:15-3, 4:17-1, 4:17-4, 4:17-6, 4:23-1, 4:23-4
source: njcourts.gov // verbatim; changed 2025-09-29; corpus harvested 2026-09-02← R. 4:10-2 · R. 4:10-4 → · chapter 4:10 · all rules
The Rules of Court are a government edict and carry no copyright; the text above is the Judiciary’s own publication, unchanged. Structure, links and highlighting are ours and carry no legal weight. Read the rule on njcourts.gov before you rely on it; amendments take effect each September 1.