In a civil action such as a tort or breach of contract case, either attorney or party can request it.
An insufficient response to a request for a bill of particulars may be grounds for dismissal of the claim, or other sanctions against the responding party.
In civil cases, a bill of particulars is a pleading, which "amplifies" the complaint, but can also act as a discovery device or tool.
In U.S. state law, the bill of particulars was abolished in nearly all court systems in the 1940s and 1950s due to the widespread recognition that much of the information requested could be obtained more efficiently through the discovery process.
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