There is no 'discovery restraining order' — there is something better
Protective Orders — Stopping Abusive Discovery
Florida has no single 'discovery restraining order,' but it has a full toolbox: protective orders for burden and privacy, motions to quash defective subpoenas, deposition-conduct motions, apex protection for executives, and a statutory bar on net-worth discovery before punitive damages are permitted.
Rule 1.280(c) is the general shield: on good cause, courts can forbid discovery, limit its scope, change its method, restrict who attends, seal transcripts, and protect trade secrets — the motion is matched to the harm, with facts, not adjectives.
Some protections are bright lines: financial-worth discovery is generally barred until a court permits a punitive-damages claim (§ 768.72), and high-level officers generally cannot be deposed without a showing of unique knowledge and exhausted alternatives.
Abusive depositions have an emergency brake: an examination conducted in bad faith or to unreasonably annoy, embarrass, or oppress can be suspended on the record while a motion to terminate or limit is made.
Do it, don't just read it
Common questions
A subpoena landed on my bank records — can I fight it?
Generally yes: the notice procedure gives parties an objection window before non-party subpoenas issue, and motions to quash or modify reach defective, oppressive, or privacy-invading subpoenas. Speed matters — the windows are short.
They noticed my CEO's deposition on day one — normal?
Commonly premature: apex doctrine generally requires unique personal knowledge plus exhausted alternatives (corporate-representative and lower-level depositions first).
Do I need to show up while my protective-order motion is pending?
Filing a motion does not automatically stop anything — verify the local practice and seek a stay or agreed continuance; never simply no-show.
The governing text — verbatim, never paraphrased
This guide is editorial; the linked pages carry the verbatim, hash-pinned text with its verification state. When a guide and the rule text could ever differ, the rule text wins — that is the whole doctrine.
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