Cal. Code of Civil Procedure § 2034.460 (2026)

(a)The service of a proper deposition notice accompanied by the tender of the expert witness fee described in Section 2034.430 is effective to require the party employing or retaining the expert to produce the expert for the deposition.

(b)If the party noticing the deposition fails to tender the expert’s fee under Section 2034.430, the expert shall not be deposed at that time unless the parties stipulate otherwise.