Kentucky Revised Statutes

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 421.240 (2026)

Procedure for compelling attendance as witnesses in other states of persons

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section KY-LRCapps.legislature.ky.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

in this state -- Custody -- Disobedience of summons. (1) If a judge of a court of record in any state which by its laws has made provision for commanding persons within that state to attend and testify in this state certifies under the seal of such court that there is a criminal prosecution pending in such court, or that a grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence, that a person being within this state is a material witness in such prosecution, or grand jury investigation, and that his presence will be required for a specified number of days, upon presentation of such certificate to any judge of a court of record in the county in which such person is, such judge shall fix a time and place for a hearing, and shall make an order directing the witness to appear at a time and place certain for the hearing. (2) If at a hearing the judge determines that the witness is material and necessary, that it will not cause undue hardship to the witness to be compelled to attend and testify in the prosecution or a grand jury investigation in the other state, and that the laws of the state in which the prosecution is pending, or grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence (and of any other state through which the witness may be required to pass by ordinary course of travel), will give to him protection from arrest and the service of civil and criminal process, he shall issue a summons, with a copy of the certificate attached, directing the witness to attend and testify in the court where the prosecution is pending, or where a grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence at a time and place specified in the summons. In any such hearing the certificate shall be prima facie evidence of all the facts stated therein. (3) If said certificate recommends that the witness be taken into immediate custody and delivered to an officer of the requesting state to assure his attendance in the requesting state, such judge may, in lieu of notification of the hearing, direct that such witness be forthwith brought before him for said hearing; and the judge at the hearing being satisfied of the desirability of such custody and delivery, for which determination the certificate shall be prima facie proof of such desirability may, in lieu of issuing subpoena or summons, order that said witness be forthwith taken into custody and delivered to an officer of the requesting state. (4) If the witness, who is summoned as above provided, after being paid or tendered by some properly authorized person the sum of ten cents ($0.10) a mile for each mile by the ordinary traveled route to and from the court where the prosecution is pending and five dollars ($5) for each day, that he is required to travel and attend as a witness, fails without good cause to attend and testify as directed in the summons, he shall be punished in the manner provided for the punishment of any witness who disobeys a summons issued from a court of record in this state. Effective: June 19, 1952 History: Created 1952 Ky. Acts ch. 132, sec. 2, effective June 19, 1952.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases, 1999–2019 · leading case: Davenport v. State, 711 S.E.2d 699 (Ga. 2011).
Davenport v. State, 711 S.E.2d 699 (Ga. 2011). · cites it 5× “OCGA § 24-10-92 (a); Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 421.240 (1). The summons requiring the out-of-state witness to attend the Georgia criminal proceeding shall be issued by the out-of-state judge if that judge determines that the witness is material and necessary to the Georgia criminal…”
Dillingham v. Commonwealth, 995 S.W.2d 377 (Ky. 1999). · cites it 4× “" KRS 421.240(1). While the trial court in the requested state must make an independent determination as to whether the witnesses is material and as to whether compelling the witness to attend would cause undue hardship, "[i]n any such hearing the certificate shall be prima…”
Lovett v. Commonwealth, 103 S.W.3d 72 (Ky. 2003). · cites it 2× “While an unsuccessful resort to the Uniform Act may well satisfy the test for unavailability, failure to do so is not conclusive of the contrary, especially *84 where there is evidence that resort to the Act would be futile. Here, the Commonwealth presented a reasonable basis…”
Hodge v. Commonwealth, 17 S.W.3d 824 (Ky. 2000). · cites it 2× “KRS 421.240. Appellant claimed that a Tennessee judge had excused Johnson from attending the trial because of hardship, KRS 421.”
Phillips v. State, 751 S.E.2d 526 (Ga. Ct. App. 2013). “at 401 , citing OCGA § 24-10-92 (b) (2012); Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 421.240 (2). We note that Phillips’s arguments that the Kentucky court failed to hold a hearing on necessity and materiality in violation of the Uniform Act and lacked jurisdiction to enter the protective order…”
Forbes v. State, 793 N.E.2d 1112 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003). · cites it 5× “Once the party trying to obtain the doe-uments has met Indiana's requirements, it must meet the requirements of Ky.Rev. Stat. § 421.240. That statute provides, in pertinent part: (1) If a judge of a court of record in any state which by its laws has made provision for commanding…”
Forbes v. State, 810 N.E.2d 681 (Ind. 2004). “Ky.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 421.240. The Court of Appeals took the view that the State was required to follow the Uniform Act to obtain the test.”
Lokk v. CMI, Inc., 457 S.W.3d 330 (Ky. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 15× “Pursuant to KRS 421.240, this Court has independently reviewed the Georgia Order here.”
James R. Huffman, IV v. Commonwealth of Kentucky (Ky. 2019). “The standard for compelling the presence of an out-of-state witness is found under KRS 421.240(2): If at a hearing the judge determines that the witness is material and necessary, that it will not cause undue hardship to the witness to be compelled to attend and testify in the…”
Brett Robert Phillips v. State (Ga. Ct. App. 2013). “at 401 , citing OCGA § 24-10-92 (b) (2012); Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 421.240 (2). 16 We note that Phillips’s arguments that the Kentucky court failed to hold a hearing on necessity and materiality in violation of the Uniform Act and lacked jurisdiction to enter the protective order…”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 421.240(1) — 4 cases
Dillingham v. Commonwealth, 995 S.W.2d 377 (Ky. 1999). “" KRS 421.240(1). While the trial court in the requested state must make an independent determination as to whether the witnesses is material and as to whether compelling the witness to attend would cause undue hardship, "[i]n any such hearing the certificate shall be prima…”
Davenport v. State, 711 S.E.2d 699 (Ga. 2011). “OCGA § 24-10-92 (a); Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 421.240 (1). The summons requiring the out-of-state witness to attend the Georgia criminal proceeding shall be issued by the out-of-state judge if that judge determines that the witness is material and necessary to the Georgia criminal…”
Forbes v. State, 793 N.E.2d 1112 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003). “Once the party trying to obtain the doe-uments has met Indiana's requirements, it must meet the requirements of Ky.Rev. Stat. § 421.240. That statute provides, in pertinent part: (1) If a judge of a court of record in any state which by its laws has made provision for commanding…”
Lokk v. CMI, Inc., 457 S.W.3d 330 (Ky. Ct. App. 2015). “Pursuant to KRS 421.240, this Court has independently reviewed the Georgia Order here.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 421.240(2) — 6 cases
Lovett v. Commonwealth, 103 S.W.3d 72 (Ky. 2003). “While an unsuccessful resort to the Uniform Act may well satisfy the test for unavailability, failure to do so is not conclusive of the contrary, especially *84 where there is evidence that resort to the Act would be futile. Here, the Commonwealth presented a reasonable basis…”
Dillingham v. Commonwealth, 995 S.W.2d 377 (Ky. 1999). “" KRS 421.240(1). While the trial court in the requested state must make an independent determination as to whether the witnesses is material and as to whether compelling the witness to attend would cause undue hardship, "[i]n any such hearing the certificate shall be prima…”
Davenport v. State, 711 S.E.2d 699 (Ga. 2011). “OCGA § 24-10-92 (a); Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 421.240 (1). The summons requiring the out-of-state witness to attend the Georgia criminal proceeding shall be issued by the out-of-state judge if that judge determines that the witness is material and necessary to the Georgia criminal…”
Hodge v. Commonwealth, 17 S.W.3d 824 (Ky. 2000). “KRS 421.240. Appellant claimed that a Tennessee judge had excused Johnson from attending the trial because of hardship, KRS 421.”
Lokk v. CMI, Inc., 457 S.W.3d 330 (Ky. Ct. App. 2015). “Pursuant to KRS 421.240, this Court has independently reviewed the Georgia Order here.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.