MSgbrdinfo: I worked briefly in litigation support back in the 80's for a few years with civil litigators, but I am not a law expert. Usually the depositions are sworn to, and used as fact finding and potentially later in trial against witnesses who decide to change their testimony at a later date on the witness stand. Document discovery can range from a handful of document to boxes of documents, as they search for evidence which substantiates or unsunstantiates a particular event, statement, actiivity, intent etc. It can get extremely complex. They select certain documents and make them trial exhibits if it reaches that stage. If there is a settlement, then all that pre-tiral work is never made public in a courtroom, goes to secure storage or digital imaging.