Delaware Code Title 11 Sec. 3506 – Obtaining of testimony under court order; witness immunity
(a) In any criminal action or in any investigation carried on by the grand jury, if a person refuses to answer any question or to produce evidence of any kind solely on the ground that the person may thereby be incriminated, the Superior Court, upon motion of the Attorney General, may order such person to answer the question or produce the evidence after notice to the witness and a hearing; provided, however, the Court shall not enter such order if the Court finds:
(1) That such person may be subjected to criminal prosecution relating to the same transaction or occurrence under the laws of the United States or any other state and that any such evidence so compelled could be used against the person in any such prosecution; or
(2) Such order would otherwise be clearly contrary to the public interest.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 11 Sec. 3506
- Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- State: means the State of Delaware; and when applied to different parts of the United States, it includes the District of Columbia and the several territories and possessions of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
- Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
- United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
Such person, so ordered by the Court, shall comply with the Court order. After complying, such person shall not be prosecuted or subjected to penalty or forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter or thing concerning which, in accordance with the order, the person gave answer or produced evidence; provided that, but for this section, such person would have been privileged to withhold the answer given or the evidence produced. In no event, however, shall such person, acting pursuant to such order, be exempt from prosecution or penalty or forfeiture for any perjury, false statement or contempt committed in answering or failing to answer, or in producing or failing to produce evidence in accordance with the order, and any testimony or evidence so given or produced shall not by virtue of this section be rendered inadmissible in evidence upon any criminal action, investigation or proceeding concerning such perjury, false statement or contempt.
(b) No statement or other evidence obtained from any person who shall have been compelled to make such statement or produce such evidence by any court of competent jurisdiction of the United States or of any other state pursuant to a claim of privilege and court order under a statute substantially equivalent to subsection (a) of this section shall be admissible in evidence in any criminal prosecution in this State against such person arising out of the same transaction or occurrence.
11 Del. C. 1953, § ?3508; 56 Del. Laws, c. 151; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § ?1;