What Does Personal Injury Lawsuit Involve?
All legitimate personal injury cases involve some injury. There may be ambiguity with the defendant's fault, and the plaintiff may incur quite a loss. Nonetheless, a case cannot go far with no proof of the injury of the plaintiff.
What are the next steps in a personal injury lawsuit?
Filing of a complaint and serving it on the defendant
The lawyer submits a complaint in the appropriate civil court. It's the first authorized document in court and extensively describes the plaintiff's allegation. The filing of this document is followed by tracing the defendant to "serve" it. This job is of the plaintiff's lawyer. Personal Injury Lawyer in Oshawa knows that serving implies handing this document over to the defendant for verification. The service papers accompanying this document inform the defendant of the maximum number of days to "appear" in court.
The hiring of a lawyer by the defendant
The defendant's time to get a lawyer is generally a month or more. It should not be difficult for a defendant with assets or an appropriate insurance policy. Personal Injury Lawyer in Oshawa knows that a defendant with applicable insurance should inform the insurer right after being aware of the lawsuit. Next, the insurer appoints a lawyer and makes the required payment provided that the defendant hasn't done that. Defense lawyers usually charge an hourly fee. Lawyers won't mind this for a case they are likely to lose fast as long as the defendant pays.
Discovery
What happens in the pre-trial process? Each party will ask the other for proof and witness particulars. This part of a personal injury is "discovery." Each side will attend court and
• Decide whether arbitration is possible
• Fix a trial date
Discovery and attending court occasionally can continue for months, and the trial date can be set back frequently. After the conclusion of discovery, the defendant can request the judge to make a "summary judgment" and dismiss the case. The reason is that the plaintiff has no chance of winning at trial. Personal Injury Lawyer in Oshawa knows that as the trial approaches, the parties continue with settlement sessions, ascertain evidence permissible at trial, opt for a jury, and more.
The Trial