Litigation Lawyers in Vero Beach
In Vero Beach, Florida, a civil deposition is a part of the discovery procedure in civil litigation.
Discovery, in Vero Beach, Florida is a very critical step in the civil litigation process. It is when all of the relevant evidence is gathered by both sides, and, generally, each side must disclose that evidence to the other.
In Vero Beach, Florida, one way to obtain this information is to find the people involved in the dispute (whether they're witnesses or parties), and ask them questions about the issues you believe them to have knowledge of. A civil deposition is normally a pretty simple process: the person being deposed is sworn in (they are under oath, just as if they were in a courtroom). Because the whole point of a deposition is to get testimony on the record, a stenographer or video technician will also be present, recording the whole deposition. The lawyer then asks questions of the witness, and the lawyers for the other side are able to object to particular lines of questioning, if they wish.
Conducting A Civil Deposition in Vero Beach, Florida
Depositions are normally conducted in Vero Beach, Florida if a person's testimony will take several days, or more, to deliver. By doing this before a trial, the jury can be presented just with the testimony that turns out to be relevant, saving everyone a good deal of time. It is also useful if there is any reason to suspect that the witness will be unable to show up in court.
It should not be any shock, then, that civil depositions in Vero Beach, Florida can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in Vero Beach, Florida, this can be a massive headache.
Because of this fact, the law in Vero Beach, Florida permits witnesses who are appearing for depositions to be compensated for the expense associated with it. This includes reimbursement for gas, lodging, and food. They can also be paid a certain amount of money for every hour they testify, to compensate them for their time. However, this money can only be conditioned on the witness showing up and giving truthful testimony. Trying to condition it on the witness testifying in a particular way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.
Remember, when you give a deposition in Vero Beach, Florida, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute requirement to tell the truth. If you deliberately lie while under oath, you are committing perjury. Perjury is a serious crime, and can be punished by fines and imprisonment.
How Can A Vero Beach, Florida Lawyer Help?
If you're a party to a Vero Beach, Florida lawsuit and are obligated to appear at a deposition, one would hope that you've already retained a lawyer by this stage in the proceedings. Your attorney will have a lot of advice for you, which you should of course follow.
If you're not a party to the case, but have relevant information, you might be subpoenaed to appear in a deposition. In this case, you likely don't need to hire a Vero Beach, Florida litigation attorney, but it would not be a bad idea to seek out a brief consultation with one, to get an idea of what to expect.