Litigation Lawyers in Wildwood

In Wildwood, Missouri, "civil procedure" is a broad term that refers to all of the laws that regulate the process of civil litigation. Procedural law (such as civil procedure) is distinguished from substantive law, which regulates the rights and obligations that the civil justice system is designed to safeguard.

The rules of civil procedure in Wildwood, Missouri are designed to make the process of civil litigation as efficient, inexpensive, simple, and fair as possible.

In Wildwood, Missouri, civil litigation is frequently extremely confusing. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that the rules of civil procedure can also be fairly complicated. After all, they govern everything from the first document filed by the plaintiff, to the last ruling issued by an appeals court.

Major Wildwood, Missouri Civil Procedure Issues

Complaint: The initial, and perhaps most significant, part of filing a lawsuit in Wildwood, Missouri is the complaint. The complaint is filed with the court in Wildwood, Missouri that's responsible for handling civil trials. It lists everything that the plaintiff (the person who is suing) alleges against the defendant (the person the plaintiff is suing). Typically, but not always, the end of the complaint will contain a "prayer for relief." The prayer for relief is just a statement of what the plaintiff is asking the court to do to remedy the harm that the defendant allegedly caused.

Answer: The answer is typically the first document that the defendant files, and it is meant to serve as a direct response to the plaintiff's complaint. It typically denies all of the plaintiff's major allegations. It might also lay out affirmative defenses. An "affirmative defense" is a set of reasons that negate the defendant's liability even if their conduct would ordinarily be unlawful. For example, in a lawsuit for battery, a defendant might admit that he struck the plaintiff, but claim that he acted in self-defense. If that can be shown, it would negate, or mitigate, his liability to the plaintiff.

Discovery: Once both sides have fired their opening volleys in the form of the complaint and answer, the next procedure in civil litigation in Wildwood, Missouri is discovery. Under the civil procedure rules of most jurisdictions in the U.S., each side of a lawsuit is obligated by law to disclose relevant information to the other side. These disclosures come in the form of depositions, the production of documents, and answers to written questions submitted by opposing counsel.

Trial: It is truly quite rare for civil lawsuits in Wildwood, Missouri to go to trial, since the rules of civil procedure in Wildwood highly encourage early resolution to cases by dismissal of lawsuits that have no merit, and negotiated settlement of those that do. Nonetheless, when neither of those things happen, the case goes to trial. This is when a judge and jury determine the questions of law and fact, respectively, raised in the case. The jury then issues a verdict, based on the evidence presented to them.

How Can a Wildwood, Missouri Lawyer Help?

If you're suing anyone, or are being sued, in Wildwood, Missouri, dealing with issues of civil procedure is going to be a fact of life for quite some time.

The rules of civil procedure in Wildwood, Missouri are not always simple or intuitive. With that in mind, it's very important to have a reliable attorney on your side, to help you through the process.