Litigation Lawyers in Elizabeth City
Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. They are part of the discovery process.
In Elizabeth City, North Carolina, "discovery" is a process that occurs before a civil trial, during which both sides are required to disclose relevant evidence to the other.
One of the most effective ways to get information relevant to a lawsuit in Elizabeth City, North Carolina is to conduct a deposition of a party who you believe to be privy to that information. A deposition is a Q&A session between an attorney representing one of the parties to a lawsuit, and someone who has knowledge relevant to the lawsuit. This can be one of the parties, or a witness. The person being deposed is sworn in, and must answer all of the questions presented to them under oath. An attorney representing the other side can object to lines of questioning, on every grounds that would be valid during in-court testimony. The purpose of this is primarily to get the objection on the record, but if it proves to be a major sticking point, a judge can rule on the objections later. If any questions are found to be invalid, the questions, and their answers, will not be shown to the jury during trial. This is much more effective than simply instructing the jury to disregard a question and answer they've already heard.
Conducting A Civil Deposition in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
If the parties believe that a witness in Elizabeth City, North Carolina won't be able to show up in court to testify during trial, because of age, poor health, upcoming military deployment, potential incarceration, or any other reason, a deposition is a very good way to get their testimony on the record before the trial. Additionally, if they have to be questioned for several days, it is a good way to save the court's time.
It should not be any surprise, then, that civil depositions in Elizabeth City, North Carolina can go on for a very long time. If you are called to appear in a deposition in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, this can be a huge headache.
To help mitigate this inconvenience, Elizabeth City, North Carolina permits witnesses who are appearing in depositions to be paid a set amount of money for their time, and reimbursed for travel expenses. However, if there is any evidence that this money is being used to influence a witness' testimony, there is going to be a serious problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.
In Elizabeth City, North Carolina depositions, everyone being deposed is under oath. This means that you are legally and morally obligated to answer every question truthfully. If you deliberately misrepresent your knowledge (lie), you are guilty of perjury. And if you're caught, you could end up facing jail time and/or some very steep fines.
How Can A Elizabeth City, North Carolina Lawyer Help?
If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have an Elizabeth City, North Carolina lawyer. If either party to the lawsuit calls you for a deposition, your lawyer will have plenty of advice for you. You should, of course, follow that advice to the letter.
If you are not a party to the case, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least consult with an Elizabeth City, North Carolina attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.
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