Litigation Lawyers in Fairborn

Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in Fairborn, Ohio. They are part of the discovery process.

The discovery process in Fairborn, Ohio is one of the most important parts of the civil litigation process. During the discovery phase, each side of the lawsuit is required to make all of the relevant information it has in its possession available to the other side.

One way to acquire this information in Fairborn, Ohio is to conduct a deposition. A deposition, at its core, is a fairly simple process. A deposition is a question and answer session conducted outside the courtroom. Typically, it takes place in the office space of an attorney representing one of the parties. There are a few people who are almost always present at the deposition: there's the person being deposed, the lawyer who is going to be asking the questions, a lawyer representing the other side of the lawsuit, who can object to any questions being asked (a judge can rule on the objections later), and a court reporter or video recorder, to ensure that the testimony ends up on the record.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Fairborn, Ohio

Depositions in Fairborn, Ohio are meant to get verbal testimony on the record and into evidence, when there is concern that the person being deposed might be unable to show up and testify at trial, or their testimony will take far too long for them to testify at trial.

It should not be any surprise, then, that civil depositions in Fairborn, Ohio can go on for a very long time. If you are called to appear in a deposition in Fairborn, Ohio, this can be a huge headache.

Therefore, Fairborn, Ohio's civil procedure rules permit a person to be compensated for the time and money they spend in appearing at a deposition. If the witness lives far away from the location of the deposition, as is sometimes the case in large trials, they can be reimbursed for travel and lodging expenses, and compensated for their time. However, this money cannot be used to influence HOW they testify, just to mitigate the inconvenience associated with testifying.

If you are called to a deposition in Fairborn, Ohio, it's absolutely imperative that you answer all the questions truthfully, to the best of your knowledge. When testifying in a deposition, you are under oath, just as you would be in open court. Deliberately lying in a deposition is perjury, which is a serious crime.

How Can A Fairborn, Ohio Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Fairborn, Ohio 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're not a party to the case, but have relevant information, you might be subpoenaed to appear in a deposition. In this case, you probably don't need to hire a Fairborn, Ohio 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.