Litigation Lawyers in Luzerne County

Depositions are part of the discovery process in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania civil litigation.

"Discovery" is a process that occurs before a trial in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. During the discovery process, both sides are required to make relevant information available to each other.

In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, one way to obtain relevant evidence is to ask people involved in the dispute (both parties and witnesses) about their knowledge of the matter. This is done through a civil deposition. It is essentially a question and answer session between a lawyer, and a witness or party to the action. A lawyer for the other side is present, as well as a court reporter or videographer. The lawyer asks questions of the person being deposed, who must answer them under oath.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Depositions are usually conducted in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 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 everybody 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.

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania civil depositions can go on for a long time - occasionally going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to give your testimony in a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania usually entitles people being deposed to reimbursement. They can be compensated for travel expenses, lodging, and a can be given a small amount of money simply for their time. However, this is meant to be reimbursement for the time and expense incurred in attending a deposition, and it is most definitely not payment for the witness to give testimony that's favorable to one side or the other.

If you are being deposed in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania you absolutely must answer all the questions truthfully and completely, to the best of your knowledge. You are under oath, and if you lie, and are caught, you could be charged with perjury, which can carry jail time.

How Can A Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 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 a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.