Will I have to give a deposition in my injury case?

Posted in Personal Injury on July 31, 2012

If you are a Plaintiff in an injury case in Tennessee, your attorney may tell you that you have to give a deposition. An injury lawsuit is started with a Complaint. Once filed and served on the proper people or companies, the Defendants file an Answer to the Complaint where they admit or deny the allegations filed.

Written questions called interrogatories are usually served after the Answer is filed. Interrogatories are written questions about the injury case, the Nashville car wreck or work injury, the people involved and the claims asserted. This gives everyone a heads up on what the case is about. In Tennessee, these questions do not have to seek relevant information; they only have to seek “discoverable” information. That topic is for another post but it basically means the questions have to be tailored to find facts that may be important to some other question or topic in the case. For example, “Where do you go to church?” is an acceptable question because there may be potential jurors who go to the same church and know you.

After everyone shares their responses, some injury cases settle, some proceed. A deposition can occur at any time but it usually happens at this stage, once the other side has the medical records, bills and an idea about the claims.

A deposition is a formal question and answer session usually held at the attorney’s office. It is “on the record” meaning the witness is sworn to tell the truth and a court reporter writes down every word spoken. I prepare every client for the deposition based on the case, the important facts and the problems the case may have. The best Nashville injury attorneys never prepare every case and every client the same way. Deposition preparation depends on your comfort level, who the defense attorney is, the facts of the case, among many other factors.

Many people have concerns about what will be asked, how important is this or that. The most important rule to remember in a deposition is to tell the truth.

A deposition can be a great experience, if you are prepared, because it is usually the first time, and the last time before trial, that the injured person gets to tell their story about what happened and how it has changed their life both at home and work. Proper preparation makes this easy.

Not every case needs to be filed in Court and not every case needs to have depositions. Some cases can be resolved with effective negotiation and case presentation. Only an experienced Nashville injury attorney should make that decision. Therefore, if you need the counsel of an injury attorney to see what steps you should take. Call me, 615-256-8880, I can help.