What Happens at the Trial Stage of a Lawsuit?

Attorney L. Reed Bloodworth talks about what happens when a client wants to file a lawsuit against parties involved in a legal dispute and explains what happens in the trial stage of a lawsuit.

The trial stage of a lawsuit occurs when a case cannot be settled out of court and resolved in an early settlement.

A settlement involves negotiation between the parties outside of a courtroom and involves  attorneys: a plaintiff’s attorney vs. a defendant’s attorney.

The goal of a settlement is to resolve differences and settle on an amount that will be paid to the plaintiff for the wrong that occurred.

When a settlement is not possible, or a summary judgment doesn’t happen, the case goes to trial.

A summary judgment is when all of the facts in a case are agreed to by both sides and the only issue left to decide is one of pure law. A summary judgment may end the case.

If issues survive motions for summary judgment, it means that the judge did not resolve some of the issues. The issues that remain will go to trial.

A trial can be either a jury trial with testimony that will take place before a jury or there may be a bench trial.

A bench trial means that the judge will be the only person to hear the testimony.

The next term is verdict. A verdict is what occurs at the end of a trial.

If a plaintiff files a lawsuit and carries it all the way through trial and wins, the jury will have rendered a verdict stating that the plaintiff has succeeded on his or her claims and is entitled to a certain amount of relief as a result.

This explains what happens during the trial stage of a lawsuit.

Orlando and Winter Haven, Florida, law firm Bloodworth Law, PLLC, was founded by managing partner and attorney L. Reed Bloodworth to help clients resolve legal issues.

If you have a dispute over business, probate, trust, or employment law, talk with Reed about how Bloodworth Law can help you, your family, or your business.