Civil Courts

The courts of Florida are divided into the civil division and the criminal division, much like the law in general. Personal injury lawsuits are conducted according to the rules of Florida Civil Procedure. The cases themselves are heard before civil judges in a civil court for the state.

Civil courts, contrary to their names, are not places where people are always civil to each other. A civil court can be home to the same crass characters as any criminal court. It means that the actions heard are not brought by the state and do not involve jail time for the individual that is found liable.

In order for the Florida civil courts to hear a case, they must have personal jurisdiction over the defendant, subject matter jurisdiction over the type of case, and the venue selected must be proper. If one of these things is lacking, that specific court cannot hear the case. If the court cannot hear the case, it can either dismiss the case or transfer it to a different court that does have jurisdiction over the defendant, the type of lawsuit, and where venue is proper.

The civil courts, like the criminal courts, utilize juries. In all courts, juries are charged with determining what the facts of the case are. They hear the testimony of witnesses and get to examine all of the evidence. Once this is done, they get to decide what the facts are.

The judge, like in criminal courts, gets to decide questions of law. The judge also gets to instruct the jury.

Contact an Orlando Injury Accident Lawyer

If you have been injured by someone’s negligent or intentional act, contact Orlando injury accident lawyer Todd Miner at 407-420-4040 to discuss your situation and to determine what legal options exist.