The rule seems simple enough: Attorneys defending a witness during a deposition may instruct the witness not to answer questions only for the purpose of protecting privileged information. And yet, if the number of trial court...more
Most states have an offer of judgment provision, and many of them are patterned after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 68. Unlike Fed. R. Civ. P. 68, some states allow either party—not just the defendant—to make an offer of...more
The Federal and most state rules of civil procedure contain an offer of judgment provision. It allows a defendant to issue an “offer of judgment” to a plaintiff to settle the case. It is designed to create a pause with the...more
A civil jury trial is a risky proposition in any court, state or federal. To manage that risk, it is usually in each party’s interest to engage in some form of alternative dispute resolution, or ADR. Knowledge of the local...more
When a business is sued in a proposed class action and there is only a small amount at stake on the named plaintiff’s claim, often one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is: can’t we just pay the full value of the named...more