A defense attorney could file a motion – a request for the judge to decide an issue – before, during, or after a trial. If the judge agrees, it might lead to a charge’s dismissal by the judge or make the prosecutor’s ability to carry their burden of proof so limited the charges may be withdrawn. Motions vary on:
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May 21, 2021 · A defense attorney could file a motion – a request for the judge to decide an issue – before, during, or after a trial. If the judge agrees, it might lead to a charge’s dismissal by the judge or make the prosecutor’s ability to carry their burden of proof so limited the charges may be withdrawn. Motions vary on: The facts of your case
Nov 29, 2018 · Pretrial motions can resolve many important questions about your lawsuit. A motion is a request your lawyer files with the court asking for a ruling on a particular matter. If the ruling on the motion could terminate the litigation and end the dispute before trial, it is called a dispositive motion. If the ruling is on some incidental question that arises during the litigation, …
May 18, 2013 · Rule 12 (b) allows for the defendant to file pre-trial motions requesting the court to take action on the case prior to the trial. There are several pre-trial motions that a …
Apr 01, 2015 · By far the majority of successful motions to disqualify are brought on the basis of a conflict of interest with a former or concurrent client or imputation, but attorneys should also be aware that successful motions to disqualify have been brought on the following bases, among others: (1) lawyer as witness, (2) appearance of impropriety, (3) receipt of confidential data, …
During the trial, after the prosecution presents its case, the defense may ask the judge to dismiss the charges because the evidence, as far as the law is concerned, is not enough to justify a conviction.
If the judge agrees, it might lead to a charge’s dismissal by the judge or make the prosecutor’s ability to carry their burden of proof so limited the charges may be withdrawn. Motions vary on: The facts of your case. Whether the police or prosecutor mishandled your case. Applicable law.
If you’re accused of a violent act, self-defense is a potential affirmative defense. Essentially, this means you don’t deny the act happened, but your acts were legally justified. Self-defense, or the justifiable use of force, may result in charges being dismissed if you reasonably believed your conduct was necessary to defend yourself against the other person’s imminent use of unlawful force against you or another person. Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows us to file a motion for a pre-trial determination that you should be immune from prosecution.
A court needs to look into the issue, and if no justifiable reasons as spelled out in the rules are found, a judge will order you to be brought to trial within 10 days. If that doesn’t happen and you’re not at fault for the delay, another motion would result in the charge’s dismissal.
In Hillsborough County, call Brett Metcalf, Criminal Defense Attorney, P.C. at (813) 258-4800, for a free and confidential consultation.
Under Florida court rules, if you’re charged with a misdemeanor, your trial must start within 90 days of your arrest and 175 days if you’re accused of a felony. Any defendant can demand a trial at least 60 days after their arrest.
Human trafficking. For other cases, the statute of limitations can be from one to ten years. 4.
A motion to dismiss is sometimes filed in the very early stages of the litigation, before the parties have conducted discovery. The material presented in the complaint and any exhibits to the complaint are the focus of the motion, which is brought when the defendant believes that the complaint is legally invalid. In deciding a motion to dismiss, the court must view the facts set forth in the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.
If a defendant fails to answer the complaint or file a motion to dismiss within the time limit set forth in the summons, the defendant is in default. When a defendant is in default, the plaintiff can ask the court clerk to make a note of that fact in the file, a procedure called entry of default.
A motion is a request your lawyer files with the court asking for a ruling on a particular matter. If the ruling on the motion could terminate the litigation and end the dispute before trial, it is called a dispositive motion.
A motion is a request your lawyer files with the court asking for a ruling on a particular matter. If the ruling on the motion could terminate the litigation and end the dispute before trial, it is called a dispositive motion. If the ruling is on some incidental question that arises during the litigation, it is a nondispositive motion.
Lack of personal jurisdiction: The court does not have power to make decisions affecting the defendant personally. The court lacks jurisdiction over you if you do not have sufficient minimum contacts with the place where the lawsuit has been filed.
The purpose of a trial is to have somebody -- the judge or the jury -- decide what the facts are. If the facts are not in dispute, there is no need for a trial. Instead the party who believes that the undisputed facts compel a ruling in his or her favor will file a motion for summary judgment.
Summary Judgment Motion. In some cases, the key facts are not disputed and require that judgment be entered for one of the parties. This is known as a summary judgment, in that it summarily ends the case before trial. The purpose of a trial is to have somebody -- the judge or the jury -- decide what the facts are.
A motion to dismiss is a written request by the defendant asking the court to throw out the claims against him and is usually granted in cases where the evidence in the complaint is enough to make the decision.
The next step the defendant takes is filing a motion, or a written request to the court to take specific action. Rule 12 (b) allows for the defendant to file pre-trial motions requesting the court to take action on the case prior to the trial. There are several pre-trial motions that a defendant can file.
The defendant can plead affirmative defenses, or the defendant 's response to charges and reasons why the plaintiff should not sue. Some affirmative defenses that Jenny may use are:
Once a defendant receives a complaint, he is required to respond within 21 days in most states. The defendant can do a few things at this time.
When a complaint is so vague or ambiguous that it is impossible for the respondent to respond, a motion for a more definitive statement is requested, asking the court to request that the filing party re-write the complaint in terms that are clear.
If Barry waits too long to file his lawsuit with the state using the date of the incident as the date at issue, he may lose his right to sue .
There is a plaintiff, or the one who initiates the lawsuit, and a defendant, or the person to which a court action is against.
Where a conflict exists, an effective written consent is the best defense to a motion to disqualify. Second, take effective steps to mitigate, if not eliminate, risks that a former client’s confidences and secrets might be accessible to attorneys working on a matter involving the former client. Increasingly, courts nationwide have recognized ...
Two important pre-motion strategies are effective. First, identify and resolve potential conflicts, including both multiple and successive representations, before undertaking a representation or hiring a lateral.
In assessing motions to disqualify based on conflicts, Colorado courts also consider (1) a client’s preference for a particular counsel, (2) the client’s right to confidentiality in communications with his or her attorney, (3) the integrity of the judicial process, and (4) the nature of the particular conflict of interest involved.10 Below are some important concepts that have emerged in the context of motions to disqualify.11
Typically, a former client seeking to disqualify a former attorney from representing an opposing party must identify specific, cogent information that the attorney possesses and show that the information is confidential and implicates the duty of loyalty.
Courts differ on how they address motions to disqualify, especially because such motions are at times simply a litigation tactic by an opposing party in search of a strategic advantage.3 Additionally, courts are usually reluctant to interfere with a client’s choice of counsel unless the conflict is real and there are few options other than to grant disqualification.4
The attorney may know the client’s bottom line for settlement or how the client prefers to approach litigation. This is often referred to as “playbook knowledge”—the attorney knows the client’s paths and approaches.
Few things are worse for an attorney than getting a new big matter, starting work on it, and then facing a motion to disqualify. At that point, the attorney is put in the awkward position of either explaining to the client why he or she should pay more money to keep the attorney, or absorbing the fees associated with defending ...
Motion to Dismiss / Dissolve an Injunction. After an injunction for protection is granted, either the petitioner or the respondent can file a motion to dismiss or dissolve the injunction based on a change in circumstances.
As a practical matter, the court is most likely to grant the request to dismiss or dissolve a previously entered final injunction when the request is made by the petitioner.
784.046, or 784.0485, Florida Statutes) to allow the Court to issue an injunction for protection against domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking.
If any party opposes the dissolution, that party might demonstrate that he or she still has a reasonable fear of becoming a victim of domestic violence, stalking, repeat violence, dating violence, or elderly exploitation. When deciding a motion to dissolve an injunction for protection, the trial court has broad discretion in granting, denying, ...
Therefore, the request to dismiss the temporary injunction is granted without prejudice.
Unless a clear abuse of discretion is demonstrated, appellate courts will not disturb the trial court’s decision. For these reasons, you should retain an attorney if you want an injunction for protection (retaining order) dissolved (dropped or terminated early).
In those cases, the petitioner can file a motion for voluntary dismissal in writing.
Another relevant discovery deadline – which many, many attorneys overlook – is known as the “30-day deadline.” Many federal judges in this district require that attorneys bring a discovery motion within 30-days of the event giving rise to the discovery dispute, though some judges’ procedures have different dates. For written discovery, this is typically the date that written responses or documents are provided. For depositions, it is typically 30 days after the deposition. Meeting and conferring does not toll the 30-day deadline and for many judges neither does the production of supplemental responses. Once discovery responses are provided, attorneys have a very short timeline for bringing a motion to compel. If the responses are in any way deficient, attorneys need to move quickly. For most judges, the failure to comply with this rule will bar a party from being able to file a corresponding discovery motion. Again, all of the procedures relevant for your case can be found by reading the assigned judges’ procedures and the Case Management Order.
Following the wrong procedure may later make your dispute untimely, and may require additional procedural hurdles to even entertain your dispute. Failing to read a judge’s procedures (of both the district judge and the magistrate judge) does not make a good impression upon the Court. The Case Management Order is just as important as ...
When proceeding before judges that require that motions be filed and heard before the discovery cutoff date, attorneys need to make sure that they call the court at least 28-days before that deadline.
When calling the court to get a hearing date, attorneys should be prepared to discuss: (1) what they are seeking to compel and how many (e.g . six interrogatories and nine document requests);
Still, other judges require that a motion to compel be filed, heard, and any discovery ordered as a result of a motion to compel be produced by the discovery cutoff date. For these judges, all discovery motions need to be filed long before the discovery cutoff date. Attorneys should check the CMC order carefully in each case to see which situation ...
Many attorneys fail to properly meet and confer prior to calling the court to get a hearing date for a motion to compel. Under the Southern District of California’s Local Rule 26.1 (a), if plaintiff’s counsel and defense counsel are in the same county, they need to meet and confer in person. If they are in different counties then they can meet ...
Further, the judge’s law clerk will likely want to discuss with the attorney whether a full-blown motion to compel is necessary, or whether the discovery dispute could be handled with an informal conference with the judge. Accordingly, attorneys (not their staff) should be the one calling the judge’s chambers to discuss discovery disputes.
If you question a ruling against you within court, you may ask the court's permission to brief any issue before a ruling is handed down.
How will the error affect the case's outcome? If a ruling is in doubt, it's best to err on the side of caution: assume every ruling will have an impact on every aspect of the case, from discovery boundaries to use of expert witnesses or the manner in which evidence will be presented at trial.
Interlocutory appeal is a tool that circumvents waiting for the final decision of the district court, instead allowing direct appeal to the appellate court while the action is pending. This practice point illustrates the operation of Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure 5.0, below. Rule 5. Appeal by Permission.
(1) To request permission to appeal when an appeal is within the court of appeals' discretion, a party must file a petition for permission to appeal.
Unfortunately, there are times when a judge's misunderstanding or misapplication of the law is material but the issue cannot be remedied via a later appeal. In these circumstances, the rules provide for an interlocutory appeal.