Trial Process in Cherry Hill Dog Bite Cases

In Cherry Hill, a trial is the last event that occurs in a case if it cannot settle. A settlement is when the insurance company or the defendant owner would make a person a monetary offer to try to resolve the claim. If that number makes sense, the individual thinks it is fair, their attorney advises them that it is fair, and if they want to do it, they would receive that money in exchange for giving up their right to go to a trial against that person.

If an individual cannot settle on a number, the case would proceed to trial. To understand the trial process in Cherry Hill dog bite cases, it is imperative that an individual consults with an attorney immediately. A knowledgeable Cherry Hill dog bite lawyer will assist in helping a person legally navigate their claim.

Trial Process

If a person cannot come to an agreement on a number, the last event that would occur in litigation would be a trial. There would be a jury and judge involved. The judge is the one who decides the law, while the jury is the one that decides the facts of the case. The jury would ultimately issue an award of what they think is a fair number for the case.

When that occurs, that is the last of the case. The number awarded by the jury is usually binding, however, there are exceptions. A person can try to make appeals or ask for different things, but that is a very tough standard to meet. Usually, after the trial process in a Cherry Hill dog bite case, the jury’s award is the final amount and that is what the individual is going to receive.

Entitled Compensation

Many times, when a person files a claim without an attorney, they may not know what they are entitled to. If they speak directly to the insurance companies, they are not going to understand what all of their rights are.

They are entitled to all of their damages, both economic and non-economic, which is the responsibility of the defendant dog owner’s insurance company. From the time the case is filed to the conclusion, those damages can change, because the treatment may be ongoing and the lost wages may be increasing.

Whatever the damages are is what the individual is entitled to throughout the Cherry Hill dog bite trial process. This number can change depending on the severity of the injury and how long the person needs medical treatment.

Multiple Defendants

Sometimes, a person may be dealing with multiple defendants in the Cherry Hill dog bite trial process. This could occur when there are a husband and wife that own a dog together. That is not going to impact the case, because usually, it is the same insurance company that will cover both.

The only time it could change things is if there are multiple dogs involved in an incident that are owned by multiple people. It is the same lawsuit, but it is against multiple defendants. That is something that an experienced attorney can help with, especially since there may be more than one settlement. They may be settling or trying to obtain compensation for more than one responsible party and that is not difficult if they have an experienced attorney to help.

An individual may be settling or trying to obtain compensation for more than one responsible party. This particular trial process in a Cherry Hill dog bite case is not difficult if an individual has an experienced attorney by their side, helping them along the way.

Unpredictability of the Jury

The reason that most cases settle is that it is so unpredictable about what the jury is going to do. This is because, in the state of New Jersey, a person is not allowed to tell the jury how much money they want. The defendant is also not allowed to tell the jury how much money they want to pay, so it is entirely up to the jurors to come up with a number.

They are not given any tables or any examples of what to go from. During the Cherry Hill dog bite trial process, the jury must hear the testimony, listen to what the injuries are, learn about the plaintiff, how it has impacted their life, and then come up with a number by themselves.

Sometimes, the jurors may think that they are doing a great thing for the injured party, and give them a lot of money when, in actuality, they give them a lot less than what the person was offered in the settlement.

The reverse can happen, as well. The jury may think that they are not giving the person a lot of money and give them a lot more than the settlement. It is the unpredictability of jury trials that push these cases to settlement, because a person does not know what a jury is going to do.