Civil Trial Process in Oklahoma: Your Guide to Legal Action

A civil trial involves a plaintiff suing a defendant for damages, and both parties will have the opportunity to present their evidence and side of the story. In general, a civil case begins with the following steps:

1. The plaintiff files a Petition for legal action and issues a Summons, both of both will be served on the defendant.
2. The defendant has 20 days to file an Answer.
3. Both parties will commence the discovery process, which involves collecting evidence through written interrogations, production of documents, and other methods.
4. Either party will file a motion for summary judgment to resolve the case without a trial. The other party may defeat this by showing a dispute of a material fact necessitating a trial.
5. The parties will have a pre-trial conference with the presiding judge.
6. If the judge does not enter a judgment at the pre-trial conference, the case will proceed to trial by jury or, if the parties waive this option, trial by judge.

Understanding the Civil Trial Process: Key Components

The civil trial will consist of choosing a jury, opening and closing statements, witness testimony and cross-examination, and the jury deliberation and final verdict.

Explore Settlement Options Before Going to Trial

Note that not all civil cases need to be disputed in a trial. The parties may choose to settle their dispute before trial or through an alternative dispute resolution method like arbitration or mediation. Nonetheless, if these settlement methods do not work, you will have to proceed to trial, and it is best to have an experienced civil trial lawyer representing you who understands how the Oklahoma system works.

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