Is There a Time Limit to Cross Examination? NY Medical Malpractice Attorney Gerry Oginski Explains
Is There a Time Limit to Cross Examine Witnesses at Trial? NY Medical Malpractice Attorney Gerry Oginski Explains http://www.oginski-law.com/library/he... 516-487-8207 Email: [email protected] When you watch cross-examination on TV or in the movies, you see that the best cross-examination takes only a few minutes. However, they are only showing you the most dramatic and exciting pieces of cross-examination. Cross-examination can take minutes. On the other hand it can take hours. Or days. There are some witnesses who do not need to be cross examined. There might be nothing that you can gain from cross examining an elderly grandmother who is talking about how wonderful her children were. You will likely gain very little sympathy or points by verbally attacking such a witness. By the way, let me dispel a myth. Cross examination does not mean angry examination or even yelling examination. On the other hand, there are key witnesses that you actually must question on cross examination in order to make your points and to show the jury that you are more likely right than wrong. You might be surprised to learn that when we begin a trial, the judge will often ask the trial attorneys how long they expect their opening remarks to be. This gives the judge a better sense of scheduling and sets a framework for when things will happen at the beginning of the trial. Likewise, at the end of the trial before the judge gives the jury legal instructions, he will definitely ask the attorneys how long they intend to be when making closing remarks. There are many judges who have restrictions on the length of time an attorney can use to make closing remarks. I have been in trials where an attorney said they need three hours to make closing remarks. The judge turned to the attorney and said "Not in this courtroom. You can have a maximum 45 minutes." Getting back to the question about whether there is a time limit for cross-examination, the answer is... Watch the video to learn the answer... Here's a cardiac malpractice case where I was able to achieve a $6 million dollar settlement for my client: http://www.oginski-law.com/video/card... Here's a foot surgery case where a Westchester, NY jury awarded my client $1.55 million dollars for her pain and suffering: http://ow.ly/azKg6 To learn more about how medical malpractice cases work in the state of New York, I encourage you to explore my educational website, http://www.oginski-law.com/library/he.... If you have legal questions, I invite you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by email at [email protected]. This is what I do every day and I'd be happy to chat with you. Law Office of Gerald Oginski 25 Great Neck Road, Ste. 4 Great Neck, NY 11021 516-487-8207 Email: [email protected]
