With the increased jurisdictional limits of $50,000.00 and faster scheduling, taking an injury case t the General District Court can save an injured victim time, money and stress. Plus, the filing fee is minimal compared to many Circuit Court cases and the doctors do not usual have to come to testify, which adds thousands of dollars in expenses on to a case. Trying the case itself is also much easier in the General District Court, as there is no jury to pick, sequester or instruct.

The judge is the fact-finder and most trials can be finished on the day they start, unlike many Circuit Court cases Doug Landau has tried over his career. Another practical advantage of being in General District Court is that the injured victim’s counsel can usually obtain a trial date quickly, usually with months, depending upon the jurisdiction. The defense counsel will usually obtain a court reporter to transcribe the trial, in the event that they want to appeal, but sometimes they do not. General District Court is a court not of record, that is why the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. pays to send a Court Reporter to the General District Court Traffic Court proceedings and animal attack proceedings after a dog bite.

General District Court trials are short and to the point. Of course, there is no jury in General District Court; the judge decides the facts and the law, and there are not as many objections like you see on tv or movie trials. A case involving admitted liability (“fault”) and soft tissue injuries can be tried in a few hours. One of the most important (and expensive) areas of evidence to be presented at trial is the medical proof. In General District Court, Affidavits can be used in lieu of expensive, live or recorded testimony. In the VIrginia General District Courts, parties do not have to take the expensive (often thousands of dollars in Northern Virginia and the DC suburbs) step of bringing a doctor to trial or taking their videotaped Depositions. Instead, the medical records/bills can come directly into evidence. A written medical report from the treating doctor or examining health care provider can be admitted when it is accompanied by an Affidavit/sworn statement. Likewise, property damage appraisals can also come in without hauling in a mechanic or car repairperson into court.

While Doug Landau & the injury team at ABRAMS. LANDAU do not appear in the General District Courts (“GDC”), they have helped many injured victims get experienced GDC counsel in the area where the case is to be tried, with good results over the years. Sometimes, the ABRAMS LANDAU will start a case, ascertain that it may be better served in General District Court, and then transfer the evidence, records, investigation, etc. to new GDC counsel upon the approval of the client. This has worked well many times and Doug Landau knows many experienced GDC lawyers who relish taking on such cases and getting good results.

Some lawyers with whom the ABRAMS LANDAU trial team works believe that there has never been a better time to try a smaller personal injury claim in General District Court. THe General District Court judges have experience evaluating liability, injuries and losses. While Doug Landau does not try cases in the General District Courts, lawyers with whom we work have gotten terrific results for our clients with more modest claims. The advantages of General District Court over Circuit Court on these types of cases include:

1. Less expensive
2. Less time consuming
3. Almost no Discovery
4. No expensive expert witness fees
5. Faster securing a trial date and trying the case

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the results being obtained in the General District Courts are better than the low-ball offers from insurance adjusters in connective tissue injury cases. Consider trying your case in the General District Court, it will take less time, money, and stress and you may wind up with a better net recovery.

If you or someone you know or care for has been injured as the result of a car, truck, bicycle or motorcycle crash and there are questions about what laws apply, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once.