Tampa trial attorneys are often asked, “what are interrogatories?” They are a form of written discovery that can be used in Florida civil and family law cases. Ultimately, they are most commonly used in civil and family law cases just due to the nature of the cases. Interrogatories are a cheaper, quicker discovery tool for Tampa trial attorneys to complete prior to a disposition. Unfortunately, they are often objected to and incomplete answers are provided which farther limits their usefulness. It often takes time and motions to get proper, admissible answers to these interrogatories.
It’s also worth noting interrogatories are required to have a notarized signature at the conclusion of the document. This is because they can be used in trial against the answering party. They are ultimately the same as a deposition transcript or live testimony at another hearing. It is imperative that if you are filling out interrogatories in a matter, you actually consider your answers to the same because as we’ve discussed multiple times on this very website – words matter in court.
For example, an interrogatory answer can be used to impeach a testimony of a witness at trial. You can only imagine the frustration of a Tampa trial attorney when a previously provided interrogatory response is used to impeach their client’s live testimony at trial. This is incredibly frustrating and is wholly avoidable because they had the opportunity prior to ensure the interrogatory was properly answered.
If you or someone you know has questions concerning interrogatories, contact the Tampa trial attorneys at Hackworth Law for a free case consultation. We would be more than happy to discuss your situation with you. Thank you for your time in checking out our Tampa trial attorney blog.