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Wesley Chapel Criminal Defense Attorneys – victim be in court?

IMG_6142Wesley Chapel Criminal Defense Attorneys are often asked about whether the victim and/or witness has to be in court every hearing.  The overwhelming majority of court appearances are what we would consider housekeeping court appearances. For example, they are simply to ensure the case is moving along as needed. So to answer the question raised above, no, they will not be present in court for the majority for court appearances. Ultimately, they will be present at trial though.  Your Wesley Chapel Criminal Defense Attorneys will have the opportunity to cross examine them and confront them at trial with evidence at your trial.  The majority of your court appearances though are just to ensure the case is either moving towards trial, plea negotiations are going on, discovery has been exchange, depositions have been occurring etc.  They are simply basically plea holders for criminal defense lawyers to ensure the case is proceeding towards a conclusion somehow.

The only court appearance the victim and her witnesses are required to attend is your trial. If depositions are set for the matter, they are required to appear at their specific deposition, but those are the only required court dates for the victim and witness in the case.  They are required to appear, if they are subpoenaed. If they are subpoenaed and fail to appear – the Court can hold them in contempt and require a number of punishments.

If you or someone you know has questions concerning victims and witnesses in a criminal case contact the Wesley Chapel Criminal Defense Attorneys of Hackworth Law for free case consultation. We’ve tried many criminal cases and are more than willing to assist you with your issues concerning victims and witnesses. If you would like to contact one of our Wesley Chapel Criminal Defense Attorneys, please use the “contact us now” tab in the upper right hand corner of our website.  We look forward to assisting you in this matter and appreciate you checking out our website.