What is Involved in a Deposition in Las Vegas, Nevada?

If you are involved in an injury accident in Las Vegas, Nevada and a lawsuit is needed to protect your rights, you may be asked to give a deposition. A deposition is simply a statement under oath. The rules governing depositions are found in Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 30. Rule 30 goes on for pages and pages. Today’s blog will give a quick summary of Rule 30.

During a lawsuit, the at-fault party’s attorney is allowed to take your deposition. However, they have to provide you with at least 15 days notice of the deposition. In practice, you are usually given more notice than the 15 day minimum. Additionally, the deposition will be coordinated with your schedule in mind.

Rule 30 states that the party wishing to take your deposition must pay for the cost of the deposition and tell you in advance how it is going to be recorded. Most depositions are recorded by a stenographer, more commonly called a court reporter. The other way a deposition may be recorded is via videotape. Again the videographer is paid by the person who wants your deposition videotaped. The videographer records your deposition with sound, just like you would videotape an interview.  By contrast, the court reporter has a special shorthand typewriter and types all the questions that are being asked of you and all of your answers. The court reporter then puts the all the questions and answers into a booklet form, so everyone can later look at the questions asked and your answers to those questions.

During the deposition, your injury attorney may make objections to the questions being asked. Unless your attorney directs you not to answer, you must answer the questions. In the deposition, you will be asked questions of your general background, such as education and employment. You will also be asked about the accident at issue, your medical treatment and the injuries you sustained.

After the deposition is concluded, you have the option to review and sign the deposition transcript for any typographical errors or if you want to change your answer to a question. However, if you change your answer to a question, the opposing attorney could attack your credibility if the case were to go to trial. It is therefore best to adequately prepare for the deposition, so you can give the most accurate responses at the time the deposition takes place.

Next time, we will discuss Offers of Judgment in Las Vegas, Nevada Court cases.