Navigation Court creates rule to handle jury requests for transcripts in civil cases
The Supreme Court has adopted a new rule articulating how trial courts are to proceed when a juror in a civil case asks for trial transcripts or asks for trial testimony to be read or played back.
Acting March 30 in Case No. SC2022, the court adopted new Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.453 (Jury Request to Review Testimony) as proposed by the Civil Procedure Rules Committee.
“If a juror asks for a readback or playback of trial testimony, the trial court may, after giving notice to counsel for the parties, read or play back the testimony in open court,” the court said. “In the alternative, the trial court may, in its discretion, respond to the request in writing, as long as the parties are afforded an opportunity to place objections on the record.”
