One of a judge’s primary roles in a Florida personal injury case is to decide which evidence the jury is allowed to consider. It is very common for one or more parties in a lawsuit to present evidence that the other party considers objectionable. This may be because the evidence is claimed to be irrelevant, based on hearsay testimony, unreliable, or otherwise excludable under one of the Florida rules of evidence.
When a party learns of an opposing party’s intention to present evidence, the court may be asked to rule on the admissibility of evidence by the party against whom the evidence is being introduced. In so doing, the court will hear arguments from the parties and ultimately decide whether the evidence should be presented to the jury.
Thus, while the judge in a Florida personal injury case may not have the ultimate discretion to decide whether the defendant was liable for the plaintiff’s injuries, she certainly has an important role to play in the process. Of course, judges are human and can make mistakes. When a party feels as though a judge has made a legal error regarding the admissibility of evidence, that party can file an appeal, assuming the alleged error was properly preserved at trial.