Approximately how long does a Texas civil lawsuit take, from beginning to end?

A:

The answer to this question depends on each case. Many factors can cause a case to take longer or find resolution quicker than other cases. To give you a more accurate picture for your situation, our Austin civil litigation law firm encourages you to contact us with the details of your particular case.

A key determining factor that can cause a case to slow down is if the defendant answers the complaint and contests the merits of the suit. This can cause a case to take several years. If the defendant does not answer the complaint, then the plaintiff can move for a default judgment and the case might conclude in a few months.

To help you understand this better, here are the stages of a civil lawsuit:

• The First Stage: The plaintiff files a complaint with the court. When this happens, the clerk of courts will issue a summons, and a copy of the lawsuit is served to the defendant.
• The Second Stage: Allows the defendant to answer the complaint within a defined time period. The defendant can deny the allegations or admit to them. If the defendant does not respond, then the plaintiff can seek to have a default judgment entered.
• The Third Stage: Happens after the defendant answers the complaint. It is the discovery phase (gathering evidence). If there is a large amount of discoverable evidence, then the case may take longer. Also, if there are many defendants or several issues, those also can cause a case to take longer.
• The Fourth Stage: Occurs when a settlement agreement cannot be reached during the discovery stage. At this point, the case will go to court for trial.
• The Final Stage of a civil lawsuit in Texas is when trial concludes with a judgment.

For more information, call the Posey Law Firm toll-free at 888-269-1962 or locally at 512-646-0828 to have an experienced Texas business litigation lawyer review your specific case today.

Jake Posey [email protected]

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