Dog Bite Lawsuits: Interrogatories

If you have been injured as a result of a dog bite you may be eligible to compensation by way of a personal injury claim in a dog bite case. If your dog bite case does not settle, you may file a personal injury lawsuit in court. During the lawsuit phase there are a number of stages that must be covered before appearing for trial. This article will discuss the discovery stage of a dog bite case referred to as interrogatories.

 
By definition interrogatories are “written questions sent by one party to another as part of the pre-trial investigation process, called discovery. Interrogatories must be answered in writing under oath or under penalty of perjury within a specified time. Lawyers can write their own set of questions, or can use form interrogatories designed for the most common types of lawsuits.” During the discovery stage of a dog bite case, the plaintiff and the defendant exchange information regarding the incident; such information can include the plaintiff’s injuries and other key aspects of the case. Interrogatories are a big part of the discovery process and are a written set of questions that both sides of the case can send to one another. The responding party must answer in writing and under oath.

In the state of Alaska, dog owners are liable for resulting injuries if their dog bites someone, regardless of whether or not their dog has a history of biting or if the dog owner had prior knowledge of their dog’s tendency to bite. Therefore, along with establishing basic facts about the parties involved, dog bite interrogatories center around uncovering the facts with regards to the dog bite incident. The plaintiff will need to prove liability as well as provide evidence of their injuries and the extent of their medical treatment. Therefore, the exact questions included in interrogatories depend on the facts of the individual case. Some questions that the plaintiff might ask the defendant in a dog bite case include the following:

• Please state the name, age, weight, breed and color of the dog that is the subject of this case
• Has the dog in question ever bitten another person prior to or since, this incident? If so, please provide the name of the person bitten, the date of the occurrence and identify any related legal action. 
• Please provide the name and address of all eyewitnesses in this dog bite incident. 
• Please provide the name and address of any veterinarian or clinic where this dog has received treatment within the last 5 years. 

The defendant is likely to attempt to uncover any facts that could eliminate or reduce their liability of their dog’s bite, this could include elements like the plaintiff was trespassing or had provoked the dog. The defendant may send interrogatories to the plaintiff which include the following:

• Have you been previously injured by a dog? If so, provide details
• Describe in detail what you were doing at the time of the alleged attack. 
• dentify the exact location where the alleged dog bite injury occurred.
  

For legal advice and representation contact Anchorage lawyers .

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