It is said that the Court has worked closely with medical personnel to ensure that the jurors are protected.  Juror selection will now include questions surrounding a person’s living circumstances as well as how comfortable they feel presenting in-person during a court setting.  If selected, potential jurors will be given temperature checks and required to wear masks at all times while inside the courthouse.  Additionally, on the first day of trial jurors will be given a rapid COVID-19 test along with attorneys, bailiffs, witnesses, court personnel, and defendants.  Of course, the Court plan on having extra jurors available in case anyone becomes ill during the process.

Jurors will also be asked to sit socially distanced from one another.  Currently, spectators will not be allowed in open court.  Witnesses will be allowed to remove their masks when they are testifying in a well-ventilated area away from others in the courtroom.  Courts will also be frequently cleaned and sanitized paying close attention to high touch areas.  It is said that the highest priority trials will be for those sitting in jail who need their day in court.  Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately 900 cases awaiting jury trial, for individuals who are being held both in-custody and out-of-custody.

Overall, it seems Utah is being appalled for trying to move jury trial forward in a safe and cautious manner for all involved, including closely working with medical personnel and adhering to their advice.  It will be wonderful to get the jury trial moving again while keeping everyone as safe as possible.  Other states attempted jury trial for smaller cases via video conferencing but Utah was reluctant to conduct trials in this manner.

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Before you are able to file a lawsuit after an automobile accident in Utah, the injured party must have incurred at least $3,000.00 in medical expenses or met a threshold of a permanent disability or injury. This is because Utah is a no-fault insurance state. In a nutshell, this means that when you are involved in an automobile accident you must turn to your own insurance coverage first, filing as a “first-party” claim. By Utah law, the insurance must pay at least $3,000 in Personal Injury Protection, short-handed as PIP. This is irrespective of who is at fault. If it is a minor accident, that could well be the end of the process.

For you, this was not the end of the process. Your car was totaled, you injured your back and glass fell in your right eye. Your medical bills exceed $60,000, and you have been unable to work for several months. This means you have easily met the threshold to file a lawsuit after an automobile accident in Utah.You would like to seek an attorney to help you resolve your claim. You have been out of work and incurred large medical bills. You are thinking to yourself, “How could I afford attorney’s fees?” This is where contingency fee’s come in. In many cases, attorney’s bill by the hour, with fees often exceed $400.00 per hour of attorney work time. However, in personal injury and workman’s compensation claims, attorney’s often have contingency agreements.Contingency fee agreements allow the client to hire an attorney with little to no upfront cost, and the attorney will only get paid upon a successful settlement of your claim. Typically contingency fee agreements require a percentage between 33.3% to 40.0% of the recovery to be paid to the attorney along with other costs involved with the lawsuit, such as filing fees, medical record fees, etc.

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