If a dog has bitten you, and you have chosen to sue the dog’s owner, then you should expect to find that you must take part in any planned interrogatories. During those interrogatories, each party will send a series of questions to the other party.

What is the purpose of an interrogatory?

It has been designed to aid the uncovering of facts. It should expose the nature and extent of the plaintiff’s injuries.

What sorts of questions might the dog’s owner need to answer?

• What is the name, age, weight, breed and color of your pet canine?
• Was your dog ever involved in any incident that is similar to the one in which the plaintiff was attacked and bitten?
• Were there any eyewitnesses at the scene, on the day when the plaintiff became a target of your dog’s teeth?
• What veterinarian has been treating and examining your pet canine?

What are the sorts of questions that the defense team might send to the plaintiff?

• Where you located when the defendant’s dog bit you?
• What were you doing at that time? What were your actions during the moments before you became the target of a dog bite?
• Was there any other time when you got attacked by a dog? What actions did you take before the attack; what did you do after that same incident?
• Where did the defendant’s pet bite into some of the skin on your body? How deep was that bite? Did you seek medical help?
• Have you been treated for your wound? What is the name of the doctor that you have been seeing? How closely have you followed that doctor’s instructions?

Comparing the sending of interrogatories to the holding of a discovery session:

At a discovery session, the lawyers for both sides present their questions orally, and the witness offers the answer orally. During a discovery session, no one times the witness, after a question has been asked. Still, someone that is answering interrogatories feels more comfortable pausing for some time, before creating the requested reply.

At a discovery session, the demeanor of the witness can contribute to the message in the delivered answer. Only someone skilled at using words can hope to achieve the same effect, when answering any particular question. A personal injury lawyer in Arcadia can prepare a witness for a discovery session, but that same witness must come up with the answers, once the session has started. In contrast to that situation, an attorney could be available to help a plaintiff or a defendant that needs to answer a group of interrogatories.

A discovery session prepares a witness for a possible trial. Someone that needs to answer lots of written questions lacks that type of preparation.