Across the country, the summary jury trial is increasingly
becoming a part of the legal landscape. Texas, Florida and
Virginia have incorporated this time and money saving alternative
dispute resolution technique into their civil practice acts.
Federal courts also make use of this tool, even in high exposure
personal injury cases.
The Eighth Judicial District has pioneered the use of the
summary jury trial in New York State. Our most extensive
experience has been in Chautauqua County, where Supreme Court
Justice Joseph Gerace, with the approval and assistance of
former Administrative Judge Vincent E. Doyle, has compiled
a convincing record of the program's success. Based upon
the impressive results in Chautauqua County, summary jury
trials are now being used in Erie and Niagara Counties, and
are spreading to other areas of the state.
By successfully resolving nearly all of the cases in which
it is used, with only a fraction of the resources the court
and the parties would expend in preparing for and conducting
a full trial, the summary jury trial is a potent tool for
relieving calendar congestion. It also preserves a core value
of our legal system, the resolution of disputes by a jury
of ordinary citizens. Jurors benefit by fulfilling their
civic duty with a minimum of inconvenience; courts benefit
by freeing up valuable space on their calendars; and parties
benefit by resolving their disputes in a prompt and cost-effective
manner.
I am glad to have the opportunity to continue this exciting
project and to oversee its ongoing growth. I am confident
that judges and litigants will increasingly come to depend
upon summary jury trials to efficiently resolve disputes.
Hon. Sharon S. Townsend
Administrative Judge, Eighth Judicial District
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