This article is an English adaptation of the above Haitian Creole informational video. The purpose of the video is to help members of the Haitian-American community understand the ins and outs of legal depositions.

The information in this article does not represent legal counsel. I am not an attorney. If you need legal counsel regarding a particular case, seek such from an attorney. Enjoy!

What is a deposition?

Perhaps you’re wondering because you received a letter asking you to participate in one. In this article, we’ll go over the following questions:

• What is the purpose of a deposition?
• How is a deposition taken?
• And what can you do to prepare for a deposition?

What is the purpose of a deposition?

First off, let’s give some context. In a lawsuit, both participants, meaning both parties have a right to carry out an investigation to find out about relevant details. This phase is known as Discovery. And in fact, during this stage, the parties have the right to have access to all the information that is uncovered.

Based on the facts discovered in this stage, the attorneys will build their cases, attempt to understand the opposing strategy, and see how they can address questions raised by the other party. At times during this process, the two sides can come to a settlement or an agreement, without going to trial. Depositions are one of the ways this information is gathered.

How is a deposition taken?

A deposition is a sworn statement in which an attorney asks a witness a series of questions. This procedure doesn’t take place in a courtroom. It may be held at a law office or at a court reporters office. Additionally, they may be taken remotely either by phone or by videoconference, like Zoom.

At a deposition, the parties that are typically present are:

• the witness
• the witness’ attorney
• the opposing party’s attorney
• the court reporter

There may be other people present, such as an interpreter, for example. But generally, the number of people there is limited.

To start, if there is an interpreter, (s)he will swear to do their utmost to provide a faithful interpretation. Next, the court reporter will have the witness swear to tell the truth. After that, one of the attorneys will introduce him/herself and begin asking questions. The witness will answer the question and the court reporter will create a written record, meaning (s)he will type what everyone is saying so that there is a transcription of all the questions, answers and objections that were made.

After the first attorney has asked all of his/her questions, the other attorney will have a chance to ask follow-up questions, if (s)he thinks something needs to be cleared up.

Attorneys can make objections if they think there is a problem with the question asked by opposing counsel. However, since there is no judge present, the witness generally has to answer nonetheless, unless the question asks for privileged information. The judge can see the objections in the record and they can play an important role down the line, during trial.

What can you do to prepare yourself, before a deposition?

Read the summons you received carefully and be sure to bring all the documents requested. That may include ID and other important documents. Plan well for the appointment in your schedule to ensure you aren’t late. Time wasted leads to a lot of money wasted. Furthermore, keep good communication with your attorney. (S)he is the one who knows the particularities of your case and can give you specific advice.

But here are some things to keep in mind generally:

• Always respond honestly and clearly.
• Never guess or give an answer you’re not sure about.
• Think carefully after each question and answer exactly what is being asked in the question.
• If it’s a yes-no question, stick to ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as an answer.

Remember, the questions that are asked aren’t meant to shame you and aren’t out of meanness. Generally. They are questions that need to be asked, because they may end up being relevant.

So, there we are. Legal matters really can be nerve-racking. But I hope this video has helped you to understand this subject better.

If you need an interpreter for an upcoming appointment, check out our Request an Interpreter page. If you need a translation for a document you received, visit our Request a Translation page!

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Enfòmasyon ki nan atik sa, se pa konsèy legal. Mwen pa yon avoka. Si w bezwen konsèy pou yon ka an patikilye, tanpri chèche sa nan men yon avoka. Mèsi!

Ki sa yon Depozisyon ye?

Ki sa yon depozisyon ye ? Petèt w ap poze kesyon sa paske w te resevwa yon lèt ki mande pou w vin patisipe nan youn. Nan atik sa a, nou pral wè :

• Ki objèktif yon depozisyon ?
• Ki jan yon depozisyon fèt ?
• Epi, Ki sa ou kapab fè pou prepare anvan yon depozisyon ?

Ki objèktif yon depozisyon ?

Toudabò, n ap bay yon ti konteks. Nan yon pwosè legal, tout patisipan, sa vle toulede pati prenan gen dwa pou yon fè yon ankèt pou yo envèstige tout detay ki ka aplikab nan ka a. Faz sa a rele Discovery ki vle di « dekouvèt » oubyen « twouvay » ann anglè. An franse, yo pale de communication préalable oubyen communication des documents. E vreman pandan faz sa, les pati prenan gen dwa pou yo gen aksè ak tout enfòmasyon ki vin devwale a. Se sou baz fè ki dekouvri pandan faz sa a avoka yo pral monte agiman yo, yo pral eseye konprann strateji youn lòt epi yo pral wè ki jan yo ka reponn ak kesyon lòt pati a soulve.

Gendelè tou, pandan faz sa, pati yo ka fè yon akò oubyen yon rezolisyon, san yo pa bezwen fè yon jijman. Yon depozisyon se youn nan zouti yo itilize pou yo jwenn enfòmasyon sa a.

Ki jan yon depozisyon fèt ?

Depozisyon an se yon deklarasyon sèmante kote yon avoka poze yon temwen yon seri kesyon. Se pa nan tribinal la sa fèt. Yo kapab fè li nan kabine d’avoka oubyen nan biwo grefye. Pafwa tou yo fè li a distans : swa pa telefòn, swa ak videyokonferans (tankou Zoom).

Nan yon depozisyon, jeneralman moun ki prezan se: temwen an, avoka temwen an, avoka pa lòt pati a, avèk yon grefye. Kapab gen lòt moun ki la, tankou entèprèt pa egzanp, men jeneralman yo vle limite kantite moun ki prezan. Pou kòmanse grefye a pral fè temwen an sèmante pou l bay laverite. Epi si gen yon entèprèt, li pral sèmante pou l fè tout sa l kapab pou l bay yon entèpretasyon fidèl. Apre sa youn nan avoka yo ap prezante tèt li epi kòmanse poze kesyon, temwen an ap reponn kesyon yo epi grefye a tire pwosèvèbal la. Sa vle di li tape tout pawòl ki di nan depozisyon an, konsa kapab gen yon achiv ekri ak kesyon, repons ak objeksyon ki te bay.

Apre premye avoka fin poze kesyon pa l, lòt la ap gen yon chans pou li poze kèk kesyon si l panse gen bagay li bezwen klarifye. Yon avoka kapab bay yon objeksyon, si li panse gen yon pwoblèm ak yon kesyon lòt la poze. Men piske pa gen jij pou deside objekson an la, jeneralman temwen an gen pou l reponn kanmenm, toutotan kesyon an pa mande enfòmasyon konfidansyèl. Jij la ap ka wè objeksyon yo nan achiv la epi yo ka jwe yon wòl enpòtan pi devan, pandan jijman an.

Ki sa ou kapab fè pou prepare w anvan yon depozisyon ?

Li konvokasyon ou te jwenn nan byen epi asire ou vini ak tout dokiman yo mande. Sa ka gen ladan l : idantifikasyon ak dokiman ki pètinan. Byen pwograme lè randevou a, konsa ou ka asireou pa anreta. Chak tan ki pase, se anpil kòb ki gaspiye. Dayè, se pou w kenbe bon kominikasyon ak avoka w. Se li menm ki konn sikonstans ka w, donk se li menm ki ka ba w konsèy presi. Men an jeneral, gen kèk bagay ou dwe kenbe nan lespri w:

• Toujou reponn yon fason ki onèt e ki klè
• Pa janm devine oubyen bay yon repons ou pa fin twò konnen.
• Chak kesyon ou tande, reflechi anvan w reponn epi rete egzakteman sou sa l mande
• Si se yon kesyon fèmen (kote repons la se « wi » oubyen « non » tousenpleman) rete ak « wi » oubyen « non », sa.
• Sonje, kesyon yo poze se pa pou yo fè w wont, ni se pa paske yo mechan (jeneralman). Se kesyon yo oblije poze paske yo panse sa kapab pètinan. Djòb yo, se fè kèt zoban.

Dènye Mo

Donk, se sa. Afè jiridik kapab bay kè sote, vreman. Men m swete atik sa ede w konprann ki sa yon depozisyon ye pi byen. Si w bezwen yon entèprèt pou yon randevou ou genyen oubyen yon tradiktè pou dokiman ou te resevwa, n ap byen kontan ede w. Kontakte nou pou w aprann plis!