Case Title: In Re: Standard Jury Instructions Contract and Business Cases

Citation: 

Docket Number: SC12-1931

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2013-06-06T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC12-1931 
____________ 
 
 
 
IN RE: STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS—CONTRACT AND 
BUSINESS CASES 
 
[June 6, 2013] 
LEWIS, J. 
 
This matter is before the Court upon the report, recommendation and 
proposal of the Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions—
Contract and Business Cases and a printed book of instructions prepared by the 
Committee for use when appropriate in civil cases.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. 
V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.  This Court generally approves the theory and technique of 
instructing juries with regard to the applicable law as recommended by the 
Committee and embodied in the proposed instructions when applicable.  
Accordingly, this Court authorizes and directs the publication and use of these 
instructions, but without prejudice to the rights of any litigant objecting to the use 
of any of these approved forms. 
 
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In 1962, this Court established the Supreme Court Committee on Standard 
Jury Instructions as a committee of this Court to study and develop a program for 
standard jury instructions.  By 1964, this Committee had determined that for the 
initial effort, the work and plan should be limited and directed to the preparation 
and publication of standard instructions for use in the trial of only negligence-type 
cases.  In January 1967, this Committee had completed all work except the final 
editorial work on Florida Standard Jury Instructions.  On April 19, 1967, this Court 
entered its final approval and authorized the publication of those instructions.  The 
Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions continues in existence 
and from time to time files new proposed instructions and amendments to 
instructions. 
 
The lawyers and judges in Florida have found the existing Standard Jury 
Instructions, although limited to certain case types, to be beneficial to the 
administration of justice.  With this predicate, since at least 1999, the Committee 
on Standard Jury Instructions has from time to time explored the possibility of 
expanding the work of the group to include instructions for other types of cases.  
As of July 2006, the existing committee had been unable to move forward and had 
terminated all efforts to proceed in that direction. 
 
On September 15, 2006, then Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis entered 
Administrative Order AOSC6-47 which created the Supreme Court Committee on 
 
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Standard Jury Instructions—Contract and Business Cases (Committee).  The 
Committee was established because “[t]here is a need for an additional standing 
committee to address standard jury instructions in contract and business litigation . 
. . .”  In re Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions—Contract and 
Business Cases, AOSC06-47, at 2 (Sept. 15, 2006).  The Committee was charged 
with performing the following tasks: 
1. 
Organize a committee structure for perpetual operation to 
 
include leadership, rotation of membership, selection of 
members, an operational plan for submission of proposed 
instructions to the Florida Supreme Court for approval, and any 
other item necessary for the just and proper operations of the 
Committee. 
 
2. 
Study and examine Florida law with regard to the principles of 
contract law and principles of law involved in business 
litigation that could properly be placed in uniform standardized 
jury instruction form.  Based on this study and examination, 
develop, prepare, and propose to the Florida Supreme Court for 
approval uniform standard jury instructions for use in contract 
and business litigation in Florida.  The Committee shall 
develop, prepare, and propose uniform standard jury 
instructions to include both the jury process and the law to be 
applied in the decision process. 
 
3. 
The Committee is authorized to coordinate and liaison with any 
other group, jury instruction or otherwise, as may be necessary 
and proper to accomplish the work required.  The Committee is 
also authorized to seek expanded authority from the Florida 
Supreme Court as may be necessary to accomplish its mission. 
 
4. 
The Committee shall have perpetual existence and shall meet at 
regular intervals to continue its review of the law and any 
existing standard jury instructions and supervise the proper 
 
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maintenance and amendments of the jury instructions approved 
for use in Florida to conform with current applicable law. 
 
5. 
Coordinate and participate, as necessary, in the process of 
printing and publication of the approved standard jury 
instructions. 
 
6. 
The Committee shall have the goal of submitting a preliminary 
complete set of standard jury instructions for approval by 
September 1, 2007, or earlier as the work proceeds, and 
thereafter continue work to expand upon and refine Florida 
standard jury instructions in contract and business litigation. 
 
Id. at 2-3.  Judge Thomas B. Smith, then Circuit Court Judge of the Ninth Judicial 
Circuit was appointed to serve as Chair of the Committee.1
 
After six years of dedicated and tireless efforts, on September 11, 2012, this 
Contract and Business group filed its report with the Court proposing a complete, 
stand-alone set of jury instructions for contract and business cases.  The book of 
instructions filed by the Committee is Appendix A.  The Committee explained that 
it surveyed other states that had previously drafted standard jury instructions in 
contract and business cases.  The goal was to identify a state possessing 
  The Committee was 
composed of trial and appellate attorneys throughout the State of Florida, judges of 
the various circuit and district courts of appeal, and individuals with specific 
expertise and experience in this subject. 
                                         
 
1.  Following Judge Smith’s appointment as a United States Magistrate for 
the Middle District of Florida, Judge Jonathan D. Gerber, Appellate Judge for the 
Fourth District Court of Appeal, was appointed to serve as the Committee’s Chair.  
In re Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions—Contract and 
Business Cases, AOSC11-39, at 2 (Oct. 27, 2011).  
 
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instructions which could serve as a form template for drafting a similar set of 
instructions, but all based on Florida law.  This group ultimately concluded that 
California possessed a form (not substance) to follow, and received permission 
from the Judicial Council of California to use its instructions as a model form only 
for drafting a set of instructions for use in Florida based on substantive Florida law.  
The Committee further explained that it proceeded with its work as follows: 
 
The committee divided into six subcommittees, researched and 
drafted proposed instructions which followed Florida law.  Upon 
completion of the subcommittees’ work, the full committee met to 
review and revise each proposed instruction for accuracy and 
conformity with Florida law.  To improve juror understanding, the 
committee has used ‘plain English’ terminology wherever possible 
without altering the instructions’ substantive meaning. 
 
In addition, this group received permission from the Florida Supreme Court 
Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases to duplicate the “How to 
Use This Book” section as well as Sections 100, 200, 300, 600, 700, and 800 for 
use in the Contract and Business Cases book.  Accordingly, these business and 
contract-specific instructions are limited to Sections 400 and 500 of the proposed 
instructions.  The Committee published its proposals for comment in The Florida 
Bar News on July 1, 2011, December 15, 2011, and April 1, 2012.2
                                         
 
2.  The Committee used a different numbering convention when it published 
the proposals than has been proposed for the book format, but the substance of all 
of the proposals has been published in The Florida Bar News for comment. 
  The 
Committee received two comments, each directed to a proposed instruction on the 
 
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affirmative defense of promissory estoppel.  Based upon the comments, the 
Committee withheld that proposed instruction for further study.  The Committee 
unanimously recommended that the Court authorize for publication and use the 
instructions as proposed.    
 
This Court has always recognized that the initial determination of the 
substantive law applicable in all cases must be made by the trial judge and it would 
be inappropriate for this Court, at this time, and without a case or controversy 
before us, to adjudicate all legal principles embodied in these recommended 
instructions as correctly setting forth the substantive law applicable in any 
particular case.  An approval of jury instruction forms by this Court does not 
relieve a trial judge of the responsibility under Florida law to properly and 
correctly instruct the jury in each case as it arises.  This approval is not intended 
nor should it be construed as an intrusion into that responsibility of the trial judges.  
This Court is confident that these forms of instructions, as recommended by the 
Committee, state as accurately and correctly as a group of experienced lawyers and 
judges could state the substantive law of Florida in language understandable by 
jurors. 
 
After full consideration, we authorize, approve and direct that the Standard 
Jury Instructions—Contract and Business Cases be published and distributed for 
use as applicable in Florida.  The instructions under Sections 100, 300, and 600 are 
 
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also authorized and approved.  As we further discuss, we authorize and approve the 
instructions in Sections 200, 700, and 800 with minor modifications. 
 
First, we modify instruction 202.2 (Explanation of the Trial Procedure) to 
construct the instruction consistent with the corresponding instruction in other civil 
cases.  Under “Objections,” the instruction is modified to include the phrase “you 
should disregard the question and” as follows:  “If I say that an objection is 
‘sustained,’ that means you should disregard the question and the witness may not 
answer the question.” 
 
Next, we modify Section 700—Closing Instructions, to delete the following 
language:  “After you have decided what the facts are, you may find that some 
instructions do not apply.  In that case, follow the instructions that do apply and 
use them together with the facts to reach your verdict.”  This language is contrary 
to the original intent of the Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury 
Instructions in Civil Cases, as expressed by that Committee in In Re: Standard Jury 
Instructions in Civil Cases—Report No. 12-02, Case No. SC12-1818 (Fla. May 23, 
2013). 
 
Finally, we modify the Notes on Use to instruction 801.2 (Read-Back of 
Testimony) in two ways.  First, the modification reflects the Court’s decision in 
Johnson v. State, 53 So. 3d 1003, 1011 (Fla. 2010), holding that, when preserved, 
it is per se reversible error for a trial judge to inform the jury that they are 
 
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prohibited from requesting a read-back of testimony.  Accordingly, the Notes on 
Use to instruction 801.2 (Read-Back of Testimony) are modified to include the 
following note: 
1.  In civil cases, the decision to allow read-back of testimony lies 
within the sound discretion of the trial court.  Broward Cnty. Sch. Bd. 
v. Ruiz, 493 So. 2d 474, 479-80 (Fla. 4th DCA 1986).  However, the 
trial court must not tell jurors that they are prohibited from requesting 
a read-back of testimony.  Johnson v. State, 53 So. 3d 1003 (Fla. 
2010). 
 
Second, we modify the Notes on Use to reflect that testimony read back to the jury 
must be read in open court, that transcripts or tapes of testimony must not be sent 
to the jury room, and that these matters are not discretionary. 
 
Accordingly, we hereby authorize and direct the publication of the Standard 
Jury Instructions—Contract and Business Cases for publication and use as set forth 
in the appendix to this opinion.  In authorizing the publication and use of these 
instructions, we express no opinion on their correctness and remind all interested 
parties that this authorization does not foreclose either requesting additional or 
alternative instructions or contesting the legal correctness of the instructions.  We 
further caution all interested parties that any comments associated with the 
instructions reflect only the opinion of the Committee and are not necessarily 
indicative of the views of this Court as to their correctness or applicability.  The 
instructions as set forth in the appendix, fully engrossed, shall be effective when 
this opinion becomes final.  
 
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We wish to acknowledge the diligent hard work and thoughtful 
consideration of the Committee and its leadership in bringing the recommendations 
of instructions to be used in contract and business cases to the Court.  We also 
extend our great appreciation to the Judicial Council of California for permitting 
Florida to follow the pattern used in California and entering into the licensing 
agreement which authorized use of that form. 
 
It is ordered by the Court that: 
(1)  The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions—Contract 
and Business Cases and The Florida Bar are authorized and directed to 
forthwith publish and distribute the instructions attached as exhibit A as a 
self-contained, free-standing publication.  These Standard Jury Instructions 
shall also be placed on this Court’s website. 
 
(2)  All references to the Florida Standard Jury Instructions and Standard 
Jury Instructions as set forth in Rule 1.470(b), Florida Rules of Civil 
Procedure, shall also include these Standard Jury Instructions—Contract and 
Business Cases. 
 
(3)  The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions—Contract 
and Business Cases is continued as an independent working committee of 
this Court pursuant to Administrative Order AOSC06-47 for the purpose of 
fulfilling the directives in that Administrative Order and continuously 
reviewing these instructions for additions, correction of any errors or 
inaccuracies, and recommending to this Court amendments and revisions as 
experience may demonstrate to be necessary or beneficial and any new or 
additional instructions. 
 
(4)  In accordance with the Administrative Order which established this  
Committee, the members of the Bench and Bar who shall constitute the 
continuing Committee shall be appointed or reappointed by the Court 
pursuant to such Administrative Order and serve without compensation. 
 
It is so ordered. 
 
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POLSTON, C.J., and PARIENTE, QUINCE, CANADY, LABARGA, and 
PERRY, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 
 
Original Proceeding – Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions — 
Contract and Business Cases 
 
Honorable Jonathan D. Gerber, Committee Chair, and Manuel Farach, Committee 
Vice-Chair, West Palm Beach, Florida; and Brian F. Spector, Committee Vice-
Chair, Miami, Florida,  
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
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EXHIBIT A 
 
 
 
 
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FLORIDA STANDARD JURY 
INSTRUCTIONS—CONTRACT 
AND BUSINESS CASES 
 
 
SUPREME COURT 
COMMITTEE 
ON STANDARD JURY 
INSTRUCTIONS—CONTRACT 
AND BUSINESS CASES 
 
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 
 
The Supreme Court of Florida is grateful for the cooperation, assistance, and 
contributions that the following judges and attorneys extended during the 
development of these standard jury instructions in contract and business cases.   
 
The Honorable R. Fred Lewis 
Chief Justice and Founder of this Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury 
Instructions—Contract and Business Cases 
 
The Honorable Thomas B. Smith, Chair 
Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida 
 
The Honorable Brian D. Lambert 
Circuit Court Judge, Fifth Judicial Circuit 
 
Mr. Robert E. Austin, Jr. 
Attorney at Law, Leesburg 
 
Mr. Richard Lee Barrett 
Attorney at Law, Orlando 
 
Mr. Mitchell W. Berger 
Attorney at Law, Ft. Lauderdale 
 
Mr. Bruce J. Berman 
Attorney at Law, Miami 
 
Mr. Mark A. Boyle, Sr. 
Attorney at Law, Fort Myers 
 
Professor Cynthia Bulan 
Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale 
 
The Honorable Charles T. Canady 
Justice, Supreme Court of Florida 
 
Mr. G. Donovan Conwell, Jr. 
Attorney at Law, Tampa 
 
 
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The Honorable Angel T. Cortinas 
Appellate Judge, Third District Court of Appeal 
 
The Honorable Dorian K. Damoorgian 
Appellate Judge, Fourth District Court of Appeal 
 
Mr. John A Devault, III 
Attorney at Law, Jacksonville 
 
Mr. Thomas S. Edwards, Jr. 
Attorney at Law, Jacksonville 
 
Mr. Manuel Farach 
Attorney at Law, West Palm Beach 
 
The Honorable Gary M. Farmer 
Appellate Judge, Fourth District Court of Appeal 
 
Mr. Roy E. Fitzgerald, III 
Attorney at Law, West Palm Beach 
 
Mr. Ron Gache’ 
Attorney at Law, West Palm Beach 
 
The Honorable Jonathan D. Gerber 
Appellate Judge, Fourth District Court of Appeal 
 
Ms. Barbara Green 
Attorney at Law, Coral Gables 
 
Mr. Lee L. Haas 
Attorney at Law, Clearwater 
 
Mr. Michael J. Higer 
Attorney at Law, Aventura 
 
Mr. Benjamin H. Hill, III 
Attorney at Law, Tampa 
 
Mr. James M. Kaplan 
 
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Attorney at Law, Miami 
 
Mr. Jonathan C. Koch 
Attorney at Law, Tampa 
 
Ms. Katherine C. Lake 
Attorney at Law, Tampa 
 
Mr. Eric Lee 
Attorney at Law, Boca Raton 
 
Mr. Kurt Lee 
Attorney at Law, Pensacola 
 
The Honorable Brian D. Lambert 
Circuit Judge, Fifth Judicial Circuit 
 
Ms. Christine Edwards Lamia 
Attorney at Law, Tallahassee 
 
Ms. Maxine M. Long 
Attorney at Law, Miami 
 
The Honorable Bernard Nachman 
Circuit Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit 
 
Mr. Robert M. Norway 
Attorney at Law, Orlando 
 
Mr. Michael S. Olin 
Attorney at Law, Miami 
 
Mr. Eduardo Palmer 
Attorney at Law, Coral Gables 
 
Mr. Gera Peoples 
Attorney at Law, Fort Lauderdale 
 
Ms. Allison Perez 
Attorney at Law, Orlando 
 
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Mr. Steven R. Reininger 
Attorney at Law, Coral Gables 
 
Mr. T. Tucker Ronzetti 
Attorney at Law, Coral Gables 
 
Mr. Gary Rosen 
Attorney at Law, Fort Lauderdale 
 
Mr. E. Lanny Russell 
Attorney at Law, Jacksonville 
 
The Honorable Meenu Sasser 
Circuit Judge, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit 
 
Mr. Paul Silverberg  
Attorney at Law, Westin 
 
Mr. Brian F. Spector 
Attorney at Law, Miami 
 
Professor Manuel A. Utset, Jr. 
Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee 
 
The Honorable William A. Van Nortwick 
Appellate Judge, First District Court of Appeal 
 
Mr. Louis Vocelle, Jr. 
Attorney at Law, Vero Beach 
 
Mr. Mark M. Wall 
Attorney at Law, Tampa 
 
The Honorable Waddell Arlie Wallace, III 
Circuit Judge, Fourth Judicial Circuit 
 
Ms. Jane Kreusler-Walsh 
Attorney at Law, West Palm Beach 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
SECTION 100 – OATHS 
 
101.1 OATH OF JURORS BEFORE VOIR DIRE 
 
Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will answer truthfully all questions asked of 
you as prospective jurors [so help you God]? 
 
 
101.2 OATH OF JUROR AFTER VOIR DIRE 
 
Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will well and truly try this case between the 
[plaintiff(s)] [petitioner(s)] and [defendant(s)] [respondent(s)], and a true verdict render 
according to the law and evidence [so help you God]? 
 
 
101.3 OATH OF A WITNESS 
 
Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the evidence you are about to give will be the 
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth [so help you God]? 
 
 
101.4 OATH OF AN INTERPRETER 
 
Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will make a true interpretation to the witness 
of all questions or statements made to [him] [her] in a language which that person 
understands, and a true interpretation of the witness’ statements into the English language 
[so help you God]? 
 
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SECTION 200 – PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTIONS 
 
QUALIFICATIONS INSTRUCTION 
 
Many of you have cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices. Even though 
you have not yet been selected as a juror, there are some strict rules that you must follow 
about using your cell phones, electronic devices and computers. You must not use any 
device to search the Internet or to find out anything related to any cases in the courthouse.  
 
Between now and when you have been discharged from jury duty by the judge, you 
must not provide or receive any information about your jury service to anyone, including 
friends, co-workers, and family members. You may tell those who need to know where you 
are that you have been called for jury duty. If you are picked for a jury, you may tell 
people that you have been picked for a jury and how long the case may take. However, you 
must not give anyone any information about the case itself or the people involved in the 
case. You must also warn people not to try to say anything to you or write to you about 
your jury service or the case. This includes face-to-face, phone or computer 
communications.  
 
In this age of electronic communication, I want to stress that you must not use 
electronic devices or computers to talk about this case, including tweeting, texting, 
blogging, e-mailing, posting information on a website or chat room, or any other means at 
all. Do not send or accept any messages, including e-mail and text messages, about your 
jury service. You must not disclose your thoughts about your jury service or ask for advice 
on how to decide any case.  
 
After you are called to the courtroom, the judge will give you specific instructions about 
these matters. A judge will tell you when you are released from this instruction. All of us 
are depending on you to follow these rules, so that there will be a fair and lawful resolution 
of every case.  
 
NOTE ON USE 
 
This instruction should be given in addition to and at the conclusion of the instructions 
normally given to the prospective jurors. The portion of this instruction dealing with 
communication with others and outside research may need to be modified to include other 
specified means of communication or research as technology develops. 
 
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A. DURING JURY SELECTION 
 
201.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE CASE 
(Before Voir Dire) 
 
 
Welcome. [I] [The clerk] will now administer your oath. 
 
 
Now that you have been sworn, I’d like to give you an idea about what we are here to 
do. 
 
 
This is a civil trial. A civil trial is different from a criminal case, where a defendant is 
charged by the state prosecutor with committing a crime. The subject of a civil trial is a 
disagreement between people or companies [or others, as appropriate], where the claims of 
one or more of these parties have been brought to court to be resolved. It is called “a trial 
of a lawsuit.” 
 
 
This is a case about (insert brief description of claim(s) and defense(s) brought to trial in 
this case).  
 
 
The principal witnesses who will testify in this case are (list witnesses). 
 
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201.2 INTRODUCTION OF PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR ROLES 
 
Who are the people here and what do they do?  
 
Judge/Court: I am the Judge. You may hear people occasionally refer to me as “The 
Court.” That is the formal name for my role. My job is to maintain order and decide how 
to apply the rules of the law to the trial. I will also explain various rules to you that you will 
need to know in order to do your job as the jury. It is my job to remain neutral on the 
issues of this lawsuit.  
 
Attorneys: The attorneys to whom I will introduce you have the job of representing their 
clients. That is, they speak for their client here at the trial. They have taken oaths as 
attorneys to do their best and to follow the rules for their profession.  
 
Plaintiff’s Counsel: The attorney on this side of the courtroom, (introduce by name), 
represents (client name) and is the person who filed the lawsuit here at the courthouse. [His] 
[Her] job is to present [his] [her] client’s side of things to you. [He] [She] and [his] [her] 
client will be referred to most of the time as “the plaintiff.”  
 
Defendant’s Counsel: The attorney on this side of the courtroom, (introduce by name), 
represents (client name), the one who has been sued. [His] [Her] job is to present [his] [her] 
client’s side of things to you. [He] [She] and [his] [her] client will usually be referred to here 
as “the defendant.”  
 
Court Clerk: This person sitting in front of me, (name), is the court clerk. [He] [She] is 
here to assist me with some of the mechanics of the trial process, including the numbering 
and collection of the exhibits that are introduced in the course of the trial.  
 
Court Reporter: The person sitting at the stenographic machine, (name), is the court 
reporter. [His] [Her] job is to keep an accurate legal record of everything we say and do 
during this trial.  
 
Bailiff: The person over there, (name), is the bailiff. [His] [Her] job is to maintain order 
and security in the courtroom. The bailiff is also my representative to the jury. Anything 
you need or any problems that come up for you during the course of the trial should be 
brought to [him] [her]. However, the bailiff cannot answer any of your questions about the 
case. Only I can do that. 
 
Jury: Last, but not least, is the jury, which we will begin to select in a few moments from 
among all of you. The jury’s job will be to decide what the facts are and what the facts 
mean. Jurors should be as neutral as possible at this point and have no fixed opinion about 
the lawsuit.  
 
In order to have a fair and lawful trial, there are rules that all jurors must follow. A 
basic rule is that jurors must decide the case only on the evidence presented in the 
courtroom. You must not communicate with anyone, including friends and family 
 
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members, about this case, the people and places involved, or your jury service. You must 
not disclose your thoughts about this case or ask for advice on how to decide this case.   
 
I want to stress that this rule means you must not use electronic devices or computers to 
communicate about this case, including tweeting, texting, blogging, e-mailing, posting 
information on a website or chat room, or any other means at all. Do not send or accept 
any messages to or from anyone about this case or your jury service.  
 
You must not do any research or look up words, names, [maps], or anything else that 
may have anything to do with this case. This includes reading newspapers, watching 
television or using a computer, cell phone, the Internet, any electronic device, or any other 
means at all, to get information related to this case or the people and places involved in this 
case. This applies whether you are in the courthouse, at home, or anywhere else.  
 
All of us are depending on you to follow these rules, so that there will be a fair and 
lawful resolution to this case. Unlike questions that you may be allowed to ask in court, 
which will be answered in court in the presence of the judge and the parties, if you 
investigate, research or make inquiries on your own outside of the courtroom, the trial 
judge has no way to assure they are proper and relevant to the case. The parties likewise 
have no opportunity to dispute the accuracy of what you find or to provide rebuttal 
evidence to it. That is contrary to our judicial system, which assures every party the right 
to ask questions about and rebut the evidence being considered against it and to present 
argument with respect to that evidence. Non-court inquiries and investigations unfairly and 
improperly prevent the parties from having that opportunity our judicial system promises. 
If you become aware of any violation of these instructions or any other instruction I give in 
this case, you must tell me by giving a note to the bailiff.  
 
NOTE ON USE FOR 201.2 
 
The portion of this instruction dealing with communication with others and outside research 
may need to be modified to include other specified means of communication or research as 
technology develops. 
 
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201.3 EXPLANATION OF THE VOIR DIRE PROCESS 
 
Voir Dire:  
 
The last thing I want to do, before we begin to select the jury, is to explain to you how 
the selection process works.  
 
Questions/Challenges: This is the part of the case where the parties and their lawyers 
have the opportunity to get to know a little bit about you, in order to help them come to 
their own conclusions about your ability to be fair and impartial, so they can decide who 
they think should be the jurors in this case.  
 
How we go about that is as follows: First, I’ll ask some general questions of you. Then, 
each of the lawyers will have more specific questions that they will ask of you. After they 
have asked all of their questions, I will meet with them and they will tell me their choices 
for jurors. Each side can ask that I exclude a person from serving on a jury if they can give 
me a reason to believe that he or she might be unable to be fair and impartial. That is what 
is called a challenge for cause. The lawyers also have a certain number of what are called 
peremptory challenges, by which they may exclude a person from the jury without giving a 
reason. By this process of elimination, the remaining persons are selected as the jury. It 
may take more than one conference among the parties, their attorneys, and me before the 
final selections are made.  
 
Purpose of Questioning: The questions that you will be asked during this process are not 
intended to embarrass you or unnecessarily pry into your personal affairs, but it is 
important that the parties and their attorneys know enough about you to make this 
important decision. If a question is asked that you would prefer not to answer in front of 
the whole courtroom, just let me know and you can come up here and give your answer 
just in front of the attorneys and me. If you have a question of either the attorneys or me, 
don’t hesitate to let me know.  
 
Response to Questioning: There are no right or wrong answers to the questions that will 
be asked of you. The only thing that I ask is that you answer the questions as frankly and 
as honestly and as completely as you can. You [will take] [have taken] an oath to answer all 
questions truthfully and completely and you must do so. Remaining silent when you have 
information you should disclose is a violation of that oath as well. If a juror violates this 
oath, it not only may result in having to try the case all over again but also can result in 
civil and criminal penalties against a juror personally. So, again, it is very important that 
you be as honest and complete with your answers as you possibly can. If you don’t 
understand the question, please raise your hand and ask for an explanation or clarification.  
 
In sum, this is a process to assist the parties and their attorneys to select a fair and 
impartial jury. All of the questions they ask you are for this purpose. If, for any reason, you 
do not think you can be a fair and impartial juror, you must tell us.