Case Title: In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases

Citation: 

Docket Number: SC17-451

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2017-11-16T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC17-451 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE: STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CIVIL CASES—REPORT 
17-01. 
 
[November 16, 2017] 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases 
(Committee) has submitted proposed changes to the standard jury instructions and 
asks that the Court authorize the amended standard instructions for publication and 
use.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const. 
 
The Committee proposes amending instruction 201.2 (Introduction of 
Participants and Their Roles) and instruction 202.4 (Juror Questions).  The 
Committee published its proposals in The Florida Bar News.  No comments were 
received.  The Court did not publish the Committee’s proposals.1 
                                          
 
 
1.  Minor, technical changes to the instructions are not elaborated upon. 
 
 
- 2 - 
 
Instruction 201.2 is amended to include the following language pertaining to 
the paragraph addressing communications with court personnel, including the 
judge:  “This means, if you are outside the courtroom, any communication with me 
must be in writing, unsigned, and handed directly to the bailiff.  Do not share the 
content of the writing with anyone, including other jurors.” 
 
Instruction 202.4 is amended to clarify that jurors must ask questions of a 
witness before the witness leaves the witness stand, by adding the following 
language:  “It is important to know that if you have a question you believe should 
be asked of a witness, you must raise your hand and request that I ask the witness 
the question before the witness leaves the witness stand.  You will not have an 
opportunity to ask the witness a question once the witness leaves the courtroom.”   
Having considered the Committee’s report, we authorize the Committee’s 
proposals for publication and use as set forth in the appendix to this opinion.  New 
language is indicated by underlining, while deleted language is struck-through.  In 
authorizing the publication and use of these instructions, we express no opinion on 
their correctness and remind all interested parties that this authorization forecloses 
neither requesting additional or alternative instructions nor 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 
 
 
- 3 - 
correctness or applicability.  The instructions as set forth in the appendix shall 
become effective when this opinion becomes final. 
 
It is so ordered. 
LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, 
and LAWSON, JJ., concur. 
 
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION AND, 
IF FILED, DETERMINED. 
 
Original Proceeding – Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in 
Civil Cases 
 
Rebecca Mercier Vargas, Chair, Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury  
Instructions in Civil Cases, West Palm Beach, Florida; and Laura K. Whitmore, 
Vice Chair and Subcommittee Chair, Filing Subcommittee of the Supreme Court 
Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases, Tampa, Florida, 
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
 
 
 
 
- 4 - 
APPENDIX 
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.  
Parties: A party who files a lawsuit is called the Plaintiff. A party that is 
sued is called the Defendant. 
Attorneys: The attorneys have the job of representing their clients. That 
means 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.” (Attorney name), will you please introduce who is sitting at the 
table with you? 
[Plaintiff without Counsel: (Introduce claimant by name), on this side of the 
courtroom, is the person who filed the lawsuit at the courthouse. (Claimant) is 
not represented by an attorney and will present [his] [her] side of things to 
you [himself] [herself].]. 
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.” (Attorney 
name), will you please introduce who is sitting at the table with you? 
[Defendant’s Counsel: The attorney on this side of the courtroom, 
(introduce by name), represents (client name), the one who has been sued. [His] 
 
 
- 5 - 
[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.” [His] 
[Her] client (defendant uninsured or underinsured motorist carrier) is (claimant’s 
name) motor vehicle insurance company and provided [him] [her] [uninsured] 
[underinsured] motorist coverage, which may be available to pay some or all 
of the damages that may be awarded.]* 
*Use the bracketed paragraph above when the case involves an uninsured 
or underinsured motorist carrier. 
[Defendant without Counsel: (Introduce defendant by name), on this side of 
the courtroom, is the one who has been sued. (Defendant) is not represented by 
an attorney and will present [his] [her] side of things to you [himself] 
[herself].]. 
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 members, about this case, the people and 
places involved, or your jury service. You must not disclose your thoughts 
 
 
- 6 - 
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.  
Many of you may have cell phones, tablets, laptops, or other electronic 
devices with you here in the courtroom.**  
**The trial judge should select one of the following two alternative 
instructions explaining the rules governing jurors’ use of electronic devices, 
as explained in Note on Use 1.  
Alternative A: [All cell phones, computers, tablets, or other types of 
electronic devices must be turned off while you are in the courtroom.  Turned 
off means that the phone or other electronic device is actually off and not in a 
silent or vibrating mode.  You may use these devices during recesses, but even 
then you may not use your cell phone or electronic device to find out any 
information about the case or communicate with anyone about the case or the 
people involved in the case.  Do not take photographs, video recordings, or 
audio recordings of the proceedings or of your fellow jurors.  After each 
recess, please double check to make sure your cell phone or electronic device 
is turned off.  At the end of the case, while you are deliberating, you must not 
communicate with anyone outside the jury room.  You cannot have in the jury 
room any cell phones, computers, or other electronic devices.  If someone 
needs to contact you in an emergency, the court can receive messages and 
deliver them to you without delay.  A contact phone number will be provided 
to you.] 
Alternative B: [You cannot have any cell phones, tablets, laptops, or 
other electronic devices in the courtroom.  You may use these devices during 
recesses, but even then you may not use your cell phone or electronic device to 
 
 
- 7 - 
find out any information about the case or communicate with anyone about 
the case or the people involved in the case.  Do not take photographs, video 
recordings, or audio recordings of the proceedings or your fellow jurors.  At 
the end of the case, while you are deliberating, you must not communicate 
with anyone outside the jury room.  If someone needs to contact you in an 
emergency, the court can receive messages and deliver them to you without 
delay.  A contact phone number will be provided to you.] 
What are the reasons for these rules?  These rules are imposed because 
jurors must decide the case without distraction and only on the evidence 
presented in the courtroom.  If you investigate, research, or make inquiries on 
your own outside of the courtroom, the trial judge has no way to make sure 
that the information you obtain is proper for the case.  The parties likewise 
have no opportunity to dispute or challenge the accuracy of what you find. 
That is contrary to our judicial system, which assures every party the right to 
ask questions about and challenge the evidence being considered against it 
and to present argument with respect to that evidence.  Any independent 
investigation by a juror unfairly and improperly prevents the parties from 
having that opportunity our judicial system promises. 
Any juror who violates these restrictions jeopardizes the fairness of 
these proceedings, and a mistrial could result that would require the entire 
trial process to start over. A mistrial is a tremendous expense and 
inconvenience to the parties, the court, and the taxpayers.  If you violate these 
rules, you may be held in contempt of court, and face sanctions, such as 
serving time in jail, paying a fine or both.   
All of your communications with courtroom personnel, or me, will be 
part of the record of these proceedings.  That means those communications 
shall either be made in open court with the court reporter present or, if they 
are in writing, the writing will be filed with the court clerk. This means, if you 
are outside the courtroom, any communication with me must be in writing, 
unsigned, and handed directly to the bailiff. Do not share the content of the 
writing with anyone, including other jurors. I have instructed the courtroom 
personnel that any communications you have with them outside of my 
presence must be reported to me, and I will tell the parties [and their 
attorneys] about any communication from you that I believe may be of 
interest to the parties [and their attorneys]. 
However, you may communicate directly with courtroom personnel 
 
 
- 8 - 
about matters concerning your comfort and safety, such as [juror parking] 
[location of break areas] [how and when to assemble for duty] [dress] [what 
personal items can be brought into the courthouse or jury room] [list any 
other types of routine ex parte communications permitted]. 
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.